Washington DC [US], July 4: Acclaimed Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s latest feature film, La Grazia, will open the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, according to a report by Deadline. The film stars Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti in lead roles and will have its world premiere on Wednesday, August 27, in the iconic Sala Grande.
La Grazia is produced by Fremantle’s The Apartment, along with Numero 10 and PiperFilm. MUBI holds the worldwide rights, excluding Italy, where it will be distributed locally. International sales are being handled by The Match Factory.
Festival director Alberto Barbera expressed his enthusiasm for Sorrentino’s return to Venice, highlighting the director’s long-standing connection with the festival. “I am very happy that the 82nd Venice International Film Festival will open with the new and highly anticipated film by Paolo Sorrentino,” Barbera stated.
Barbera also reflected on Sorrentino’s debut at the festival in 2001 with One Man Up, and the continued relationship with projects such as The Young Pope and The Hand of God, which won the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize in 2021.
He concluded by calling La Grazia “a film destined to leave its mark for its great originality and powerful relevance to the present time.”
In a separate announcement, legendary actress Kim Novak—best known for her iconic role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo—will receive the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s festival, reported Variety.
In tribute to her legacy, the festival will premiere the documentary biopic Kim Novak’s Vertigo, directed and written by Alexandre O. Philippe. The film combines rare archival footage with Novak’s personal reflections and intimate glimpses of her life in Oregon, offering a rich portrait of the mid-century cinema icon turned reclusive artist.
The 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival will run from August 27 to September 6.