The 72nd annual Venice International Film Festival, was held from 2 to 12 September 2015, at Venice Lido in Italy.
Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón was the jury president for the main competition. French-Italian actress Elisa Sednaoui hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival. The Golden Lion was awarded to From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas.
The festival poster featured Nastassja Kinski in front as reminiscent of Wim Wenders's Faraway, So Close!, while in the background it featured the character of Antoine Doinel portrayed by Jean-Pierre Léaud from François Truffaut's 1959 drama film The 400 Blows, which also appeared on the 71st Venice International Film Festival poster.
The festival opened with Everest by Baltasar Kormákur, and closed with Mr. Six by Guan Hu.
Juries Main competition (Venezia 72) Alfonso Cuarón, Mexican filmmaker - Jury President Elizabeth Banks, American actress and director Emmanuel Carrère, French author, screenwriter and director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkish director Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwanese filmmaker Diane Kruger, German actress Francesco Munzi, Italian director Paweł Pawlikowski, Polish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, Scottish filmmaker
Horizons (Orizzonti) Jonathan Demme, American director - Jury President Alix Delaporte, French director and screenwriter Fruit Chan, Hong Kong director Anita Caprioli, Italian actress Paz Vega, Spanish actress
Opera Prima (Venice Award for a Debut Film) Saverio Costanzo, Italian director - Jury President Charles Burnett, American director Roger Garcia, Hong Kong producer Natacha Laurent, French film critic and historian Daniela Michel, Mexican journalist
Official Sections In Competition The following films were selected for the main competition:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country 11 Minutes 11 minut Jerzy Skolimowski Poland, Ireland Anomalisa Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson United States Beasts of No Nation Cary Joji Fukunaga Behemoth 悲兮魔兽 Zhao Liang China A Bigger Splash Luca Guadagnino Italy, France Blood of My Blood Sangue del mio sangue Marco Bellocchio Italy The Clan El Clan Pablo Trapero Argentina, Spain Courted L'Hermine Christian Vincent France The Danish Girl Tom Hooper United Kingdom, United States The Endless River Oliver Hermanus South Africa, France Equals Drake Doremus United States Per amor vostro Giuseppe M. Gaudino Italy, France Francofonia Alexander Sokurov France, Germany, Netherlands Frenzy Abluka Emin Alper Turkey, France, Qatar From Afar Desde allá Lorenzo Vigas Venezuela Heart of a Dog Laurie Anderson United States Looking for Grace Sue Brooks Australia Marguerite Xavier Giannoli France, Czech Republic, Belgium Rabin, the Last Day Amos Gitai Israel, France Remember Atom Egoyan Canada, Germany The Wait L'attesa Piero Messina Italy, France Out of Competition The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Fiction Afternoon 那日下午 Tsai Ming-liang Taiwan Black Mass Scott Cooper United States Bleak Street La calle de la Amargura Arturo Ripstein Mexico, Spain Don't Be Bad Non essere cattivo Claudio Caligari Italy Everest (opening film) Baltasar Kormákur United Kingdom, United States, Iceland BlackwayGo with Me Daniel Alfredson Canada, United States, Sweden Mr. Six (closing film) 老炮儿 Guan Hu China Spotlight Tom McCarthy United StatesNon FictionDe PalmaNoah Baumbach and Jake PaltrowUnited StatesL'esercito piu piccolo del mondoGianfranco PannoneVatican, ItalyThe EventСобытиеSergei LoznitsaNetherlands, BelgiumI ricordi del fiume Gianluca De Serio, Massimiliano De SerioItalyIn Jackson HeightsFrederick WisemanUnited States, FranceJanis: Little Girl BlueAmy J. BergUnited StatesGli uomini di questa città io non li conoscoFranco MarescoItalyWinter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for FreedomЗима у вогні: Боротьба України за свободуEvgeny AfineevskyUkraine, United States, United KingdomSpecial ScreeningHumanYann Arthus-BertrandFrance
