American director and screenwriter Paul Schrader will be the President of the International Jury for the Orizzonti section of the 70th Venice International Film Festival in Venice (28 August – 7 September 2013). This jury will award the Orizzonti Prize for Best Film and other official awards.

 

The decision was made by the Board of Directors of the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta, on the recommendation of Alberto Barbera, the Director of the Venice Film Festival.

Paul Schrader, one of the most important and celebrated filmmakers of the generation that gave birth to the New Hollywood, has directed, to name only his most famous films, Blue Collar (1978), American Gigolo (1980), Cat People (1982), Mishima (1985), Affliction (1997, presented at the Venice Film Festival in the Mezzanotte section). He wrote the screenplays for Yakuza (1974) by Sydney Pollack, Obsession (1976) by Brian De Palma and Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Bringing Out the Dead (1999) by Martin Scorsese.

 

“Schrader has continuously exercised his intelligence at the service of cinema and of his constant need for renewal,” stated Alberto Barbera, the Director of the Venice Film Festival. “In virtue of his recognized interest in personal forms of film expression, he can contribute significantly to highlighting the specific function of a section such as Orizzonti, which focuses on new filmmakers and on experimentation with new languages, which can lead to ground-breaking prospects for contemporary cinema”.

 

As a tribute to Paul Schrader, the Venice Film Festival will present, out of Competition, his new film The Canyons. A unique collaboration between two brilliant observers of American life, Bret Easton Ellis and Paul Schrader, the film is a depiction of contemporary Los Angeles and young Hollywood in the "post-Empire" era. Featuring revelatory performances by Lindsay Lohan and adult star James Deen, it has been financed through a crowd-funding campaign on the Kickstarter web platform.

“The Festival is happy to offer its international public the premiere of a long-awaited film, a lucid reflection on today’s Hollywood and, at the same time, an example of a new way to produce films.” stated Alberto Barbera.

“The Canyons is honored by the embrace of the Grand Dame of film festivals”, stated Paul Schrader.

 

The international Jury of Orizzonti, chaired by Paul Schrader and composed of a total of 7 key figures in the cinema and culture of various countries, will award the following official prizes, with no joint awards permitted:

- Orizzonti Award for Best Film

- Orizzonti Award for Best Director (new award)

- Special Orizzonti Jury Prize (new award)

- Special Orizzonti Award for innovative content

- Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film

 

The Orizzonti section features an international competition reserved for a maximum of 20 feature-length films, dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema, with special attention to debut films, young talents who are not yet firmly established, indie and lesser-known features, as well as works that address specific genres and current production, with the aim of innovating and demonstrating creative originality. The Orizzonti section also contains a selection of competing short films lasting a maximum of 20 minutes, selected on the basis of criteria such as quality and originality of language and expression. Only feature-length and short films presented as world premieres at the Venice Film Festival are admitted to the selection.