Laudadio details Venice fest plans
Connery, Loren, Wajda to receive Golden Lions
The awards, which will be accompanied by a tribute screening of a film chosen by each honoree, were announced Wednes-day in Venice by Felice Laudadio at his first press conference since being appointed head of the fest for a second term.
During the fest topper's debut year, star power and major studio features took a back seat to the search for discoveries. Laudadio on Wednesday confirmed he will meet in the coming weeks with MPA reps and with the Italian arms of the U.S. studios to begin negotiating for a beefed-up roster of American features, which are expected to dominate the newly titled "Notti e Stelle" (Nights and Stars) section of midnight premieres.
"Frankly, I don't think I was wrong last year when I said that the reliance on special effects is killing American cinema," Laudadio told Daily Variety. "But from the first indications I've received, I have the impression that trends are changing in the American films in preparation."
While the Venice lineup will not be announced until July 29, he has promised a more streamlined program this year, substantially eliminating the video and made-for-TV product that cluttered last fall's edition, and consolidating the noncompetitive sidebars into tighter, more focused units.
The one exception to the downsizing rule is the competition, which Laudadio has expanded from 18 titles to include up to 22 films. Awards to be presented remain largely unchanged aside from the addition of a new Silver Lion prize for best director.
Laudadio has appointed a group of five programming advisers to assist in assembling this year's lineup. These are Italian critics Paolo D'Agostini, Oscar Iarussi, Vieri Razzini and Roberto Silvestri, and Daily Variety contributor Deborah Young.
New sections to be introduced this year are Perspectives, featuring 25-30 international features and taking the place of 1997's Venetian Workshop and Special Events sidebars; and Rediscovered Cinema, showcasing four or five restored, long-overlooked Italian films. Last year's Mezzogiorno section has been scratched.
After being reinstated last year, the Intl. Critics Week returns with seven first and second features, as will the Corto-Cortissimo short film competition and the window for recent national productions.
