Venice Film Festival announces opening films of Orizzonti and Orizzonti Extra

The two opening films of the Orizzonti and Orizzonti Extra competition sections have now been finalised for the 81^st Venice International Film Festival (28 August – 7 September 2024) of La Biennale di Venezia, directed by Alberto Barbera.

Nonostante, by and with Valerio Mastandrea, will be the opening film of the Orizzonti competition section on Wednesday August 28^th in Sala Darsena. 

September, 5 by Tim Fehlbaum, will be the opening film of the Orizzonti Extra competition section on Thursday August 29^th in Sala Giardino.

Regarding Nonostante, Valerio Mastandrea, at his second film as a director following Ride (2018), declared: “Opening the Festival means opening the film to the eyes and hearts of the public. I take it as an opportunity to release a story that has been mine alone for a long time and which, I hope, will become everyone’s.”

Nonostante, starring also Dolores Fonzi, Lino Musella, Giorgio Montanini, Justin Alexandre Korovkin, Barbara Ronchi, Luca Lionello, and with Laura Morante, will premiere on Wednesday August 28^th in Sala Darsena, in the afternoon of the Festival’s opening day, as the opening film of the Orizzonti competition section.

Producers are Viola Prestieri and Valeria Golino for HT Film, Francesco Tatò and Oscar Glioti for Damocle, Moreno Zani and Malcom Pagani for Tenderstories with Rai Cinema. BiM Distribuzione is the Italian distribution.  Tóti Gudnason composed the original score.