The 78th Venice Film Festival opens today with the premiere of a new film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Madres paralelas).
The screening is preceded by a ceremony where the honorary Golden Lion will be awarded to Italian actor and director Roberto Benigni for his career achievements and contribution to the art of cinema. The second honorary lion will be awarded to American actor Jamie Lee Curtis. She will be awarded on September 8.
A total of 21 films have been nominated to win the prize. This year, 5 Italian films have entered the main competition.
This year's novelty is the competition program "Extra Horizons," which includes eight films.
The international jury of the main competition is headed by South Korean director Bong Jun-ho Bong Joon-ho. He received the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival and Oscar for the film "Parasite" (Gisaengchung, 2019).
