Oscar Tipped Al Pacino Movie 'Manglehorn' Set For Venice Film Festival

  • 24 July 2014

David Gordon Green's Manglehorn - a drama featuring a promising performance from Al Pacino - is heading to the Venice Film Festival and will screen in competition. It joins Alejandro Gonzelez Inarritu's Birdman at the 71th Venice Biennale, organizers announced on Thursday.

Image caption Al Pacino in 'Manglehorn'

Manglehorn tells the story of a locksmith in a small town in Texas, who never managed to get over the love of his life. Gordon Green has good form heading into this - he directed the excellent Prince Avalanche (2013) and drama _Joe _(2013), the latter of which made everyone remember how good an actor Nicolas Cage actually is. It was tipped up as a possible Oscar winner by Almost Sideways back in March.

Pacino will no doubt be in Venice for the premiere, as will Andrew Garfield, Laura Dern and Michael Shannon (probably) for Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes. Ethan Hawke is nailed on to appear, given that he stars in two movies debuting - Good Kill and Michael Amereyda's Cymbeline.

Elsewhere, the Viggo Mortensen starring Loin des Hommes is in competition, as is Joe Dante's Burying the Ex, with Anton Yelchin. In an out-of-competition showcase, Frances McDormand plays Lisa Cholodenko in HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge.

Watch the trailer for Birdman:

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We already know that Birdman will be opening the festival. From the trailer that rolled out last month, we get the feeling this one is certainly going to be a contender at the awards ceremonies at the end of the year. It stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero trying to overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory. Of course, Keaton once played Batman.

The Venice Film Festival opens on August 27 and runs through till September 6.

_Next page: check out the full line-up for the Venice Film Festival

The full line-up is as followed - courtesy of The Wrap.

IN COMPETITION

"The Cut," Fatih Akin (Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, Poland, Turkey)

"A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence," Roy Andersson (Sweden, Germany, Norway, France)

"99 Homes," Ramin Bahrani (U.S.)


Image caption Michael Keaton stars in 'Birdman' - which screens in competition at the Venice Film Festival

"Tales," Rakhshan Bani E'temad (Iran)

"La rancon de la gloire," Xavier Beauvois (France)

"Hungry Hearts," Saverio Costanzo (Italy)

"Le fernier coup de marteau," Alix Delaporte (France)

"Manglehorn," David Gordon Green (U.S.)

"Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance," Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu (U.S.)

"Three Hearts," Benoit Jacquot (France)

"The Postman's White Nights," Andrei Konchalovsky (Russia)

"Il Giovane Favoloso," Mario Martone (Italy)

"Sivas," Kaan Mujdeci (Turkey)

"Anime Nere," Francesco Munzi (Italy, France)

"Good Kill," Andrew Niccol (U.S.)

"Loin des Hommes," David Oelhoffen (France)

"The Look of Silence," Joshua Oppenheimer (Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Norway, U.K.)

"Nobi," Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)

"Red Amnesia," Wang Xiaoshuai (China)

OUT OF COMPETITION

"Words with Gods," Guillermo Arriaga, Emir Kusturica, Amos Gitai. Mira Nair, Warwick Thornton, Hector Babenco, Bahman Ghobadi, Hideo Nakata, Alex de la Iglesia (Mexico. U.S.)

"She's Funny That Way," Peter Bogdanovich (U.S.)

"Dearest," Peter Ho-sun Chan (Hong Kong, China)

"Olive Kitteridge," Lisa Cholodenko (U.S.)

"Burying the Ex," Joe Dante (U.S.)

"Perez," Edoardo De Angelis (Italy)

"La zuppa del demonio," Davide Ferrario (Italy)

"Tsili," Amos Gitai (Israel, Russia, Italy, France)

"La trattativa," Sabina Guzzanti (Italy)

"The Golden Era," Ann Hui (China, Hong Kong) CLOSER

"Make Up," Im Kwontaek (South Korea)

"The Humbling," Barry Levinson (U.S.)

"The Old Man of Belem," Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal, France)

"Italy in a Day," Gabriele Salvatores (Italy, U.K.)

"In the Basement," Ulrich Seidl (Austria)

"The Boxtrolls," Anthony Stacchi, Annable Graham (U.K)

"Nyphomanic Volume II (long version) Director's Cut," Lars Von Trier (Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium)

HORIZONS

"Theeb," Naji Abu Nowar (Jordan, U.A.E. Qatar, U.K.)

"Line of Credit," Salome Alexi (Georgia, Germany, France)

"Cymbeline," Michael Almereyda (U.S.)

"Senza Nessuna Pieta," Michele Alhaique (Italy)

"Near Death Experience," Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern (France)

"Le Vita Oscena," Renato De Maria (Italy)

"Realite," Quentin Dupieux (France, Belgium)

"I Spy/I Spy," Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala (Austria)

"Hill of Freedom," Hong Sangsoo (South Korea)

"Bypass," Duane Hopkins (U.K.)

"The President," Moshen Makhmalbaf (Georgia, France, U.K. Germany)

"Your Right Mind," Ami Canaan Mann (U.S.)

"Belluscone, una storia siciliana," Franco Maresco (Italy)

"Nabat," Elchin Musaoglu (Azerbaijan)

"Heaven Knows What," Josh Safdie, Ben Safdie (U.S., France)

"These Are the Rules," Ognjen Svilicic," (Croatia, France, Serbia, Macedonia)

"Court," Chaitanya Tamhane (India)

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