Driver's 'Ferrari' puts Venice race in higher gear / Photo: JEFF PACHOUD - AFP
-
Zelensky blasts Olympics ban for Ukrainian athlete over memorial helmet
-
Odermatt sets sights on Olympic giant slalom -- and gold
-
Cinema's power to 'change the world' in focus at Berlin Film Fest
-
France pick uncapped Brau-Boirie in new centre pairing for Wales
-
Man Utd's Ratcliffe's apologises for 'language' on immigration
-
UK economy struggles for growth in fresh blow to government
-
EU vows swift reforms to confront challenge from China, US
-
UK nursery worker faces jail for serial child sex abuse
-
Anti-racism body slams Man Utd co-owner for 'disgraceful' immigration comments
-
Mercedes-Benz net profit nearly halves amid China, US woes
-
Comeback queen Brignone wins super-G at Winter Olympics
-
Hermes sales rise despite US tariffs, currency headwinds
-
Russia confirms ban on WhatsApp, says it failed to abide by law
-
Ukraine skeleton racer Heraskevych banned from Olympics over memorial helmet
-
Pro-Kremlin accounts using Epstein files to push conspiracy: AFP research
-
France picked uncapped Brau-Boirie at centre to face Wales
-
Thomas Tuchel extends contract as England coach until Euro 2028
-
England coach Tuchel set to sign new deal until 2028 - report
-
Death toll in Madagascar cyclone rises to 35
-
Shanaka fireworks as Sri Lanka thrash Oman at T20 World Cup
-
Sanofi says board has removed CEO Paul Hudson
-
Struggling Nissan forecasts $4.2 bn full-year net loss
-
Venezuela to debate historic amnesty bill for political prisoners
-
Ukraine skeleton racer Heraskevych disqualified from Olympics over memorial helmet
-
Markets mostly rise as stong US jobs data ease economy worries
-
France jails three in gang rape case after mother saves evidence
-
From 'Derry Girls' to 'heaven', Irish writer airs new comedy
-
Asia markets mixed as stong US jobs data temper rate expectations
-
Shanaka fireworks as Sri Lanka pile up 225-5 against Oman
-
Samsung starts mass production of next-gen AI memory chip
-
Benin's lovers less row-mantic as apps replace waterway rendezvous
-
Geneva opera house selling off thousands of extravagant costumes
-
Non-alcoholic wine: a booming business searching for quality
-
Greece's Cycladic islands swept up in concrete fever
-
Grieving Canada town holds vigil for school shooting victims
-
Israel president says at end of visit antisemitism in Australia 'frightening'
-
Cunningham on target as depleted Pistons down Raptors
-
Canada probes mass shooter's past interactions with police, health system
-
Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam combines Olympic gold and influencer attitude
-
Scotland coach Townsend under pressure as England await
-
Canadian ice dancers put 'dark times' behind with Olympic medal
-
'Exhausting' off-field issues hang over Wales before France clash
-
Crusaders target another title as Super Rugby aims to speed up
-
Chinese Olympic snowboarder avoids serious injury after nasty crash
-
China carbon emissions 'flat or falling' in 2025: analysis
-
'China shock': Germany struggles as key market turns business rival
-
French ice dancer Cizeron's 'quest for perfection' reaps second Olympic gold
-
Most Asia markets rise as traders welcome US jobs
-
EU leaders push to rescue European economy challenged by China, US
-
Plenty of peaks, but skiing yet to take off in Central Asia
Driver's 'Ferrari' puts Venice race in higher gear
The race for the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion was set to move into higher gear Thursday with a hotly tipped biopic about sports car supremo Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz.
Driver brings some much-needed stardust to a festival whose red carpet is untypically low on celebrities this year, a casualty of an actors strike in Hollywood.
"Ferrari" from director Michael Mann -- known for highly stylised and glossy thrillers like "Heat" and "Collateral" -- was given an exemption by the unions since it was made outside the studio system, allowing Driver to attend the premiere.
The 39-year-old is one of the busiest men in Hollywood, juggling blockbuster roles in the Star Wars franchise alongside work with a who's who of top directors, from Ridley Scott to Noah Baumbach and Spike Lee.
Also building buzz is the premiere of "Dogman" by French director Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element", "Leon"), which is billed as a mind- and gender-bending tale of an abused boy finding refuge with a pack of dogs.
It is said to feature another startling performance from Caleb Landry Jones, who won best actor at Cannes two years ago for "Nitram", about a mass shooting in Australia.
Besson, 64, is hoping for a comeback after a massive flop with 2017's "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" that all but bankrupted his production company, EuropaCorp.
The losses wiped out the fortune it made with the "Taken" series and knocked Besson's hopes of competing with the Hollywood behemoths.
He has also been fighting a rape allegation since 2018 that was thrown out by prosecutors only in June.
- Pinochet the vampire -
Also getting its world premiere on Thursday is the Netflix film "El Conde" by Chilean director Pablo Larrain, who has became an arthouse favourite with biopics of Jackie Kennedy ("Jackie") and Princess Diana ("Spencer").
His latest is a strange but potentially searing take on his country's recent past, with dictator Augusto Pinochet reimagined as a blood-sucking vampire.
It is one of several Netflix productions at the festival, which also including a short Roald Dahl adaptation from Wes Anderson, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", premiering on Friday, and "The Killer" by David Fincher on Sunday.
Venice, now in its 80th edition, is the longest running film festival in the world and has become a favoured launchpad for Oscar hopefuls in recent years.
But the strike by actors and writers in Hollywood -- primarily over pay and the threat of AI -- has caused several major stars including Emma Stone and Bradley Cooper to cancel their publicity appearances.
F.Dubois--AMWN
