Variety has published the complete line-up of films set for the 66th Annual Venice Film Festival and there are a few films to take note of including Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant, Michael Moore’s Capitalism and The Road. Fatih Akin also has a film in the competition titled Soul Kitchen and after last year’s The Edge of Heaven I am down for checking out anything from Akin.
Out of competition we have Soderbergh’s The Informant and Grant Heslov’s The Men Who Stare at Goats. Along with that the horror follow-up REC 2 and Oliver Stone’s Hugo Chavez documentary South of the Border.
Midnight movies includes Antoine Fuqua’s Brooklyn’s Finest, which was picked up already by Senator Releasing and is currently slated for a November 27 release and Valhalla Rising from Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of the Pusher series. Valhalla Rising is a Viking story set in 1,000 A.D. and centers on One-Eye (Mads Mikkelsen), a mute warrior of supernatural strength, who has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness.
Finally, the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award will go to John Lasseter and the festival will screen the 3-D versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in conjunction with the celebration.
You can check out the complete list of film here.
66TH ANNUAL VENICE FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP COMPETITION
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Werner Herzog (U.S.)
- Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore (U.S.)
- The Road, John Hillcoat (U.S.)
- Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin (Germany)
- Survival of the Dead, George Romero (U.S.)
OUT OF COMPETITION
- The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh (U.S.)
- The Men Who Stare at Goats, Grant Heslov (U.S.)
- REC 2, Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza (Spain)
- South of the Border, Oliver Stone (U.S.)
MIDNIGHT MOVIES
- Brooklyn’s Finest, Antoine Fuqua (U.S.)
- Valhalla Rising, Nicolas Winding Refn (Denmark)
GOLDEN LION FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 2009
JOHN LASSETER AND THE DISNEY/PIXAR DIRECTORS
- Toy Story 3-D (New Version), John Lasseter (U.S.)
- Toy Story 2 3-D (New Version), John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Ash Brannon (U.S.)
