Joining Chazelle's 'First Man' are the brothers' 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' and Greengrass' '22 July'.
- Jul 26, 2018
AceShowbiz - The Coen Brothers, Paul Greengrass and Damien Chazelle are among the directors competing for the Golden Lion prize at this year's Venice Film Festival.
The event's artistic director Alberto Barbera unveiled the full line-up of movies that will be screened in competition at the 75th edition of the Italian festival at a press conference on Wednesday, July 25.
Joining Chazelle's already announced opener, "First Man", a biopic of astronaut Neil Armstrong, are Joel and Ethan Coen's new western, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", and July 22, Greengrass' portrayal of the horrific 2011 terror attack in Norway which left 77 dead.
Also competing for the prestigious award are "Call Me by Your Name" director
Luca Guadagnino's hotly anticipated horror remake "Suspiria" and Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuaron's Mexican family drama "Roma", and "The Favourite", a period piece starring Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone.
Another festival highlight is the restored and completed version of Orson Welles' unfinished "The Other Side of the Wind" - which was denied a slot at the rival Cannes Film Festival due to their ban on Netflix-produced projects.
Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, a second remake of the 1937 musical romance "A Star Is Born", which stars himself and Lady Gaga, is also receiving its world premiere in Venice this year.
The event has been a strong launchpad for awards season in recent years, as Chazelle's "La La Land" debuted there in 2016 and went on to win six Oscars the following spring. Guillermo del Toro, who leads the 2018 Venice jury, also premiered his dark fantasy drama "The Shape of Water" there last year, winning the Golden Lion before it earned him the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director.
British actress Vanessa Redgrave and director David Cronenberg will also receive lifetime achievement awards at the film festival, which runs from August 29 to September 8.
