The Magnificent Nine

Damien Chazelle will lead a group of significant figures, among whom stand out names such as Jane Campion, Martin McDonagh, and Laura Poitras. It is foreseeable, given that they are all strong personalities in the international film scene, that possible tensions may arise at the moment of the final decision regarding the allocation of the many awards. However, the heated discussion that could emerge should be applauded, especially when it involves filmmakers of extraordinary talent. An unparalleled debate, a meeting of artistic sensibilities that have charted the masterful paths of contemporary cinema, in perfect balance between documentary, great narrative cinema, and masterpieces that have rightfully entered the reference expressive canons.

LA GIURIA DI VENEZIA 80

Damien Chazelle
Regista (USA)
Among the most prominent directors of the new generation, not yet forty, he already has two opening films at the Venice Film Festival to his credit: La La Land in 2016 and First Man in 2018. The former film received 14 Oscar nominations and won six, including Best Director, making him the youngest ever to do so. With his debut work, Whiplash, he had already garnered three Oscars, as well as the nominations received for his latest work, Babylon, dated 2022.

Saleh Bakri
Attore (Palestina)
He starred in The Time that Remains (2009) by Elia Suleiman and in Salvo (2013) by Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia, which won the Grand Prize of the Semaine de la critique at Cannes. He was already present at the Venice Film Festival in 2021 with Costa Brava, Lebanon directed by Mounia Akl. He also acted in the Oscar-nominated short film The Present (2020) by Farah Nabulsi.

Jane Campion
Regista, sceneggiatrice, produttrice (Nuova Zelanda)
She made history by winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1993 with The Piano, becoming the first female director to receive this recognition. In 1990, she received the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival for An Angel at My Table. In 2021, in Venice she also won the Silver Lion for Best Director for The Power of the Dog, a film that also received an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and two BAFTA awards.

Mia Hansen-Løve
Regista, sceneggiatrice (Francia)
Her film Un beau matin in 2022 was presented at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, achieving great commercial and critical success. With Le père de mes enfants (2009), she won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, while with L’avenir (2016), she received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival.

Gabriele Mainetti
Regista, attore, compositore, produttore (Italia)
With Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot in 2015, he won seven David di Donatello awards, two Nastri d’Argento awards, and four Ciak d’Oro awards. As early as 2012, he had entered the Oscar nomination shortlist with the short film Tiger Boy. In 2021, he participated in the Competition at the Venice Film Festival with Freaks Out, replicating his success at the David di Donatello and Nastri d’Argento awards.

Martin McDonagh
Sceneggiatore, regista (Irlanda)
His film The Banshees of Inisherin, presented at the Venice Film Festival in Competition last year, earned Colin Farrell the Coppa Volpi award and won four Golden Globes and four BAFTA awards. In 2017, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri had won the Best Screenplay award in Venice. Seven Psychopaths (2012), In Bruges (2008), and the Oscar-winning short film Six Shooter (2004) confirm his successful collaboration with actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

Santiago Mitre
Sceneggiatore, regista (Argentina)
With Paulina (2015) he won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Critics’ Week. His film Argentina, 1985 was presented in Competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, where it received the FIPRESCI Prize. It was also nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars and won a Golden Globe and a Goya Award.

Laura Poitras
Regista, giornalista (USA)
Her All the Beauty and the Bloodshed won the Golden Lion for Best Film last year, an intimate and personal story about the American photographer and activist Nan Goldin. With Citizenfour, she won the Oscar in 2014 for Best Documentary. As a journalist, she received the Pulitzer Prize for an investigation into the global surveillance programs of the American National Security Agency.

Shu Qi
Attrice (China)
She has received three Hong Kong Film Awards and two Golden Horse Awards for Best Actress, collaborating with the master Hou Hsiao-Hsien in Millennium Mambo (2001) and The Assassin (2015). She has been the protagonist in both art-house films and box office successes, such as Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) directed by Stephen Chow and Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (2014) directed by Jiang Wen.