Orizzonti The following feature films were selected for the Horizons (Orizzonti) section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country In Competition Burning Love Pecore In Erba Alberto Caviglia Italy The Childhood of a Leader Brady Corbet United States, United Kingdom, Hungary, Sweden, France, Canada, Belgium A Copy of My Mind Joko Anwar Indonesia, South Korea A War Krigen Tobias Lindholm Denmark Neon Bull Boi Neon Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Uruguay, Netherlands Wednesday, May 9 چهارشنبه ۱۹ اردیبهشت Vahid Jalilvand Iran Free in Deed Jake Mahaffy United States, New Zealand Visaranai விசாரணை Vetrimaaran India Interruption Yorgos Zois Greece, France, Croatia Italian Gangsters Renato De Maria Italy Kill Me Please Mate-Me Por Favor Anita Rocha da Silveira Brazil, Argentina Land Legs Tempête Samuel Collardey France Madame Courage Merzak Allouache Algeria, France, United Arab Emirates Man Down Dito Montiel United States A Monster with a Thousand Heads Un monstruo de mil cabezas Rodrigo Plá Mexico Mountain Ha'har Yaelle Kayam Israel Taj Mahal Nicolas Saada France, Belgium Tharlo 塔洛 Pema Tseden China Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me Lama Azavtani Hadar Morag Israel, FranceShort Films - Competition55 Pills55 PastillasSebastián MuroArgentinaBackyardsDvorištaIvan SalaticMontenegroChattingLonce MarlonceSingaporeChamp des possiblesCristina PicchiCanadaEn defensa PropiaMariana ArriagaMexicoE.T.E.R.N.I.T.Giovanni AloiFranceIt Seems to Hang onKevin Jerome EversonUnited StatesMonkeyHouJie ShenChinaNew EyesHiwot Admasu GetanehFrance, Germany, United KingdomOh Gallow LayJulian WayserUnited StatesTarântulaAly Muritiba, Marja CalafanjeBrazilViolences en RéunionKarim BoukerchaFranceThe Young Man Who Came from the Chee RiverJer gun muer rao jer gunWichanon SomunjarnThailandShort Films - Out of CompetitionZeroDavid VictoriUnited States, United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico
Venice Classics The following selection of restored classic films and documentaries on cinema were screened for this section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Restored Films Alexander Nevsky (1938) Александр Невский Sergei Eisenstein Soviet Union Amarcord (1973) Federico Fellini Italy Le Beau Serge (1958) Claude Chabrol France The Boys from Fengkuei (1983) 風櫃來的人 Hou Hsiao-hsien Taiwan Hardly a Criminal (1949) Apenas un delincuente Hugo Fregonese Argentina Heaven Can Wait (1943) Ernst Lubitsch United States Léon Morin, Priest (1961) Léon Morin, prêtre Jean-Pierre Melville France La lupa (1953) Alberto Lattuada Italy A Matter of Life and Death (1946) Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger United Kingdom The Merchant of Venice (1969) Orson Welles United States I Mostri (aka Opiate '67, 1963) Dino Risi Italy Othello (1951) The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice Orson Welles Italy, France, United States The Power and the Glory (1933) William K. Howard United States Ray of Sunshine (1933) Sonnenstrahl Paul Fejos Germany, Austria Red Beard (1965) 赤ひげ Akira Kurosawa Japan Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)|| Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma Pier Paolo Pasolini Italy The Thirsty One (1957) प्यासा / Pyaasa Guru Dutt India To Sleep with Anger (1990) Charles Burnett United States The Trial of Vivienne Ware (1932) William K. Howard Umut (1970) Yilmaz Güney Turkey We Want the Colonels (1973) Vogliamo i colonnelli Mario Monicelli Italy White Paws (1949) Pattes blanches Jean Grémillon FranceDocumentaries about cinemaThe 1000 Eyes of Dr. MaddinYves MontmayeurFranceAlfredo Bini, the Unexpected GuestAlfredo Bini, ospite inattesoSimone IsolaItalyBehind the White GlassesDietro gli occhiali bianchiValerio RuizA Flickering TruthPietra BrettkellyNew Zealand, AfghanistanFor the Love of a ManRinku KalsyIndiaHelmut Berger, ActorAndreas HorvathAustriaJacques Tourneur le médium: filmer l'invisibleAlain MazarsFranceMifune: The Last SamuraiSteven OkazakiJapanVenise (1912)(Unknown)France
