WEATHER ALERT
Venice extends its day-tripper tax through next year to combat overtourism
Read full article: Venice extends its day-tripper tax through next year to combat overtourismVenice will extend its day-tripper tax through next year, increasing the number of days and doubling the fee to 10 euros for last-minute visitors.
Mel B joins a campaign calling for a new UK law to bar Afro hair discrimination
Read full article: Mel B joins a campaign calling for a new UK law to bar Afro hair discriminationFormer Spice Girl Mel B is among dozens of Black Britons urging Parliament to update the country’s equality laws and prohibit Afro hair discrimination.
‘The Room Next Door' tops Venice Film Festival. Nicole Kidman misses acting honor due to mom’s death
Read full article: ‘The Room Next Door' tops Venice Film Festival. Nicole Kidman misses acting honor due to mom’s deathPedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion award Saturday.
Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix bring 'Joker: Folie à Deux’ to Venice Film Festival
Read full article: Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix bring 'Joker: Folie à Deux’ to Venice Film FestivalFive years after “Joker” won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, director Todd Phillips can’t help but be a little nervous about returning with its sequel.
Almodóvar returns to Venice with 'The Room Next Door' and gets a nearly 20 minute ovation
Read full article: Almodóvar returns to Venice with 'The Room Next Door' and gets a nearly 20 minute ovationSpanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar is returning to the Venice Film Festival with stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.
At Venice Film Festival, Jude Law debuts ‘The Order’ about FBI manhunt for a domestic terrorist
Read full article: At Venice Film Festival, Jude Law debuts ‘The Order’ about FBI manhunt for a domestic terroristJude Law plays an FBI agent investigating the violent crimes of a white supremacist group in “The Order,” which premieres Saturday at the Venice Film Festival.
Venice Film Festival: From ‘Joker 2’ to ‘Maria,’ here are 10 movies to get excited about
Read full article: Venice Film Festival: From ‘Joker 2’ to ‘Maria,’ here are 10 movies to get excited aboutSome of Hollywood’s biggest stars are getting ready to descend on the Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix.
Toronto Film Festival lineup includes movies from Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, more
Read full article: Toronto Film Festival lineup includes movies from Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, moreThe Angelina Jolie-directed war film “Without Blood,” a documentary about Bruce Springsteen and Mike Leigh’s contemporary tragicomedy “Hard Truths” will have their world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall.
Venice officials defend day-tripper tax, but delay the decision on extending it
Read full article: Venice officials defend day-tripper tax, but delay the decision on extending itVenice city officials say the day-tripper tax netted 2.4 million euros during a test phase this summer, and that decisions on how to proceed would be made in the fall after a full analysis of the data.
Willem Dafoe is named artistic director of Venice Biennale's theater department
Read full article: Willem Dafoe is named artistic director of Venice Biennale's theater departmentActor Willem Dafoe, a frequent red-carpet star at the Venice Film Festival, was named artistic director Monday of the Venice Biennale’s theater department.
Pope visits Venice to speak to the artists and inmates behind the Biennale's must-see prison show
Read full article: Pope visits Venice to speak to the artists and inmates behind the Biennale's must-see prison showPope Francis has met with women prisoners in Venice who are the protagonists of the Vatican pavilion at the Venice Biennale art fair.
Venice Biennale titled 'Foreigners Everywhere' platforms LGBTQ+, outsider and Indigenous artists
Read full article: Venice Biennale titled 'Foreigners Everywhere' platforms LGBTQ+, outsider and Indigenous artistsOutsider, queer and Indigenous artists are getting an overdue platform at the 60th Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition.
Maurizio Cattelan, Zoe Saldana join iconoclastic Vatican Biennale exhibition inside women’s prison
Read full article: Maurizio Cattelan, Zoe Saldana join iconoclastic Vatican Biennale exhibition inside women’s prisonA pair of nude feet — dirty, wounded and vulnerable — are painted on the façade of the Venice women’s prison chapel.
Artist and curators refuse to open Israel pavilion at Venice Biennale until cease-fire, hostage deal
Read full article: Artist and curators refuse to open Israel pavilion at Venice Biennale until cease-fire, hostage dealThe artist and curators representing Israel at this year’s Venice Biennale have announced they won’t open the Israeli exhibition until there's a cease-fire in Gaza and an agreement to release hostages.
It's the first drug shown to slow Alzheimer's. Why is is it off to a slow start?
Read full article: It's the first drug shown to slow Alzheimer's. Why is is it off to a slow start?The first drug shown to slow Alzheimer’s hit the U.S. market over a year ago, but sales have lagged and diagnosis and treatment remain complicated.
