The Venice International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its 77th edition taking place betwen 2 and 12 September with no representation for Arab countries in the main competition.

However, among the shortlisted films in the horizon programme are 'The Man Who Sold His Skin' of director Kaouther Ben Hani from Tunisia in addition to Palestinian production 'Gaza Mon Amor' of director's Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser.

Kaouther Ben Hani's film had previously won a US $10,000 fund from Beelink Productions amid CineGouna Platform at the second edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF).

"CineGouna Platform (CGP), the industry arm of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF), has been a home for Arab filmmakers by offering them financial and artistic support and through building bridges between them and their international counterparts," reads a statement on the GFF official website.

The 2020 edition will be greatly reduced in size as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with strict social distancing rules in force.

It is seen as doubly important this year because other top festivals, including Cannes, have been cancelled.

The following are the selected line-up films for the main competition and the Horizon programmes.

Main Competition:

IN BETWEEN DYING
Azerbaijan, USA / 88’
Director: Hilal Baydarov
Main Cast: Orkhan Iskandarli, Rana Asgarova, Maryam Naghiyeva, Murvat Abdulazizov, Kamran Huseynov, Samir Abbasov /

LE SORELLE MACALUSO
Italy / 94’
Director: Emma Dante
Main Cast: Viola Pusateri, Eleonora De Luca, Simona Malato, Susanna Piraino, Serena Barone, Maria Rosaria Alati , Anita Pomario, Donatella Finocchiaro

THE WORLD TO COME
USA / 98’
Director: Mona Fastvold
Main Cast: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbott, Casey Affleck

NUEVO ORDEN
Mexico, France / 88’
Director: Michel Franco
Main Cast: Naián González Norvind, Diego Boneta, Mónica Del Carmen, Fernando Cuautle, Darío Yazbek, Eligio Meléndez

AMANTS (LOVERS)
France / 102’
Director: Nicole Garcia
Main Cast: Pierre Niney, Stacy Martin, Benoît Magimel

LAILA IN HAIFA
Israel, France / 99’
Director: Amos Gitai
Main Cast: Maria Zreik, Khawla Ibraheem, Bahira Ablassi, Naama Preis, Tsahi Halevi, Makram J. Khoury

UND MORGEN DIE GANZE WELT
Germany, France / 101’
Director: Julia von Heinz
Main Cast: Mala Emde, Noah Saavedra, Tonio Schneider, Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Andreas Lust

DOROGIE TOVARISCHI (DEAR COMRADES)
Russia / 116’
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Main Cast: Julia Vysotskaya, Vladislav Komarov, Andrei Gusev, Yulia Burova, Sergei Erlish

SPY NO TSUMA (WIFE OF A SPY)
Japan / 115’
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Main Cast: Yu Aoi, Issey Takahashi

KHORSHID (SUN CHILDREN)
Iran / 99’
Director: Majid Majidi
Main Cast: Ali Nasirian, Javad Ezzati, Tannaz Tabatabaie, Rouhollah Zamani, Seyed Mohammad Mehdi Mousavi Fard, Shamila Shirzad

PIECES OF A WOMAN
Canada, Hungary / 115’
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Main Cast: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Jimmie Fails, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie

MISS MARX
Italy, Belgium / 107’
Director: Susanna Nicchiarelli
Main Cast: Romola Garai, Patrick Kennedy, John Gordon Sinclair, Felicity Montagu, Karina Fernandez, Oliver Chris, Philip Gröning

PADRENOSTRO
Italy / 120’
Director: Claudio Noce
Main Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, Mattia Garaci, Barbara Ronchi, Francesco Gheghi, Francesco Colella, Antonio Gerardi

NOTTURNO
Italy, France, Germany / 100’
Director: Gianfranco Rosi


ŚNIEGU JUŻ NIGDY NIE BĘDZIE (NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN)
Poland, Germany / 113’
Director: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert
Main Cast: Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza, Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura, Andrzej Chyra

THE DISCIPLE
India / 127’
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Main Cast: Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Kiran Yadnyopavit