Biennale College - Cinema The following films were screened for the "Biennale College - Cinema" section, a higher education training workshop for micro-budget feature films: English title Original title Director(s) Production country Baby Bump Kuba Czekaj Poland Blanka Kohki Hasei Japan, Italy The Fits Anna Rose Holmer United States
Final Cut in Venice The following films were screened for the "Final Cut in Venice" section, a workshop to support the post-production of films from Africa:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Ali, the Goat, and Ibrahim Ali Mea'za We Ibrahim Sherif Elbendary Egypt House in the Fields Tigmi Nigren Tala Hadid Morocco Path of Paradise Tarik Al-Jenah Atia Al-Daradji Iraq Rooster of Beirut Deek Beirut Ziad Kalthoum Syria Separation Havibon Hakar Abdulqadir Iraq Zaineb Hates the Snow Zaineb Takrahou Ethelj Kaouther Ben Hania Tunisia
Il Cinema nel Giardino The following feature films were selected for the Il Cinema nel Giardino section:
Screening Title Director(s) Production country 3 Sep Carlo Lizzani, Il mio cinema Roberto Torelli, Cristina Torelli, Paolo Luciani Italy 6 Sep Al centro del cinema Gianandrea Caruso, Chiara Dainese, Davide Minotti, Bernardo Pellegrini, Maria Tilli 8 Sep ZAC - I Fiori del MALE Massimo Denaro 9 Sep Torn (Torn - Strappati) Alessandro Gassmann 10 Sep Where is the Goldfish? (Il pesce rosso dov'è?) Elisabetta Sgarbi 11 Sep Il decalogo di Vasco Fabio Masi
Independent Sections International Critics’ Week The following films were selected for the 29th Venice International Film Critics' Week:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country In competition Banat (The Journey) Banat Adriano Valerio Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia Kalo Pothi: The Black Hen Kalo Pothi Min Bahadur Bham Nepal, France, Germany Light Years Esther May Campbell United Kingdom Mountain Montanha João Salaviza Portugal, France Motherland Ana Yurdu Senem Tüzen Turkey, Greece The Return Green Zeng Singapore Tanna Martin Butler AustraliaSpecial Events - Out of competitionThe Family (Pre-Opening)JiaShumin LiuChina, AustraliaOrphans (Opening Film)Peter MullanUnited KingdomBagnoli Jungle (Closing Film)Antonio CapuanoItaly
Venice Days The following films were selected for the 12th edition of the Venice Days (Giornate degli Autori) section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country In Competition Arianna Carlo Lavagna Italy As I Open My Eyes À peine j'ouvre les yeux Leyla Bouzid France, Tunisia, Belgium, United Arab Emirates The Daughter Simon Stone Australia Early Winter Michael Rowe Australia, Canada First Light La prima luce Vincenzo Marra Italy Island City Ruchika Oberoi India Klezmer Piotr Chrzan Poland Lolo Julie Delpy France Long Live the Bride Viva la sposa Ascanio Celestini Italy, France, Belgium The Memory of Water La memoria del agua Matías Bize Chile, Spain, Argentina, Germany Retribution El desconocido Dani de la Torre Spain Underground Fragrance Pengfei France, ChinaSpecial eventsArgentinaZonda, folclore argentinoCarlos SauraArgentina, Spain, FranceHarry's BarCarlotta CerquettiItalyInnocence of Memories - Orhan Pamuk's Museum and IstanbulGrant GeeUnited Kingdom, Ireland, ItalyMaCelia Rowlson-HallUnited StatesMilano 2015Elio, Roberto Bolle, Silvio Soldini, Walter Veltroni, Cristiana Capotondi, Giorgio DirittiItalyViva Ingrid!Alessandro RosselliniMiu Miu Women's TalesLes 3 BoutonsAgnès VardaFrance, ItalyDe DjessAlice RohrwacherItalySpecial projectsBanglandLorenzo BerghellaItalyThe Country Where Trees Fly. Eugenio Barba and the Days of OdinIl paese dove gli alberi volano. Eugenio Barba e i giorni dell'OdinDavide Barletti, Jacopo QuadriDreams of the Salt LakeI sogni del lago salatoAndrea SegreLux PrizeMediterraneaJonas CarpignanoItaly, United States, Germany, France, QatarMustangDeniz Gamze ErgüvenFrance, Germany, Turkey, QatarThe LessonUrokKristina Grozeva, Petar ValchanovBulgaria, Greece
Official Awards
In Competition (Venezia 72) Golden Lion: From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas Silver Lion for Best Director: Pablo Trapero for The Clan