Venice Days Lineup Includes Works From Chloe Sevigny, Kim Nguyen & China’s Pengfei

The Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days sidebar has unveiled its 12 competition titles, 11 of which are world premieres, which include new projects from Chloe Sevigny, Kim Nguyen and China’s Pengfei.

The section, which is modeled after Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight sidebar, boasts a strong female lineup, seeing Sevigny’s short Carmen – her second directorial effort – screen in its Women’s Tales section. It stars Spanish-American comedian Carmen Lynch. Also included in this section is U.S. choreographer-director Celia Rowlson-Hall’s #14.

Competition highlights for the 14th edition of Venice Days include War Witch helmer Nguyen’s Eyes Of Juliet, a love story starring Joe Cole seen through the eyes of a drone; Pengfei’s The Taste Of Rice Flower; Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s bourgeoisie satire Samui Song; and Iran’s Shirin Neshat’s Looking For Oum Kulthum, about an Egyptian woman looking to revive the Arab world’s greatest singer.

Special events during the sidebar include Nick Hooker’s premiere of HBO Documentary Films’ Agnelli, about the late Italian Fiat industrialist Gianni Agnelli as well as James Lester’s debut Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story.

Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf will preside over the jury, which will dish out the Venice Days Award to the winning title.

Venice Days runs August 30-September 9.

Here’s the full lineup:

COMPETITION
Candelaria, Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza
The Contagion, Matteo Botrugno, Daniele Coluccini
Where Shadows Fall, Valentina Pedicini
L’Equilibrio, Vincenzo Marra
Eye on Juliet, Kim Nguyen
Longing, Savi Gabizon
Life Guidance, Ruth Mader
Looking For Oum Kulthum, Shirin Neshat
M, Sara Forestier
Samui Song, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
The Taste of Rice Flower, Pengfei
Volubilis, Faouzi Bensaidi

WOMEN’S TALES PROJECT
#14 (The [End) of History Illusion], Celia Rowlson-Hall
Carmen, Chloe Sevigny

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Agnelli, Nick Hooker
Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story, James Lester
I’M (endless like the space), Anne-Riitta Ciccone
La Legge Del Numero Uno, Alessandro D’Alatri
The Resolute, Giovanni Donfrancesco
The Millionairs, Claudio Santamaria
Thirst Street, Nathan Silver
Il Tentato Suicidio Nell’Adolescenza, Ermanno Olmi
Raccontare Venezia, Wilma Labate

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