SE P T E M B E R/ OC T O B E R 2 0 1 2 V I D E O • A G E 20 This year, the Venice Film Festival (La Biennale), which ran August 30-September 8, included an improved segment, the Venice Film Market, held August 30-September 4 in a dedicated area on the first floor of the Excelsior Hotel in the Lido portion of Venice. The newly revamped market portion was headed by a French import, Venice Film Market director Pascal Diot. In an opening day interview with VideoAge, Diot reported that he was quite happy with the turnout: 220 distributors and more than 50 sales agents for about 1,000 total market attendees. The venue consisted of a lounge for operators to conduct meetings in an informal setting and a series of exhibitor rooms along a corridor nearby, as well as the Sala Incontri conference room, where seminars were held. For his first edition, Diot opted for a setting of pavilion/umbrella stands rather than individual stands in an effort to contain costs for exhibitors. Among the countries represented were Argentina, Russia, Israel, Taiwan and Italy with ANICA and several film commissions attending. France’s film umbrella association, Unifrance, did not receive sufficient time to change its stand from its traditional location at the Quattro Fontane hotel, also in the Lido, to the nearby market venue. It was pointed out that Diot was appointed in February and that most government and national umbrella organizations, such as Unifrance, need a full year to request the funds and plan the logistics to attend this type of event. The decision to move the Market dates to the first half of the Festival was due to the conflicting dates of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which took place September 6-16. Diot emphasized that he does not want to be in competition with TIFF, but rather complementary to it. In terms of the Market’s relationship with the Festival itself, Diot was said to have been working closely with new Festival boss Alberto Barbera to find ways to boost the business-end of the event. For instance, this year market buyers were allowed to attend all open press screenings. In addition, the number of films being screened was reduced from approximately 170 last year to 100 this year, thereby allowing movies to be screened more frequently. Venice Boosts Marketplace With A French Exec Import F i l m F e s t R e p o r t The Venice Film Fest’s red carpet area A seminar associated with the Market The Market lounge Welcoming reception Pascal Diot, director of the Venice Film Market And The Winner Is…. During the awards ceremonyheldonSaturday, September 8, the top trophy — the Golden Lion for Best Film—went toPieta, directed by Kim Ki-duk (Republic of Korea) and distributed by Next Entertainment World. The Silver Lion for Best Director was bestowed upon Paul Thomas Anderson (U.S.) for The Master, distributed in the U.S. and Canada by the Weinstein Company. The Special Jury Prize was given to Paradise:Faith by Austrian director Ulrich Seidl. The Coppa Volpi for Best Actor was awarded to Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in the film The Master, and the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress went to Hadas Yaron in the film Lemale Et Ha’Chalal by Rama Bursthein (Israel). Some last-minute confusion marred the Fest’s conclusion when the recipients of the Silver Lion for Best Director and that of the Special Jury Prize were mixed up by jury president, American director and producer MichaelMann, causing actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman to ascend the stage three times — the last time to rectify Mann’s mistake.
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