Venice International Film Festival

The 75th edition of the Venice International Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia), the oldest international film festival in the world, opens on the Italian island of Lido on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) The 75th edition of the Venice International Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia), the oldest international film festival in the world, opens on the Italian island of Lido on Wednesday.

The first edition of the Venice International Film Festival was held from August 6 to August 21, 1932, as an exhibition of cinematographic art during the Venice Biennale. This first festival was carried out on the terrace of the Hotel Excelsior on Lido, Venice. Rouben Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was the first film to be shown at the festival. Twenty nine full-length and 11 short films were in the contest program. No prizes were planned but a poll was held.

Nineteen countries took part in the second edition of the festival, which took place two years later, in 1934.� For the first time it included a competition. The prize, the Mussolini Cup (Coppa Mussolini), was introduced for the best foreign film and the best Italian film. The award for the best foreign film went to Robert Flaherty's fictional documentary Man of Aran.

Starting in 1935, the festival became an annual event, and the number of films and participating countries has increased. The awards for best actor and best actress were renamed to the Volpi Cup (Coppa Volpi) after one of the festival's founders, Count Giuseppe Volpi.

An international jury was appointed for the first time in 1936. The Palazzo del Cinema was opened in 1937, where the Venice Film Festival has been held since then.

The film festival was not held in 1943-1945 amid the Second World War and was resumed in 1946.

Since 1949, the main prize of the film festival was the Golden Lion of San Marco, later named the Golden Lion (Leone d'oro).

In 1969-1979 the festival was non-competitive, only separate films were awarded during this period.

Among films that received the highest award of the Venice Festival are Hamlet (1948), directed by Laurence Olivier, Rashomon (1951) by Akira Kurosawa, Last year at Marienbad (1961) by Alain Resnais, Ivan's Childhood (1962) by Andrei Tarkovsky, Red Desert (1964) by Michelangelo Antonioni, First Name: Carmen (1983) by Jean-Luc Godard, Close to Eden (1991) by Nikita Mikhalkov, Three Colors: Blue (1993) by Krzysztof Kieslowski, The Return (2003) by Andrei Zvyagintsev.

The program of the 75th edition of the festival includes the main competition, the Orizzonti (Horizons) program, non-competitive show, Venice Classics selection, the Sconfini program and Venice Virtual Reality � premieres of VR films.

There is a maximum of 20 films in the main competition. All if them are presented as world premieres.

The non-competing section includes world premieres of the current year and films-laureates of festivals of past years.

The international Orizzonti program is dedicated to films that represent new trends in international cinema, debut films marked by originality of language and expression, as well as works that address specific genres and current production.

In the Venice Classics section there are recent restorations of classic films.

The Sconfini program includes world premiers of films of different genres: arthouse, experimental films, tv series and crossover productions.

The Venice Virtual Reality section includes international premieres of VR films of any length and of any format.

An international jury of nine well-known representatives of cinema art will award the following prizes in the main competition: Golden Lion for best film, the main award of the Venice Film Festival; Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize; Silver Lion - Award for Best Director; Coppa Volpi for Best Actor; Coppa Volpi for Best Actress; Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress; Award for Best Screenplay; and Special Jury Prize.

The jury of the Orizzonti competition includes seven people, professionals in the field of cinema and culture. They will award prizes in the following nominations: Orizzonti Award for Best Film of the program; Orizzonti Award for Best Director; Special Orizzonti Jury Prize; Orizzonti Award for Best Actor and Best Actress; Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay; and Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.

In the Venice Classics section a jury will assign the Venice Classics Award for Best Restored Film. The best documentary on cinema may also be awarded.

All the debut feature films presented in the various competitive sections of the Venice Festival are eligible for the Lion of the Future - Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film.

An international jury of five people awards prizes for the Best VR Immersive Story, the Best VR Experience for interactive content and for the Best VR Story for linear content in the Venice Virtual Reality section.

A Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is awarded to a director and to an actor or actress.

The best film of the 74th edition of the Venice Film Festival in 2017 was the fantastic drama The Shape of Water by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro.

Foxtrot by Israeli director Samuel Maoz won Grand Jury Prize award. French actor and filmmaker Xavier Legrand received the Luigi de Laurentiis award for his debut film Custody and the Silver Lion award for Best Director.

Coppa Volpi for the best female role went to English actress Charlotte Rampling for Hannah, Palestinian Kamel El Basha received the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor Award for The Insult. The prize for the best script was awarded to British-Irish screenwriter Martin McDonagh for his Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Australian film director Warwick Thornton's drama Sweet Country won Special Jury Prize.

Young US actor Charlie Plummer was awarded with Marcello Mastroianni Award for his role in Lean on Pete.

Nico, 1988 by Suzanne Nicchiarelli was recognized as the best film in Orizzonti section.

Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement in the cinema world were awarded to US actors Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.

The jury of the Venice Festival awarded Soviet military drama Come and See (1985) by Elem Klimov with the Best Restored Film Award at Venice Classics section. Also, the prize was awarded to Polish-German documentary The Prince and the Dybbuk.

The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held from August 29 to September 8, 2018. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro is the chairman of the international jury.