Maestro, The Killer, Ferrari... new movies at the Venice Film Festival

The 80th Venice International Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday 30 August 2023 and ends on Saturday 9 September with the awarding of the coveted Golden Lion. Let's have a look at some high-quality contestants in the competition for the award!

Written, directed, and performed by Bradley Cooper, 'Maestro'makes us relive the immense love story between Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A true tribute to the Maestro.

In her unique way, Sofia Coppola recounts the life of Priscilla Presley. The film is based on the book 'Elvis and Me' written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon.

Oscar-winning director David Fincher (photo) brings 'The Killer' to the Venice Film Festival, a film in which a murderer challenges his clients by causing a tense manhunt. Among the lead actors are Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, and Arliss Howard.

This film was directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the Oscar winner for 'Drive My Car' as best foreign language film. It shows how an important company tries to build a glamping, compromising the local water network. The inhabitants are determined to prevent it.

Ava DuVernay (pictured) chronicles the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Isabel Wilkerson. "My experience in making 'Origin' was a stupendous and complicated journey, which revealed its beauty in both happy and difficult moments." the director commented on the Biennale website.

Jessica Chastain plays Sylvia, the protagonist of 'Memory' by Michel Franco. "I wanted to make a film about people who, for whatever reason, get lost in the fabric of society," the director explained on the Biennale website.

Also in competition at Venice 2023 is 'Zielona Granica' (The Green Border), directed by Agnieszka Holland (photo). The drama tells how refugees from the Middle East and Africa try to reach Europe and find themselves trapped in a geopolitical crisis on the so-called 'green border' between Belarus and Poland.

Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef and Christopher Abbott are some of the protagonists of 'Poor Things,' a film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It tells the incredible story of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by scientist Godwin Baxter.

"A meditation on the human body, dance and motherhood," is the description of this film by director Pablo Larrain. 'Ema' stars Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal.

Director Michael Mann says the following about his film 'Ferrari': "I have tried to revive Enzo's passions and charm, his biting wit, the devastating loss of his son, the theatrical outbursts, the need for an emotional refuge, the tragedy, the monumental bet on a single race and the struggle to survival: all elements that collided in four months of 1957." Among the lead actors are Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz.

'Dogman' by Luc Besson (pictured) tells the incredible story of a child who saves himself thanks to the love of his dogs.

'La Bête' by Bertrand Bonello is set in a not too distant future where artificial intelligence threatens human feelings. Gabrielle, played by Léa Seydoux (pictured), sets out to purify her DNA.

In Venice there are great expectations for 'Io Capitano' by Matteo Garrone, which tells the story of the journey of two boys, Seydou and Moussa, as they try to escape the horrors of detention centers in Libya to reach Europe.

This film tells the story of Johannes (Jan Bülow, pictured), a PhD student in physics who travels to the Swiss Alps with his supervisor. There, a scientist will reveal "a revolutionary theory of quantum mechanics" - except that the scientist is missing. Mysteries and intrigues abound in this German film competing for a Golden Lion.

'Kobieta Z...' by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert tells the life story of Aniela Wesoły (Joanna Kulig, photo), a trans woman in search of her freedom in the era of Poland's transition from communism to capitalism.

The last film in competition at the Venice Film Festival is 'Holly' by Fien Troch. The film tells the story of girl who manages to escape a deadly fire at her school because she decided to stay home on that fateful day. Everyone is impressed by her premonition ability.