Italian film 'Comandante' opens 80th Venice Film Festival, 'Society of the Snow' closes
The opening and closing films for the 80th Venice International Film Festival have been revealed. 'Comandante', directed by Edoardo De Angelis and featuring Pierfrancesco Favino, will replace Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers'. This World War II drama depicts the real-life events of Commander Salvatore Todaro, who sank an armed merchant vessel in October 1940 and saved 26 Belgian survivors. Alberto Barbera, the festival director, emphasized its exploration of ethics and human solidarity. The festival will close with J.A. Bayona's 'La sociedad de la nieve', which tells the story of the 1972 crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, where only 29 out of 45 passengers survived. The premiere is set for Saturday, September 9, at the Sala Grande in the Palazzo del Cinema.
Key facts
- 80th Venice Film Festival opens with 'Comandante' by Edoardo De Angelis
- Originally 'Challengers' by Luca Guadagnino was to open but was dropped due to Hollywood strike
- 'Comandante' stars Pierfrancesco Favino and is distributed by 01 Distribution
- Film tells true story of Commander Salvatore Todaro rescuing 26 Belgian survivors in 1940
- Director Alberto Barbera praised the film's contemporary ethical resonance
- Closing film is 'La sociedad de la nieve' by J.A. Bayona
- Film recounts 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash in the Andes
- 'La sociedad de la nieve' premieres September 9 and is distributed by Netflix
Entities
Artists
- Luca Guadagnino
- Edoardo De Angelis
- Pierfrancesco Favino
- Alberto Barbera
- Salvatore Todaro
- Sandro Veronesi
- J.A. Bayona
- Pablo Vierci
- Margherita Bordino
Institutions
- Venice Film Festival
- Biennale di Venezia
- 01 Distribution
- Regia Marina
- Uruguayan Air Force
- Netflix
- Artribune
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Atlantic Ocean
- Andes
- Uruguay
- Chile
- Lido di Venezia
- Palazzo del Cinema