Film lovers, stars and industry professionals will be gathering once again on Venice’s  Lido from September 1 to 11, 2021 to celebrate cinema at the international film festival’s 78th edition. German films and co-productions are also represented in the various competition sections and the rest of the line-up. A total of 16 German films and co-productions will be screened at the festival as well as at the parallel Settimana della Critica and Giornate degli Autori. This year’s programme is now complete following the announcement at this week’s press conference.

Pablo Larraín's Princess Diana biopic SPENCER will have its premiere in the Venezia 78 Main Competition. The German-British co-production starring Kristen Stewart was produced on the German side by Komplizen Film. The film IL BUCO (IT/FR/DE) by Michelangelo Frammartino, which was co-produced by Essential Filmproduktion, will also be premiering in this section.

Diana El Jeiroudi's documentary REPUBLIC OF SILENCE (DE/FR/SY/QA) will be presented “out of competition” and deals with her experiences as a filmmaker in a totalitarian and war-torn country as well as showing what a powerful tool cinema can be for one's own autonomy. Germany’s No Nation Films was the production’s delegate producer. The new film LAND OF DREAMS (US/DE) by the director Shirin Neshat, who won the Silver Lion in Venice in 2009 with WOMEN WITHOUT MEN, will also be screened “out of competition” in the Orizzonti Extra sidebar. LAND OF DREAMS was co-produced by the German company Bon Voyage.

Young up-and-coming filmmakers, innovative aesthetic trends and a good dose of originality: these are the attributes of works being presented in the competition of the Orizzonti sidebar. Three films with German involvement are being given a platform there this year:  THE PEACOCK’S PARADISE (IT/DE) by Laura Bispuri, RHINO (UA/PL/DE) by Oleh Sentsov and WELA (TH/FR/NL/SG/DE) by Jakrawal Nilthamrong.

The Venice VR section also focuses on innovation. Here, the audience will find current immersive works that transport viewers into virtual worlds. A total of three German contributions and two productions with German participation will be shown, including EXPLORING HOME by Sara Lisa Vogt, MYRIAD. WHERE WE CONNECT by Lena Thiele or GENESIS by Joerg Courtial.

The co-production LA SALAMANDRE (BR/FR/DE/BE) by Alex Carvalho, with Germany’s San Cinema as a production partner, has made into the line-up of the Settimana della Critica.

The Giornate degli Autori section shows AL GARIB (SY/DE/PS/QA) by Ameer Fakher Eldin in the Official Selection and ISOLATION (IT/DE/BE/SW/UK) in the Venetian Nights, two further German co-productions made with the participation of Red Balloon Film and Maze Pictures,Seven Elephants and Kings & Queens Filmproduktion. The film ISOLATION was made by five well-known directors from five European countries, including Julia von Heinz, and tells the story of one of the most tragic events of our time: the Covid 19 pandemic. The filmmakers examine the response and measures taken by the respective countries in the face of the waves of disease.

A list of all German films and co-productions in Venice 2021 is available here.