Penelope Cruz stars in Emanuele Crialese's 'L'immensità' at Venice 79
Emanuele Crialese returns to the Venice Film Festival after 11 years with 'L'immensità', starring Penelope Cruz. The film, in competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, follows a dysfunctional family in 1970s Rome. Cruz plays Clara, a mother trapped in a failed marriage who finds solace in her children, especially her eldest daughter Adriana, who rejects her female identity and wants to be called Andrea. Crialese describes the film as a story about memory, innocence, and family, long in development. The director, known for winning a Silver Lion at Venice and being the first Italian filmmaker accepted into Sundance competition, collaborated with Cruz, whom he calls essential for the role. The film releases in Italian theaters on September 15 via Warner Bros. Pictures.
Key facts
- Emanuele Crialese's 'L'immensità' premieres in competition at the 79th Venice Film Festival.
- Penelope Cruz stars as Clara, a mother in a disintegrating marriage.
- The film is set in 1970s Rome.
- Crialese had been developing the film for over a decade, calling it 'the film I've always chased'.
- Cruz won the Volpi Cup in 2021 for 'Madres Paralelas'.
- The film features three young non-actors: Luana, Patrizio, and Maria Chiara.
- Crialese was the first Italian director accepted into Sundance competition.
- The film is released in Italy on September 15, 2022, by Warner Bros. Pictures.
- The story centers on a mother-daughter relationship and themes of gender identity.
- Crialese says female characters are his primary interest, finding it difficult to write male characters.
Entities
Artists
- Penelope Cruz
- Emanuele Crialese
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Michelangelo Antonioni
- Pedro Almodovar
- Don Backy
- Luana
- Patrizio
- Maria Chiara
- Margherita Bordino
Institutions
- Venice Film Festival
- Sundance Film Festival
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Artribune
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Rome