Zac Efron at the Venice Film Festival: How to Watch the New Movies from Home

The 69th Venice International Film Festival, directed this year by Alberto Barbera and organized by La Biennale di Venezia, commenced on August 29 at Venice Lido, and will run through September 8. With an impressive lineup of films created all over the world, the official mission of the festival is to “…raise awareness and promote all the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance.”

Three juries comprised of international filmmakers from many diverse nations such as India, The Netherlands, and Argentina, will decide the official awards of the 69th Venice International Film Festival.

Over 40 countries will be showing films at the festival, with France, Italy and the United States presenting the largest number of films from their country (25, 22 and 16 films respectively).

The festival  includes a Line-Up of Official Selection films that are split up into six categories, each of which emphasizes a different parameter for the works shown. The “Out of Competition” category includes works by directors who have already established themselves in previous years of the festival, the “orizzonti” features new trends in world cinema; many of which you can stream from home, and a few of the categories include retrospectives and looks at film classics.  

For your competitive side, the Veneizia 69 Official Selection lineup includes a range of exciting new works being presented as world premieres, all competing for the prestigious award granted at the conclusion of the Festival. It may come as some surprise that even Zac Efron graced the Venetian Silver Screen with his performance in At Any Price directed by Ramin Bahrani, shown at the festival on August 31t.

Not in the mood to hop on a plane for Venice? Don’t worry, you can still get a piece of the Venetian film experience by purchasing a digital ticket to the festival’s virtual 500-seat screening theater. Buy a ticket  online for  €4,20 and you get access to either a feature film or one program of the shorts through a protected site hosted by Festival Scope. For the 24 hours after the film is screened at the festival in Venice, you can access the feature or shorts on your computer (no compatibility with tablets or mobile devices yet), and each film will be shown in its original language with English subtitles. Click here for more information on purchasing tickets and a schedule of films you can stream.

Each day until September 8 will include at least one feature film that is available online, and September 6 and 7 will offer a wide selection of short films from South Korea, Denmark, Brazil, Greece, Nepal and many other countries that you can watch from home, or with your favorite group of cinephiles.

Don’t miss the chance to participate in the much anticipated 69th Venice International Film Festival. For more detailed information check out their website.