Venice day-trippers will face steep fines if they fail to pay an access fee under a pilot program
Read full article: Venice day-trippers will face steep fines if they fail to pay an access fee under a pilot programDay-trippers to Venice who fail to pay 5 euros ($5.43) to enter the lagoon city’s historic center during a time-limited pilot program launching later this month will face steep fines.
Ex-Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named the new creative head at Valentino
Read full article: Ex-Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named the new creative head at ValentinoThe former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele has been named the new creative director at Valentino, following the sudden departure last week of Pierpaolo Piccioli after 25 years.
Federal agency quashes Georgia's plan to let pharmacies sell medical marijuana
Read full article: Federal agency quashes Georgia's plan to let pharmacies sell medical marijuanaFederal drug officials are warning Georgia to shelve its plans to be the first state to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana.
Venice rolls out day-tripper fee to try to regulate mass crowds on peak weekends
Read full article: Venice rolls out day-tripper fee to try to regulate mass crowds on peak weekendsVenice authorities have rolled out a pilot program to charge day-trippers 5 euros ($5.45) apiece to enter the fragile lagoon city on peak weekends next year.
Battery technology in the crashed Venice bus made it less prone to catastrophic fires, experts say
Read full article: Battery technology in the crashed Venice bus made it less prone to catastrophic fires, experts sayItaly’s transport minister is questioning the spread of electric vehicle technology following the fiery crash of a fully electric shuttle bus that killed 21 people in mainland Venice.
Bus crash across lagoon from Venice's historic center kills 21 people, including Ukrainian tourists
Read full article: Bus crash across lagoon from Venice's historic center kills 21 people, including Ukrainian touristsItalian authorities say at least 21 people have been killed and 18 injured in a bus crash in Venice.
‘Nun 2′ narrowly edges ‘A Haunting in Venice’ over quiet weekend in movie theaters
Read full article: ‘Nun 2′ narrowly edges ‘A Haunting in Venice’ over quiet weekend in movie theaters“The Nun 2” and “A Haunting in Venice” virtually tied for the No. 1 spot in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, with a slight edge carrying the horror sequel over the Hercule Poirot mystery.
Polish official harshly criticizes film that explores migration crisis at Poland-Belarus border
Read full article: Polish official harshly criticizes film that explores migration crisis at Poland-Belarus borderA leading member of Poland’s conservative government has sharply criticized a film that explores the humanitarian disaster affecting migrants along the Poland-Belarus border.
Venice Film Festival unveils A-list lineup with ‘Priscilla,’ ‘Ferrari,’ ‘Maestro’ amid strikes
Read full article: Venice Film Festival unveils A-list lineup with ‘Priscilla,’ ‘Ferrari,’ ‘Maestro’ amid strikesBradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein drama “Maestro,” Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley movie, Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” David Fincher’s “The Killer” and Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” will be making their world debuts at the Venice International Film Festival this fall.
Craig Robinson continues underdog storyline on Peacock's 'Killing It' with new season
Read full article: Craig Robinson continues underdog storyline on Peacock's 'Killing It' with new seasonCraig Robinson and his kind-hearted, python-hunting character on “Killing It” are returning to television next month.
Family of missing actor Julian Sands releases 1st statement since his hiking disappearance
Read full article: Family of missing actor Julian Sands releases 1st statement since his hiking disappearanceThe family of actor Julian Sands has released its first statement five months after he disappeared while hiking in California.
Venice Architectural Biennale gives overdue voice to long-silenced Africa
Read full article: Venice Architectural Biennale gives overdue voice to long-silenced AfricaScottish-Ghanaian architect Lesley Lokko is giving voices that have long been silenced a platform at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale.
Japan auteur Kitano's latest samurai film headed to Cannes
Read full article: Japan auteur Kitano's latest samurai film headed to CannesTakeshi Kitano’s new film, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival next month, is a samurai story without heroes, mercilessly portraying human greed, betrayal and cruelty.
Oil drilling in Gulf safer, but concerns linger, report says
Read full article: Oil drilling in Gulf safer, but concerns linger, report saysA new National Academy of Science study says that 13 years after a massive BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist.
Airplane crash in Gulf of Mexico off Florida coast leaves woman, girl dead
Read full article: Airplane crash in Gulf of Mexico off Florida coast leaves woman, girl deadPolice say a private airplane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast Saturday night, with two people confirmed dead as authorities searched for a third person.
Poitras documentary wins top prize at Venice Film Festival
Read full article: Poitras documentary wins top prize at Venice Film Festival“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras’s epic documentary about photographer Nan Goldin and her activism against the Sackler family and their art connections has been awarded the Golden Lion for best film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Farrell and Gleeson reunite with Martin McDonagh in Venice
Read full article: Farrell and Gleeson reunite with Martin McDonagh in VeniceMartin McDonagh has returned to the Venice International Film Festival with “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which is having its world premiere Monday night in competition.
