Venice Film Festival 2024: Clooney, Pitt and Kidman meet White Supremacy, Freud and Einstein

Click here to watch the trailer of "BABYGIRL" by Halina Reijn

VENICE - The 81st Venice International Film Festival reached a climax with the premieres of Nicole Kidman’s erotic feature film Babygirl and Jude Law’s The Order, which earned last night a seven-minute standing ovation for its intense portrayal of white supremacy terrorists in 1984. Their “declaration of war” and extremist ideology influenced following events until the present time, such as the Oklahoma City bombing and the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill in 2021.

Tim Burton's sequel Beetlejuice kicked off the festival with much fanfare. Among the festival's intellectual highlights were the Why War?, a documentary depicting a dialogue between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, discussing the moral and ethical considerations surrounding war, particularly in the context of World War II.  One of the most anticipated films of the festival was Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín and starring Angelina Jolie as the legendary opera singer Maria Callas.

As the festival continues, all eyes are on two films: Wolfs with Brad Pitt and George Clooney tonight and Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to the 2019 Golden Lion-winning Joker. Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck with Lady Gaga joining the cast as Harley Quinn. 

On September 3, the festival will pay tribute to the legendary director Peter Weir, who is receiving a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. A special retrospective will showcase some of his most celebrated films, including Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show.

Click here to watch the trailer of "Maria" by Pablo Larrain

Click here to watch the trailer of "WOLFS" by Jon Watts

Click here to watch the trailer of "JOKER" by Todd Phillips

Click here to watch the trailer of "The Order" by Justin Kurzel