Guests

by Katiusha Salerno

31/08/2002 - September 1 will see the arrival of more artists. Topping the list is French icon Philippe Noiret with the directorial debut by Philippe Blasband

Today Philippe Noiret returns to Venice together with Philippe Blasband, the director of his latest film, Un hônnete commercant. The Iranian-born and naturalised Belgian Blasband wrote this film with Noiret in mind. Audiences will best remember Blasband for having written the screenplay for Frédéric Fonteyne’s Une Liaison Pornographique and Pierre-Paul Renders’ Thomas est amoureux. The film was selected for competition in prestigious “Critics’ Week”. Un hônnete commerçant is a noir about an “honest” drug trafficker (Noiret) who is subjected to a surreal interrogation. The actor has reached iconic status and he carries this police noir, a genre he is familiar with, that Blasbend directed fully respecting the longstanding French tradition.
Another guest arriving at the Festival tomorrow will be the “prince of darkness” himself, John Malkovich. He has two films at the festival, Liliana Cavani’s Ripley’s Game an Anglo-Italian co-production co- starring Italy’s Chiara Caselli that will screen out of competition, and Dancer Upstairs, co-starring Laura Morante, a film Malkovich also directed. Venice is also glamour and this evening Hollywood idol Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart will arrive by private jet. Europe will be represented by Valerio Mastrandrea, the star of Daniele Vicari’s directorial debut Velocità Massima - in competition for the Golden Lion – and Christian Bümel Aaron Hildebrand, the two teenage rebels in German director Winfried Bonengel’s Führer Ex, also in competition.
The 1 september programme, also sees the screening of Claire Denis’ Vendredi Soir - selected for “Controcorrente” - and Rosy-Fingered Dawn – A Film About Terrence Malick, an ensemble documentary by four young Italian filmmakers about the legendary reclusive American director will be seen in the non-competitive “New Territories”.