Aronofsky, Iñarritu films set for Venice Film Festival
Read full article: Aronofsky, Iñarritu films set for Venice Film FestivalDarren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” the Marilyn Monroe drama “Blonde,” Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” and Guadagnino’s “Bones and All,” with Timothée Chalamet, will all have their world premieres in competition at the Venice International Film Festival this fall.
MLB tests pitch clock, anti-shift, bigger bases in minors
Read full article: MLB tests pitch clock, anti-shift, bigger bases in minorsPitchers, catchers and batters will be able to appeal calls from human umpires to “robo umps” in the Low-A Southeast League this season, while pitch clocks, anti-shift rules and larger bases will be tried in the minors ahead of possible big league use in 2023.
Flooding in Venice worsens off-season amid climate change
Read full article: Flooding in Venice worsens off-season amid climate changeVenice saw a record five exceptional floods over six weeks in late 2019 that triggered fears about the impact of worsening climate change on the Italian lagoon city beloved by tourists.
Policy center says debt limit could be hit in mid-October
Read full article: Policy center says debt limit could be hit in mid-OctoberA think tanks says the government will likely face an unprecedented default on its debt obligations between mid-October and mid-November, seconding a warning earlier this week from the Treasury.
London Film Festival welcomes audiences back to the movies
Read full article: London Film Festival welcomes audiences back to the moviesMovies from 77 countries will screen at the 2021 London Film Festival, as Britain’s leading cinema showcase welcomes mass audiences back to movie theaters after a pandemic-disrupted year.
Jessica Chastain and real-life pal Oscar Isaac redo Bergman
Read full article: Jessica Chastain and real-life pal Oscar Isaac redo BergmanJessica Chastain has been friends with Oscar Isaac since their Julliard days but says it was “a blessing and a curse” to play his wife in a remake of Ingmar Bergman’s classic “Scenes From a Marriage.”.
Venice avoids designation as UNESCO heritage site in danger
Read full article: Venice avoids designation as UNESCO heritage site in dangerVenice and its lagoon environment have avoided placement on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites in danger following Italy’s ban on massive cruise ships traveling through the city's historic center.
Yellen: US regulators to assess risk posed by climate change
Read full article: Yellen: US regulators to assess risk posed by climate changeU.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says she will lead an effort by top U.S. regulators to assess the potential risk that climate change poses to America’s financial system.
Yellen: Compete on economic strengths, not low tax rates
Read full article: Yellen: Compete on economic strengths, not low tax ratesU.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says a proposed global minimum corporate tax would let countries compete on the strength of their economies rather than on who can offer the lowest tax rate.
Cruise ships restart in Venice, bring environmental protests
Read full article: Cruise ships restart in Venice, bring environmental protestsThe first cruise ship since the pandemic has wended its way through the heart of Venice, escorted by triumphant water-spouting tugboats and elated port workers as it traveled down the Giudecca Canal.
From Gaza to Chile, Biennale asks how we will live together
Read full article: From Gaza to Chile, Biennale asks how we will live togetherIn the time it has taken to prepare for the Venice Biennale, violence in the Middle East has overtaken a Palestinian family farm in Gaza featured in one of the exhibits.
Acclaimed French director Bertrand Tavernier dies at age 79
Read full article: Acclaimed French director Bertrand Tavernier dies at age 79FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2015, file photo, Director Bertrand Tavernier poses with his Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievements after the award ceremony at the 72nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. Acclaimed French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier has died at the age of 79, according to French media. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)PARIS – French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, who directed acclaimed movies such “A Sunday in the Country,” “Captain Conan” and “The Judge and the Assassin,” has died, according to his family. Tavernier was married to the late French-Irish screenwriter Claudine O’Hagan, better known as Colo Tavernier, from 1965 to 1980. They had two children together: writer Tiffany Tavernier and director and actor Nils Tavernier.
Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker to star in spring plays
Read full article: Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker to star in spring playsMary-Louise Parker attends the Broadway opening of "After Midnight" on Nov. 3, 2013 in New York, left, and Meryl Streep arrives at the premiere of the film 'The Laundromat' at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, on Sept. 1, 2019. Parker and Streep have signed on to perform in a new virtual play series this spring while Broadway is closed. (AP Photo)NEW YORK – Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker, Audra McDonald, Kevin Klein, Carla Gugino and Keanu Reeves have signed on to perform in a new virtual play series this spring while Broadway is closed. The series kicks off Thursday with “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse, directed by Leigh Silverman starring Reeves, Bobby Cannavale, Heidi Schreck and Alia Shawkat. The next show — on April 8 — will feature “Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous” by Pearl Cleage directed by Camille A.
