Dune leads a dazzling lineup at the 78th Venice International Film Festival

July 26th 2021, 11:30am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The lineup for the 78th Venice International Film Festival has been unveiled and it includes an array of big studio films and some of the most highly anticipated indie and arthouse films of the year.

Perhaps the biggest offering at this year's festival is Denis Villeneuve's Dune. The film, which was pulled from its December 2020 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin its arrival at the festival before being released to worldwide audiences on October 22, 2021. Another major release hitting the festival is the horror sequel Halloween Kills, starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Much like Dune, Halloween Kills also had to postpone its release from last year and this event is the perfect vehicle to build momentum for the film ahead of its release date on October 15, 2021.

Another notable entry debuting at the festival is Ridley Scott's The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Ben Affleck. The film's trailer that was released last week has been building a lot of buzz for the film with the first look getting a lot of positive feedback on social media. Edgar Wright's long-awaited Last Night in Soho with Anya Taylor-Joy will also be making an appearance. Although Halloween Kills, The Last Duel, and Last Night in Soho will be premiering at the festival, they will be screening out of completion.

Films in the running for the 2021 Golden Lion for the best film include Jane Campion's literary adaptation The Power of the Dog with Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch, Ana Lily Amirpour's Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, starring Olivia Colman. Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera and Roberto Cicutto, the president of La Biennale di Venezia, had this to say about this yea's lineup:

"We were surprised by the average quality [of film submissions] this year. As if the [COVID-19] pandemic had inspired creativity. So in this way, I can be optimistic about the state of cinema."

The 78th Venice International Film Festival runs September 1-11, 2021. You can check out the full lineup of films below!

VENEZIA 78 – COMPETITION

Madres Paralelas, dir: Pedro Almodovar
Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon, dir: Ana Lily Amirpour
Un Autre Monde, dir: Stéphane Brizé
The Power Of The Dog, dir: Jane Campion
America Latina, dir: Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo
L’Evénement, dir: Audrey Diwan
Competencia Oficial, dirs: Gaston Duprat, Mariano Cohn
Il Buco, dir: Michelangelo Frammartino
Sundown, dir: Michel Franco
Illusions Perdues, dir: Xavier Giannoli
The Lost Daughter, dir: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Spencer, dir: Pablo Larrain
Freaks Out, dir: Gabriele Mainetti
Qui Rido Io, dir: Mario Martone
On The Job: The Missing 8, dir: Erik Matti
Leave No Traces, dir: Jan P Matuszynski
Captain Volkonogov Escaped, dirs: Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov
The Card Counter, dir: Paul Schrader
The Hand Of God, dir: Paolo Sorrentino
La Caja, dir: Lorenzo Vigas
Reflection, dir: Valentyn Vasyanovych

OUT OF COMPETITION – FICTION

Il Bambino Nascosto, dir: Roberto Ando
Les Choses Humaines, dir: Yvan Attal
Ariaferma, dir: Leonardo Di Costanzo
Halloween Kills, dir: David Gordon Green
La Scuola Cattolica, dir: Stefano Mordini
Old Henry, dir: Potsy Ponciroli
The Last Duel, dir: Ridley Scott
Dune, dir: Denis Villeneuve
Last Night In Soho, dir: Edgar Wright

OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION

Life Of Crime 1984-2020, dir: Jon Alpert
Tranchées, dir: Loup Bureau
Viaggio Nel Crepuscolo, dir: Augusto Contento
Republic Of Silence, dir: Diana El Jeiroudi
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, dirs: Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine
Deandré#Deandré Storio Di Un Impiegato, dir: Roberta Lena
Django & Django, dir: Luca Rea
Ezio Bosso. Le Cose Che Restano, dir: Giorgio Verdelli

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Le 7 Giornate Di Bergamo, dir: Simona Ventura
La Biennale Di Venezia: Il Cinema Al Tempo Del Covid, dir: Andrea Segre

OUT OF COMPETITION – SERIES

Scenes From A Marriage (Episodes 1-5), dir: Hagai Levi

HORIZONS EXTRA

Land Of Dreams, dirs: Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari
Costa Brava, dir: Mounia Akl
Mama I’m Home, dir: Vladimir Bitokov
Ma Nuit, dir: Antoinette Boulat
La Ragazza Ha Volato, dir: Wilma Labate
7 Prisoners, dir: Alexandre Moratto
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic, dir: Teemu Nikki
La Macchina Delle Immagini Di Alfredo C, dir: Roland Sejko

ORIZZONTI

Les Promesses, dir: Thomas Kruithof
Atlantide, dir: Yuri Ancarani
Miracle, dir: Bogdan George Apetri
Pilgrims, dir: Laurynas Bareisa
Il Paradiso Del Pavone, dir: Laura Bispuri
The Falls, dir: Chung Mong-Hong
El Hoyo En La Cerca, dir: Joaquin Del Paso
Amira, dir: Mohamed Diab
A Plein Temps, dir: Eric Gravel
107 Mothers, dir: Peter Kerekes
Vera Dreams Of The Sea, dir: Kaltrina Krasniqi
White Building, dir: Kavich Neang
Anatomy Of Time, dir: Jakrawal Nilthamrong
El Otro Tom, dirs: Rodrigo Pla, Laura Santullo
El Gran Movimento, dir: Kiro Russo
Once Upon A Time In Calcutta, dir: Aditya Vikram Sengupta
Rhino, dir: Oleg Sentsov
True Things, dir: Harry Wootliff
Inu-Oh, dir: Yuasa Masaaki