Overview

• Franco Maresco’s self-portrait about Carmelo Bene is the final Italian title vying for the Golden Lion, with the director skipping the Lido presentation.
• Producer Andrea Occhipinti said press screenings drew laughs and applause, describing Maresco’s work as a lucid, personal invective on Italian cinema.
• Cai Shangjun’s The Sun Rises On Us All and Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend round out the competition slate, featuring stories of sacrifice and transformation.
• Out of competition, Tsai Ming-liang’s HUI JIA (Back Home) follows the filmmaker on a return journey through rural Laos.
• Antonio Capuano’s L’isola di Andrea screens out of competition and earns the Sngci Bianchi prize, as music docs on De Gregori, Nino D’Angelo and Piero Pelù highlight the late-program focus on popular-music portraits.