American
musical "La La Land", directed by Damien Chazelle, kicked off the
Venice film festival (AFP
Photo/Tiziana Fabi)
Venice
(AFP) - From a dazzling musical to a biting comedy, films from the US
and Argentina are tipped as favourites to win this year's Golden Lion
award at the Venice film festival, due to be announced Saturday.
American
musical "La La Land", directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan
Gosling and Emma Stone, kicked off the world's oldest film festival and
immediately brought the house down.
Top
international film critics, gathered on the glamorous Lido di Venezia
for the 10-day fest, cheered the quirky tale of a struggling jazz
pianist and his actress girlfriend in Los Angeles, a joyful tribute to
the Golden Age of American musicals.
Fellow
front-runner "Jackie", Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain's potrayal of
the days following US president JFK's assassination, wowed thanks
largely to a stellar performance from Natalie Portman as Jacqueline
Kennedy.
"I
felt like it was the most dangerous film I've ever done, because
everyone knows what Jackie looked like, sounded like, walked like,"
Portman admitted to press at the star-studded festival, where A-listers
arrived by water taxi.
- Oscar hungry -
Terrence
Malick's long-awaited "Voyage of Time: Life's Journey", a documentary
on the life and death of the universe, moved critics and the public
alike with its use of stunning special effects and real-life images of
earth's most breathtaking creations.
But
these glossy, US heavyweights are being challenged by Argentinian
directors Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn with their comedy "The
Distinguished Citizen", about a Nobel Prize-winning author who returns
to his village for the first time in 40 years.
Also
hot on their heels is Philippine director Lav Diaz's "The Woman Who
Left", an acclaimed black and white tale about a wrongly convicted
schoolteacher plotting her revenge against the ex-boyfriend who framed
her.
The awards ceremony is set to begin at 1700 GMT.
Venice
has strengthened its reputation in recent years as a launch-pad for the
Oscars -- with "Gravity", "Birdman" and "Spotlight" all premiering here
-- and former fashion designer Tom Ford's offering "Nocturnal Animals"
may follow suit.
Spooking
and stirring in equal part, with arresting performances from US stars
Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal as lovers gone awry, the film tells a
story within a story about self-harm, love, betrayal and revenge.
The
Best Actor award is tipped to go either to Oscar Martinez, who plays
the cynical novelist in "The Distinguished Citizen", or Gosling, for his
tap-dancing, crooning character in "La La Land".
- Sexy tentacles -
Amy
Adams is in the running for the Best Actress not only for "Nocturnal
Animals" but also "Arrival", where her character is all that stands
between a group of civilized aliens and the leaders of the world powers,
eager to reach for the nuclear button.
Should
the jury, lead by British film director Sam Mendes, have a penchant for
such tentacled creatures, Mexico's "The Untamed" by Amat Escalante may
be in with a shot, with its take on an extraterrestrial who sexually
pleasures the brave and foolhardy.
A
total of 20 films are competing, including Ana Lily Amirpour's second
film "Bad Batch", a cannibal love story with Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves
about a young girl who ends up on the menu in a futuristic United
States.
The
beautiful "A Woman's Life", by French director Stephane Brize, is
tipped to snap up the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The rich period
drama, set in 19th century France, tells the tale of a childlike
baroness tormented by a rakish local viscount.
The
festival has featured dozens of world premiers out of competition,
including Italian master Paolo Sorrentino's first TV series "The Young
Pope", featuring a brilliantly Machiavellian Jude Law as the Catholic
Church's first ever American pope.
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