Venice Days has announced a lineup shaped around female filmmakers and female-driven stories, with Hungarian director Lili Horvát’s first English-language feature, My Notes on Mars, chosen as the opening film. The independently run section, also known as Giornate degli Autori, will present 25 world premieres across its various strands, and 14 of those titles are directed by women, according to the report.
Starring Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend, My Notes on Mars follows an astrophysicist named Margot, whose marriage is under strain when she disappears during a hike with her husband, Sam. Weeks later, she reappears on the day of her own memorial service with no memory of her life, apart from her work on Mars research. Horvát previously brought Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time to Venice and Toronto in 2020.
Competition titles and special events
The film is one of 10 competition entries that will be evaluated by an all-female jury led by Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón. The panel also includes Hania Mroue, founder and director of Beirut’s Metropolis Cinema, and Italian director-producer Sara Fgaier. Other competition titles include Agata the Writer by Kuba Dorabialski, with Mia Wasikowska; Balcanica by Nicola Sorcinelli, featuring and co-produced by Matilda De Angelis; Dear Ajayi by Damilola Orimogunje; and Robert Guèdiguian’s A Woman Today.
Beyond the competition, the program includes Francesca Archibugi’s documentary Carla Lonzi, dentro e fuori dal mondo, Ashgan El-Hamus’ debut Al Baraneya, and the closing film, Léa Domenach’s queer and feminist musical comedy A Man’s Skin, set in the Italian Renaissance and reuniting the director with Catherine Deneuve. Shorts by Mona Fastvold and Claire Denis will also appear through the Miu Miu Women’s Tales series. Venice Days runs Sept. 2-12 alongside the main Venice Film Festival, and this edition is dedicated to the memory of its founder, critic Giorgio Gosetti.
Source: variety.com
