Highlights of the Venice Film Festival

Pedro Almodovar opens the festival with "Parallel Mothers," which is also in the race for the Golden Lion. The film portrays two women who give birth to a child on the same day, and whose lives run parallel during the first two following years. It stars Penelope Cruz, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Julieta Serrano and Rossy De Palma, all actors who have already worked with the acclaimed Spanish filmmaker.

A total of 59 countries are represented at the festival this year, with 21 entries in the main competition for the Golden Lion. Director Alberto Barbera praised the high quality of the works in the program, saying it felt "as if the pandemic had stimulated everyone's creativity." Last year, eight female directors presented their films in the competition; in 2021 there will be only five.

The seven-member jury consists of four women and three men, and is led by Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho ("Parasite"). Another Academy Award-winning jury member is Chloe Zhao, whose film "Nomadland" not only swept the top awards at the Oscars, but also won last year's Golden Lion in Venice.

The poster and the trailer of Pablo Larrain's drama on the British royals already went viral ahead of the festival. "Spencer" — which was the maiden name of Lady Di — is set in 1991, during Princess Diana's Christmas holidays with the royal family, when she decides to separate from Prince Charles. Kristen Stewart plays the lead role in the German-UK-US-Chilean co-production.

Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the Venice competition with her debut as a director and screenwriter, with the film adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel "The Lost Daughter." Oscar winner Olivia Colman portrays a woman who spends days observing a mother and her daughter on the beach, as they remind her of the time when her now grown-up daughters were little.

Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych is presenting his film "Reflection," in which a Ukrainian surgeon is captured by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine's conflict zone and experiences humiliation and violence. In 2019, the director received the Horizons Award for "Atlantis." This year, he has a chance at nabbing the Golden Lion.

Outside the competition, one of the films being shown is the documentary "Becoming Led Zeppelin." It tells of how the rock band came to be, starting from shows in small English clubs all the way through their status as one of the biggest bands in rock history, with timeless hits like the song "Stairway to Heaven." Director Bernard MacMahon used more than 70,000 hand-restored archive photos.

Ridley Scott's first film since 2017, starring Matt Damon, will also premiere at the Venice festival. It is based on a true story from the 14th century, but could hardly be more topical in the age of #MeToo: A knight's wife claims to have been raped by his best friend. The ensuing duel between the two friends also happens to be the last one to be legally sanctioned in France's history.

Thanks to her many appearances in horror films, Jamie Lee Curtis was known as the "Scream Queen" in the 1970s. In the upcoming slasher "Halloween Kills," she once again has to meet the psychopathic serial killer Michael Myers. The film is playing outside of competition at the Venice Film Festival. Curtis will also be receiving a Golden Lion for her lifetime achievement.

Italian Oscar-winner Roberto Benigni weaves together comic, gusto, sadness and irony in his films like "Life is Beautiful." He is also being honored for his lifetime achievement. "Right from his debut, marked by his innovative and irreverent approach to rules and traditions, Roberto Benigni stands out in the panorama of the Italian performing arts," Venice festival director Alberto Barbera said.

The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival is held from September 1-11, 2021. The festival is organized by the Biennale di Venezia, which is also responsible for the architecture and art biennials. Due to the corona pandemic, strict hygiene regulations will apply and tickets must be booked online.