The Burnt Orange Heresy by Giuseppe Capotondi is the closing film

The world premiere of The Burnt Orange Heresy will be screened on Saturday, September 7^th in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia; the screening will be held after the awards ceremony.

The art world and the underworld collide in director Giuseppe Capotondi’s elegant and erotic neo-noir thriller, The Burnt Orange Heresy. Set in present day Italy, irresistibly charismatic art critic James Figueras (Bang) hooks up with provocative and alluring fellow American, Berenice Hollis (Debicki). He’s a classic anti-hero in the making with a charm that masks his ambition, whilst she’s an innocent touring Europe, enjoying the freedom of being whoever she wishes. The new lovers travel to the lavish and opulent Lake Como estate of powerful art collector, Cassidy (Jagger). Their host reveals he is the patron of Jerome Debney (Sutherland), the reclusive J.D. Salinger of the art world, and he has a simple request: for James to steal a Debney masterpiece from the artist’s studio, whatever the cost. As the couple spend time with the legendary Debney, they start to realise that nothing about the artist nor their mission is what it seems. But James is a man of deep, lurking ambition and he will do anything, from arson and burglary to murder, in order to further his career…

Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, The Burnt Orange Heresy is produced by David Zander, David Lancaster, William Horberg. Executive producers include Sienna Aquilini and Peter Touche. Screenplay by Scott B. Smith, from the novel by Charles Willeford. Director of Photography David Ungaro. International Sales: HanWay Films. Domestic Sales: UTA/CAA.

After studying philosophy at the Statale University in Milan, Giuseppe began directing music videos and TV commercials at the age of 23 and has been doing so relentlessly ever since. He has directed more than 250 TV ads and music videos to date, winning several international awards including the D&AD and Cannes Lion for advertising. In 2009 Giuseppe’s first feature film The Double Hour premiered in competition at the 66th Venice film festival to rave reviews and won its protagonist Kseniya Rappoport the Coppa Volpi award for best actress. Giuseppe then went on to direct two documentaries and several TV episodes for shows such as Epix’s Berlin Station, Netflix’s Suburra and ITV’s Endeavour. In 2019, he directed his second feature, The Burnt Orange Heresy, a contemporary film-noir starring Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki, Mick Jagger and Donald Sutherland.