The 78th Venice Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy, from Sept. 1 to 11, and it was an extremely effective way for the movie industry to recover from the pandemic. With actors arriving in water taxis, the city of canals paved the way for its annual event. From the looks on the red carpet to the brilliant movies that were presented this year, the festival was exactly what the industry needed. There were 59 countries being represented this year, and there were 21 submissions participating in the main competition for the Golden Lion Award. 

To say that the red carpet looks were jaw-dropping would be an understatement. Celebrities clad in luxurious designer clothes strutted the red carpet and left us speechless. Zendaya’s Balmain gown and Bulgari jewelry accompanied by her Christian Louboutin pumps in the same tone looked gorgeous. She was joined by her co-star Timothee Chalamet who wore an all-black outfit by Haider Ackermann with Cartier jewelry. 

”Zendaya’s look was probably my favorite look because everything she wore suited her so well,” said junior Allison Bernardini. 

Dakota Johnson and Anya-Taylor Joy’s dresses were definitely the highlight of the event and rocked the fashion world. Oscar Isaacs and Jessica Chastain’s intimate red carpet moment went viral when the pair of co-stars were bringing their TV series, Scenes From a Marriage to life for the photographers. 

The films this year left critics shocked. French director Audrey Diwan went home with the Golden Lion for Best Film for her film L’Evenement (which translates to “happening” in English) which was a period piece that expressed the difficulties of getting a safe abortion in the 1960s in France. 

“I think it’s amazing that a film about abortion got the top award because it is a topic that needs to be discussed and recognized globally and especially in the U.S. right now because of Texas’s new abortion regulations,” said junior Melanie Borrayo.

Diwan’s win is the first time that female directors have won a Golden Lion for two consecutive years. Another film that premiered at the festival was Dune, a futuristic film starring Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet, and the premiere of the film has left fans excited worldwide. 

The new genre of docu-fiction has been making itself at home at the festival. The genre inserts fiction and fictional storylines in real-life stories with non-actors. This new genre highlights what comes when reality and fiction are mixed. The whole purpose of this genre is to demolish the question of whether a movie is realistic or not. Last year’s winner, the film Nomadsland, paved the way for genre-blending and it is now being experimented with by filmmakers worldwide. 

“I loved the film Nomadsland and when I heard that there were other films being made in the same genre, I was so excited”, said junior Emilie Conner.

Overall, the Venice Film Festival this year was the perfect way for the film industry to bounce back from the pandemic. Hopefully, the films will leave us all as impressed as they left the critics. 

Photo courtesy of Venice Film Festival