The Venice Biennale – Venice’s International Film Festival

Ready for the Venice Biennale? The foremost international art exhibition is almost here. The year 1985 marked the inception of the Venice Biennale, which serves the purpose of promoting contemporary artistic endeavors and its new trends at a global level every two years. Although the event itself spans all artistic disciplines (art, architecture, film, dance, drama, music), we are going to focus on its film event, held annually.

The Venice International Film Festival is an 11 day-long event held annually in Venice’s well-known Palazzo del Cinema, from Wednesday September 2^nd to Saturday September 12^th, 2015.

The Venice International Film Festival

One of the highlights of this event is, without a doubt, the amazing display of well-known faces and dazzling celebrities as they walk down the red carpet, making it the perfect opportunity for fans to get a close-up look of their idols. Just picture that Johnny Deep we are used to watching on screen, or in the role of that handsome Caribbean pirate parading right before our very eyes. I can still recall how starstruck I felt when I was lucky enough to see Richard Gere in the flesh as he walked down the red carpet during a previous edition of the Festival. He walked right over to shake my hand and say, “Hi, how’s it going?” And though I’d much rather have had the Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, it was rather memorable, nonetheless.

Surely the reader can conjure up images of their favorite celebrity; someone they dream of meeting, and perhaps they will be present at this very edition of the International Film Festival. The Film Festival is held in different venues on the Venice Lido: Palazzo del Cinema, Palazzo del Casinò, Sala Darsena, and PalaBiennale.

And if the Festival wasn’t enough in itself, having Venice as a backdrop is just insurmountable. Many are the movies filmed in this charming city, using its “special” terrain as the setting to excellent scripts.

Some of my personal favorites are The Italian Job and The Tourist. And here are some fun facts about these two movies:

In the case of The Italian Job, did you know that the mayor gave permission to change an existing law during its filming? As any self-respecting action movie, The Italian Job needed to include high-speed boat chase scenes, and so the film producer requested the speed limit be raised, and the mayor agreed to it. Almighty Hollywood…

During the filming of The Tourist, the production’s scenography team was hard pressed to find the right venue for the ball scene. One day, strolling down the Cannareggio neighborhood they came across the Scuola Grande Della Misericordia, part of the city’s historical heritage, and it was love at first sight. After that, they spent no less than 10 weeks working on the interior décor to bring the ideal setting to life. Given the cultural significance of the building, the team had to have each change expressly approved and supervised by the City of Venice.

Venice

Gondolas, canals, food… everything is nicer when you have the most romantic city as backdrop. Elegant buildings and churches towering over the Grand Canal, as if painted on canvas. To truly experience Venice you have to attend a classical music concert, try its scrumptious deserts, and visit one of its wonderful exhibitions in any of its many art galleries. What I love best about Venice is, obviously, getting lost in its little streets, admiring the beauty of the city, crossing its little bridges, and ending up at a restaurant with a high-end dinner. This is a unique and romantic city where the air is thick with magic and excitement.

If you are planning a trip to Venice, whether for the International Film Festival, for a romantic weekend away, or for the carnival, I suggest you have a look at our apartments in downtown Venice. You’ll just love them.