The line-up has been announced for the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival, taking place from August 28 to September 7, 2024.
Venice International Film Festival has selected two Red Sea Film Foundation-supported films, Aicha and Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo, to compete during its 81st edition, which will run from August 28-September 7.
Tunisian director Mehdi M. Barsaoui’s Aicha, funded by the Red Sea Fund and the Red Sea Souk, will compete in the Orizzonti section. Meanwhile, Egyptian filmmaker Khaled Mansour’s Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo, developed through the Red Sea Lodge program in 2021 and also supported by the Red Sea Fund, will have its world premiere in the Orizzonti Extra section.
Aicha is inspired by true events and tells the story of Aya, in her late twenties, who still lives with her parents in southern Tunisia and feels trapped in a life without prospects. One day, the minivan in which she commutes daily between her town and the hotel where she works crashes. As the sole survivor of the accident, she realizes it could be her chance to start a new life. She flees to Tunis under a new identity, but everything is soon compromised when she becomes the main witness to a police blunder.
Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo tells the story of a young man confronting his past fears to save his dog and best friend from an uncertain fate.
Rambo, Hassan’s dog and only friend, is unjustly involved in a dangerous incident. He suddenly becomes hunted by the government and Karem, Hassan’s neighbour, which forces Hassan to find an unofficial secure way of exiting Rambo out of the country, and saving him from the unknown.
Written by Mansour and Mohamed El-Hosseiny, the film is produced by Rasha Hosny. Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic has boarded the production and will distribute in MENA territories through Film Clinic Indie Distribution, which also handles sales.
This year’s international jury, chaired by acclaimed French actor Isabelle Huppert, includes notable figures such as James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, Julia von Heinz, and Zhang Ziyi.