Venice 78: today Tim Roth, Servillo-Orlando and Sabina Guzzanti

Today at the Venice International Film Festival Tim Roth makes his debut as a wealthy Englishman trying to escape from his life, wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and children in Michel Franco's SUNDOWN; ILLUSIONS PERDUES, adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's masterpiece directed by Xavier Giannoli with Benjamin Voisin, Cécile de France, Vincent Lacoste, Xavier Dolan and Gérard Depardieu; Ana Lily Amirpour's fantasy, MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON, about a young outsider with unusual and dangerous powers. Out of competition, the couple formed by Toni Servillo, in the role of head of a group of prison guards and Silvio Orlando in those of an inmate boss, gives life to the drama set in a decommissioned prison, ARIAFERMA by Leonardo di Costanzo.

    Ad Horizons is the day of Laura Bispuri and the conflicting family reunion told in IL PARADISO DEL PAVONE with Dominique Sanda, Alba Rohrwacher and Maya Sansa. Among the special screenings RED INFERNO. JOE D'AMATO ON THE WAY OF EXCESS by Manlio Gomarasca and Massimiliano Zanin: portrait, presented by Nicolas Winding Refn, of the prolific director of B movie who died in 1999. At the Giornate degli Autori the documentary by Sabina Guzzanti, SPIN, is presented in the Venetian Nights TIME. WHAT DEMOCRACY IS TOUGH! (in the room from 16 September) dedicated to an occupied building in the center of Rome.

    Here are some of the main events of the day: SUNDOWN by Michel Franco (Venice 78) with Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios (Sala Grande at 4.45pm). Alice and Neil Bennett are the heart of a wealthy English family, on vacation in Acapulco with young Colin and Alexa, until an emergency from afar interrupts their journey.

    ILLUSIONS PERDUES by Xavier Giannoli (Venice 78) with Benjamin Voisin, Cécile de France, Vincent Lacoste, Xavier Dolan and Gérard Depardieu (Sala Grande at 6.45pm). Lucien is a young poet unknown in 19th century France. He decides to try his luck in Paris under the wing of his patron.

    MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON by Ana Lily Amirpour (Venice 78) with Jeon Jong-seo, Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson, (Sala Grande at 6.45pm). The protagonist is a girl with unusual and dangerous powers who escapes from an asylum and tries to get by on her own in New Orleans.

    ARIAFERMA by Leonardo di Costanzo (Out of competition) with Toni Servillo, Silvio Orlando, Fabrizio Ferracane, Salvatore Striano (Sala Grande at 2 pm). In an old nineteenth-century prison that is being abandoned, transfers are blocked due to bureaucratic problems. A dozen detainees remain, with few agents, awaiting new destinations.

    THE PARADISE OF THE PEACOCK By Laura Bispuri (Orizzonti) with Dominique Sanda, Alba Rohrwacher, Maya Sansa, Carlo Cerciello, Fabrizio Ferracane (Sala Darsena at 5.15pm). Nena reunites the family to celebrate her birthday. There are her husband Umberto; his son Vito and his wife Adelina with their daughter Alma; his daughter Caterina and her ex-partner Manfredi with Joana, his new girlfriend; cousin Isabella; the maid Lucia with her daughter Grazia.

    RED HELL. JOE D'AMATO ON THE WAY OF EXCESS by Manlio Gomarasca and Massimiliano Zanin (Special screenings - Palabiennale at 00.00). Who was Aristide Massaccesi, aka Joe D'Amato? In America a genius of horror, in France a master of eroticism, in Italy the king of porn.

    SPIN TIME. WHAT DEMOCRACY IS TOUGH! By Sabina Guzzanti (Days of the Authors / Venetian Nights - Sala Laguna at 9.30 pm). The protagonist of the story is an occupied building of 17 thousand square meters, famous for the intervention of the Pope's almsgiver, in which a political and social experiment is underway.