Academy Museum to honor Sophia Loren, Haile Gerima at gala
Read full article: Academy Museum to honor Sophia Loren, Haile Gerima at galaDirector Haile Gerima appears at the 65th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 2, 2008, left, and Sophia Loren arrives at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019. Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. (Photos by Andrew Medichini/AP, left, and Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 4PM ET/1PM PTThe Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is assembling a star-studded cast for its opening gala in September. Italian screen legend Sophia Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards, and Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Bob Iger are being saluted for their efforts to raise $388 million for the long gestating museum, the organization said Monday. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the historic Saban Building.
Florida deputies help free gator stuck in storm drain
Read full article: Florida deputies help free gator stuck in storm drainVENICE, Fla. – A 6-foot alligator that got stuck in a storm drain was freed by some Florida deputies. A jogger in Venice, Florida first spotted the stuck gator Tuesday morning and reported it to deputies, according to a tweet from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to Cerromar Terr., Venice, to help this 6’ 🐊 free himself from a storm drain. pic.twitter.com/2rQTpN8W3c — SarasotaSheriff (@SarasotaSheriff) December 21, 2020Deputies lifted a concrete slab that helped the gator wiggle free, the sheriff's office said. The gator was later freed after a trapper was called but did not respond, the sheriff’s office said.
Woman fatally shot at Florida bank
Read full article: Woman fatally shot at Florida bankVENICE, Fla. – A woman was fatally shot at a bank in Venice on Monday morning, sheriff’s officials said. The shooting happened just after 9 a.m. at a BB&T bank branch in Venice, which is near Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Arriving deputies found the woman dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t released many details about the shooting. But officials said “all involved parties are accounted for," the post said,Investigators are working to notify the woman's relatives.
Chloé Zhao’s 'Nomadland' wins TIFF People's Choice Award
Read full article: Chloé Zhao’s 'Nomadland' wins TIFF People's Choice AwardThis image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Frances McDormand in a scene from the film "Nomadland" by Chloe Zhao. (Searchlight Pictures via AP)After picking up Venice's Golden Lion award, Chloé Zhao’s “ Nomadland " has won another prestigious honor: The Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award. Zhao's film features Frances McDormand as a widowed wanderer of the modern American West. Set for a Dec. 4 release, “Nomadland” has already been hailed as a top Oscar contender, but winning the audience award at TIFF is promising for its Oscar chances. Other People's Choice winners include Michelle Latimer's documentary “Inconvenient Indian," about Indigenous peoples in North America, and Roseanne Liang's midnight madness selection “Shadow in the Cloud," with Chloë Grace Moretz.
Venice Fest closes amid cheers for daring to open amid virus
Read full article: Venice Fest closes amid cheers for daring to open amid virus(Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)VENICE – The Venice Film Festival is wrapping up the first COVID-era international cinema showcase Saturday, with critics, filmmakers and actors alike cheering organizers for having dared to hold the festival amid a pandemic and demonstrating how to go to the movies again, safely. Once the virus spread, the Cannes Film Festival was canceled outright, and other big international festivals in Toronto and New York opted to go mostly online. “We were a little bit worried at the beginning, of course,” festival director Alberto Barbera said. Twenty-twenty is not the year for those kind of discussions.”Instead, she said, Venice was a film festival that focused on the integrity of the films. The diversity of countries represented is a development that festival director Barbera has greeted with particular satisfaction.
Ann Hui wins lifetime achievement award at Venice festival
Read full article: Ann Hui wins lifetime achievement award at Venice festivalDirector Ann Hui holds her Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement during the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)VENICE Hong Kong director Ann Hui paid tribute to her home city as she received a lifetime achievement award from the Venice International Film Festival. The acclaimed director said she wanted to revert this honor back to Hong Kong, the city where she grew up. Huis impact on the Hong Kong film industry and Asian cinema is second to none. Shes a five-time winner of Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Quarantine a small price to pay for Australian in Venice
Read full article: Quarantine a small price to pay for Australian in VeniceDirector Roderick MacKay poses for portrait photographs for the film 'The Furnace' during the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. MacKay had to get government approval to leave Australia and will spend a total of a month in quarantine because of coronavirus precautions but says it's a small price to pay to bring his first feature film to Venice. But the 33-year-old director says its a small price to pay to get his first feature film,The Furnace, to the Venice Film Festival especially after it took six years to make. So a month in quarantine, really in the scheme of things, is kind of a small blip in the time that Ive taken from my life to realize this project, he said. After Venice, he retraces his steps back to Perth, where a government-appointed hotel quarantine awaits him.