Laurie Anderson, Joshua Oppenheimer, Zhao Wei Set For Venice Jury
ROME — The Venice Film Festival has announced the full roster of its main jury that will comprise Laurie Anderson, Gemma Arterton, and Joshua Oppenheimer alongside Italian writer Giancarlo De Cataldo, German actress Nina Hoss, French Actress Chiara Mastroianni, Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas and Chinese actress, director and singer Zhao Wei.
Vigas won the Venice Golden Lion last year with his first feature “From Afar,” about a middle-aged gay man who cruises the streets of Caracas searching for young companions.
Zhao made her directorial debut in 2013 with college romancer “So Young,” which is the highest grossing film ever made by a female Chinese filmmaker. One of China’s most popular actresses, also known as Vicky Zhao, she recently came under fire from the Communist Youth League for casting Taiwan thesp Leon Dai as the lead in her sophomore film directorial effort, “No Other Love,” and was forced to drop him. Dai is allegedly a supporter of Taiwanese independence from mainland China.
As previously announced, Sam Mendes will serve as jury president.
Venice has also announced jury members of its Horizons section, dedicated to more cutting edge fare and headed by French director Robert Guediguian.
They are: U.S. film critic and historian Jim Hoberman, longtime senior critic at “The Village Voice” and now a New York Times columnist; Egyptian actress Nelly Karim who has played several groundbreaking Arab female roles, most recently in Mohamed Diab’s “Clash”; Italian actress Valentina Lodovini (“Things From Another World”); South Korean actress and director Moon So-ri (“Oasis”); Spanish critic Jose Maria Prado, who heads the Spanish film archives in Madrid; and Indian director Chaitanya Tamhane whose first film, legal drama “Court” won the Venice Lion of the Future in 2014.
Last but not least, the members of the Lion of the Future jury presided by Italian actor and director Kim Rossi Stewart, who will select Venice’s award for first feature, are: U.S. actor and director Brady Corbet, whose historical mystery drama ”Childhood of a Leader” scooped the Lion of the Future last year, as well as the Horizons’ section nod for best director (awarded by separate juries); Spanish actress Pilar Lopez de Ayala (“The Strange Case of Angelica”); and French film critic Serge Toubiana, who co-directed docu “Hitchcock Truffaut.”
The Lion of the Future Jury will award a $100,000 dollar cash prize to the best debut feature across all competitive sections at the fest, to be divided equally between the director and the producer.
The 73nd edition of Venice will run August 31-September 10. The full lineup will be announced on July 28.
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