Festival reveals 2020 line-up for physical event, with Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland one of eight films by female directors to compete for the Golden Lion
Helen Mirren, Shia LaBeouf and Greta Thunberg are among the big names due to be on display at the 2020 Venice film festival, as it gears up to be the first major festival to stage a physical event in the wake of the
Coronavirus pandemic. Inevitably the lineup has a slimmed-down feel, with many films delayed or held back, meaning there is little in the way of Venice’s traditional dose of
Hollywood glamour.
Festival director Alberto Barbera announced the main list of titles on Tuesday, which drew together films by the likes of Alex Gibney, Chloé Zhao and Luca Guadagnino. Zhao’s film, Nomadland, is arguably the most prized: following her indie hit The Rider, Zhao has adapted Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction account of older Americans forced on to the road by economic crisis, with Frances McDormand acting as producer as well as taking the lead role. In a sign of the pressures on film festivals, Nomadland will simultaneously premiere at the
Toronto film festival, as well as subsequently filling the prestigious Centrepiece screening at the
New York film festival.