QUO VADIS, AIDA?
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, Norway / 101’
Director: Jasmila Zbanic
Main Cast: Jasna Ðuričić, Izudin Bajrović, Boris Ler, Dino Bajrović, Boris Isaković

NOMADLAND
USA / 108’
Director: Chloé Zhao
Main Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Charlene Swankie



Horizon:

LA TROISIÈME GUERRE
France / 92’
Director: Giovanni Aloi
Main Cast: Anthony Bajon, Karim Leklou, Leïla Bekhti

MEEL PATTHAR (MILESTONE)
India / 98’
Director: Ivan Ayr
Main Cast: Suvinder Vicky, Lakshvir Saran

DASHTE KHAMOUSH (THE WASTELAND)
Iran / 102’
Director: Ahmad Bahrami
Main Cast: Ali Bagheri, Farrokh Nemati, Majid Farhang, Mahdieh Nassaj, Touraj Alvand

THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN
Tunisia, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden / 100’
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Main Cast: Yahya Mahayni, Dea Liane, Monica Bellucci, Koen de Bouw, Darina Al Joundi, Christian Vadim

I PREDATORI
Italy / 109’
Director: Pietro Castellitto
Main Cast: Massimo Popolizio, Manuela Mandracchia, Pietro Castellitto, Giorgio Montanini, Dario Cassini, Anita Caprioli

MAINSTREAM
USA / 94’
Director: Gia Coppola
Main Cast: Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolff, Jason Schwartzman

LAHI, HAYOP (GENUS PAN)
Philippines / 150’
Director: Lav Diaz
Main Cast: Bart Guingona, DMs Boongaling, Nanding Josef, Hazel Orencio, Joel Saracho, Noel Sto. Domingo

ZANKA CONTACT
France, Morocco, Belgium / 125’
Director: Ismaël el Iraki
Main Cast: Khansa Batma, Ahmed Hammoud, Saïd Bey, Abderrahmane Oubihem, Mourad Zaoui

LA NUIT DES ROIS
Ivory Coast, France, Canada / 92’
Director: Philippe Lacôte
Main Cast: Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Digbeu Jean Cyrille, Abdoul Karim Konaté

THE FURNACE
Australia / 116’
Director: Roderick MacKay
Main Cast: Ahmed Malek, David Wenham

JENAYAT-E BI DEGHAT (CARELESS CRIME)
Director: Shahram Mokri
Main Cast: Babak Karimi, Razieh Mansouri, Abolfazl Kahani, Mohammad Sareban, Adel Yaraghi, Mahmoud Behraznia

GAZA MON AMOUR
Palestine, France, Germany, Portugal, Qatar / 87’
Director: Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser
Main Cast: Salim Daw, Hiam Abbass, Maisa Abd Elhadi, George Iskandar, Hitham Al Omai, Manal Awad

MILA (APPLES)
Greece, Poland, Slovenia / 90’
Director: Christos Nikou
Main Cast: Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovasili

SELVA TRÁGICA
Mexico, France, Colombia / 96’
Director: Yulene Olaizola
Main Cast: Indira Andrewin, Gilberto Barraza, Mariano Tun Xool, Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez, Eligio Meléndez

GUERRA E PACE
Italy, Switzerland / 128’
Director: Martina Parenti, Massimo D’Anolfi

NOWHERE SPECIAL
Italy, Romania, United Kingdom / 96’
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Main Cast: James Norton, Daniel Lamont

LISTEN
United Kingdom, Portugal / 73’
Director: Ana Rocha de Sousa
Main Cast: Lúcia Moniz, Sophia Myles, Ruben Garcia, Maisie Sly, Kiran Sonia Sawar, James Felner

BU ZHI BU XIU (THE BEST IS YET TO COME)
China / 114’
Director: Jing Wang
Main Cast: Bai Ke, Miao Miao, Song Wenzhang, Fu Kesi, Jia Zhangke, Qin Hailu, Song Yang

ZHELTAYA KOSHKA (YELLOW CAT)
Kazakhstan, France / 90’
Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Main Cast: Azamat Nigmanov, Kamila Nugmanova, Sanjar Madi, Yerzhan Zhamankulov, Yerken Gubashev, Nurbek Mukushev

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