Two years after his Oscar-winning juggernaut “Gravity” opened the Venice Film Festival, director Alfonso Cuarón has been tapped to preside over the International Jury for the upcoming 72nd edition of the fall festival season kick-off.
Cuarón's history with the fest dates back to 2001, when “Y tu mamà también” won the Osella Award there for Best Screenplay (shared with his brother Carlos), as well as the Marcello Mastroianni Award for stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. Five years later, “Children of Men” won the Osella Award for Best Cinematography for Cuarón's long-time collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki.
Speaking of which, with “Gravity” and “Birdman,” the last two years have been kind to Lubezki on the Lido. But I wouldn't hold out much hope for a return this year as Alejandro González Iñárritu's “The Revenant” isn't expected to be ready for the early fall festival gauntlet. Other possibilities for the line-up include Luca Guadagnino's “A Bigger Splash,” Scott Cooper's “Black Mass” and, given its spaghetti western connections, Quentin Tarantino's “The Hateful Eight.” We'll know more in due time, however.
The 72nd annual Venice Film Festival runs September 2 – 12.