William James "Willem" Dafoe is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards. He received an Honorary Golden Bear in 2018.
Abel Ferrara is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and songwriter. He is best known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992), and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones.
Saverio Costanzo is an Italian film and television director.
Stefano Lelio Beniamino Accorsi is an Italian actor.
Go Go Tales is an independent 2007 film by Abel Ferrara. Ferrara based the film on The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, directed by John Cassavetes. It stars Willem Dafoe as a strip club owner and co-stars Bob Hoskins, Asia Argento and Matthew Modine. Ferrara had the cast improvise much of their lines. He described the film as his "first intentional comedy".
YorgosLanthimos is a Greek filmmaker. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for five Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.
Alba Caterina Rohrwacher is an Italian actress.
Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, known professionally as Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series Just William (2010). Following a supporting role in the period drama series Downton Abbey (2012–2015), her breakthrough was the title role in the fantasy film Cinderella (2015).
Tye Kayle Sheridan is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in Terrence Malick's experimental drama film The Tree of Life (2011) and had his first leading role in Jeff Nichols's film Mud (2012).
The 71st annual Venice International Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy between 27 August to 6 September 2014. The festival opened with Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film Birdman, and closed with Ann Hui's drama film The Golden Era. Italian actress Luisa Ranieri hosted the opening and closing nights of the festival. The Swedish film A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, directed by Roy Andersson, won the Golden Lion, and Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence won the Grand Jury Prize.
Robert Houston Eggers is an American filmmaker. After working for years as a production designer, he became known for writing and directing the historical horror films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and Nosferatu (2024), as well as co-writing and directing the historical action film The Northman (2022). Noted for maintaining historical authenticity, his films often blend elements of horror, folklore, and mythology.
Joseph David Keery, known professionally in music as Djo, is an American actor and musician. He became known for playing Steve Harrington in the science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–present), and has since starred in the comedy film Free Guy (2021) and in the fifth season of the crime drama series Fargo (2023–2024).
The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018.
Willem Dafoe is an American actor known for his work in To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Platoon (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Flight of the Intruder (1991), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), The Boondock Saints (1999), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Manderlay (2005), Antichrist (2009), The Florida Project (2017), At Eternity's Gate (2018), The Lighthouse (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Poor Things (2023).
Rachel Anne Sennott is an American actress and comedian. After training at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, she began her career on the New York City open mic scene with a regular gig on It's A Guy Thing.
The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 1 to 11 September 2021.
Poor Things is a 2023 film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Tony McNamara, based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray. A co-production between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the film stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael. Stone plays Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London who has been brought back to life via brain transplant.
Dead for a Dollar is a 2022 American Western-thriller film written and directed by Walter Hill. It stars Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, and Rachel Brosnahan. The plot follows a bounty hunter (Waltz) on a search to find the missing wife (Brosnahan) of a businessman. Brandon Scott, Warren Burke, Benjamin Bratt, and Hamish Linklater also star. The film premiered out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 6, 2022. It was released in the United States on September 30, 2022, by Quiver Distribution.
Inside is a 2023 psychological thriller film written by Ben Hopkins and directed by Vasilis Katsoupis in his feature directorial debut. It follows an art thief who is trapped inside a luxury penthouse, slowly losing his grip on reality.
Gonzo Girl is a 2023 American drama film written by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell, directed by Patricia Arquette and starring Camila Morrone, Willem Dafoe and Arquette. It is based on the 2015 novel of the same title by Cheryl Della Pietra. It is also Arquette's feature directorial debut.
