The Match Factory is returning to the Lido with a striking slate of titles selected for the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival (27 August – 6 September), reaffirming its position as a leading European sales player. The line-up spans a diverse range of auteurs, narrative styles and urgent themes, with four competition entries and two high-profile Out of Competition premieres.

Opening this year’s main competition is La Grazia, the much-anticipated new feature by Academy Award-winner Paolo Sorrentino. Reuniting once more with long-time collaborator Toni Servillo, the film centres on Mariano De Santis, a fictional Italian President faced with two morally complex pardon requests at the end of his mandate. With echoes of Sorrentino’s trademark blend of satire, politics and introspection, the film stars Servillo alongside Anna Ferzetti, Orlando Cinque and Massimo Venturiello.

Also competing is Father Mother Sister Brother, a triptych written and directed by US indie icon Jim Jarmusch. Structured around three stories set respectively in the northeastern United States, Dublin and Paris, the feature probes emotional distance and familial connection with Jarmusch’s characteristically restrained, observational style. The star-studded cast includes Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, Vicky Krieps, Tom Waits and Indya Moore.

Meanwhile, Pietro Marcello returns to Venice with Duse, a historical drama tracing the final years of legendary actress Eleonora Duse. Set against the turbulent backdrop of WWI and the rise of fascism, the film stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in the leading role, joined by Noémie Merlant and Fausto Russo Alesi.

Another eagerly awaited competition title is Below the Clouds [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Gianfranco Rosi, which sees the Italian director painting a haunting black-and-white portrait of the Phlegraean Fields near Naples. Through everyday encounters, voices and landscapes, Rosi reconstructs a lesser-known Naples shaped by seismic tension, ancient ruins, and contemporary crises. The film features dialogues in Italian, Arabic, Japanese and the Neapolitan dialect.

Outside of the main competition, the line-up continues with two bold new offerings. In the Out of Competition section, Argentine director Lucrecia Martel will present her first documentary, Landmarks, which investigates the killing of indigenous leader Javier Chocobar in 2009 and the community’s long fight for justice. The film weaves archival images, testimonies and courtroom footage into a powerful cinematic inquiry into colonial violence and land rights.

Finally, Agon, Giulio Bertelli’s debut feature, takes a visually striking look at high-performance sport and gender identity through three athletes preparing for the (fictitious) 2024 Ludoj Olympics. Screening in the International Critics’ Week sidebar and starring real-life Olympic-gold-winning judoka Alice Bellandi, the film interlaces sports drama with mythological and historical references to figures such as Joan of Arc and Cleopatra.