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When is Venice Film Festival 2023 and What Can We Expect?

Emma Stone's Frankenstein-like 'Poor Things' premiers in Venice but she will be absent amid the strike by Hollywood actors and writers. Vincenzo PINTO / AFP
Emma Stone's Frankenstein-like 'Poor Things' premiers in Venice but she will be absent amid the strike by Hollywood actors and writers. Vincenzo PINTO / AFP
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When is Venice Film Festival 2023 and What Can We Expect?

Emma Stone's Frankenstein-like 'Poor Things' premiers in Venice but she will be absent amid the strike by Hollywood actors and writers. Vincenzo PINTO / AFP
Emma Stone's Frankenstein-like 'Poor Things' premiers in Venice but she will be absent amid the strike by Hollywood actors and writers. Vincenzo PINTO / AFP

The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world, with its 80th edition opening this week.
Below are some facts about the festival and the 2023 contenders.
WHEN IS THE VENICE FESTIVAL?
The festival opens on Aug. 30 with the premiere of Italian World War Two film "Comandante", directed by Edoardo De Angelis. The event runs until Sept. 9 and closes with a Spanish-language Netflix drama "Society of the Snow".
WHERE IS IT HELD?
The Festival takes place on the Venice Lido - the so-called beach of Venice -- a thin barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, which is a short boat trip from the main city of Venice. Unlike Venice itself, cars have access to the Lido.
WHY IS IT SO CLOSELY WATCHED?
The festival marks the start of the awards season and regularly throws up big favorites for the Oscars. Eight of the past 11 best director awards at the Oscars went to films that debuted at Venice.
Movie stars and directors traditionally enjoy traveling to the lagoon city to launch their films. However, this year will offer a bit less sparkle than usual because a Hollywood actors' strike will prevent many stars from promoting their work here.
WHAT MOVIES HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR THE FESTIVAL?
There are several categories making up the official selection of films shown, the top being those competing for the coveted Golden Lion award.
This year's 23 contenders, in order of their screening, are:
"Comandante" (Italy) Director: Edoardo De Angelis
"El Conde" (Chile) Dir: Pablo Larrain
"Dogman" (Fr) Dir: Luc Besson
"Ferrari" (US) Dir: Michael Mann
"The Promised Land" (Denmark) Dir: Nikolaj Arcel
"Poor Things" (UK) Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
"Finally Dawn" (It) Dir: Saverio Costanzo
"Maestro" (US) Dir: Bradley Cooper
"Adagio" (It) Dir: Stefano Sollima
"Die Theorie Von Allem" (Ger-Austria-Switz) Dir: Timm Kroger
"The Killer" (US) Dir: David Fincher
"The Beast" (Fr-Canada) Dir: Bertrand Bonello
"Evil Does Not Exist" (Jap) Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
"Priscilla" (US-It) Dir: Sofia Coppola
"Green Border" (Czech-Pol-Bel-France) Dir: Agnieszka Holland
"Enea" (It): Dir. Pietro Castellitto
"Origin" (US) Dir: Ava DuVernay
"Me Captain" (It-Bel) Dir: Matteo Garrone
"Lubo" (It-Switz) Dir: Giorgio Diritti
"Holly" (Bel-Neth-Lux-Fr) Dir: Fien Troch
"Woman Of" (Pol-Swe) Dir: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert
"Memory" (Mex-US) Dir: Michel Franco
"Hors-Saison" (Fr) Dir: Stephane Brize
ARE ANY BIG FILMS BEING SHOWN OUT OF COMPETITION?
Like other festivals, Venice reserves a number of spots for interesting movies that are shown out of competition. Amongst those on offer this year are "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" by US director William Friedkin, who died this month; "Coup de Chance", Woody Allen's first French-language picture; "The Palace", by Roman Polanski; "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", a short feature by Wes Anderson; "Aggro Dr1ft", directed by Harmony Korine and starring rapper Travis Scott.

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Taiwan Detects 41 Chinese Military Aircraft, Ships ahead of Lai US Stopover

FILE -In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023. (An Ni/Xinhua via AP, File)
FILE -In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023. (An Ni/Xinhua via AP, File)
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Taiwan Detects 41 Chinese Military Aircraft, Ships ahead of Lai US Stopover

FILE -In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023. (An Ni/Xinhua via AP, File)
FILE -In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023. (An Ni/Xinhua via AP, File)

Taiwan said Friday it detected 41 Chinese military aircraft and ships around the island ahead of a Hawaii stopover by President Lai Ching-te, part of a Pacific tour that has sparked fury in Beijing.
Beijing insists self-ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island and its claim to be a sovereign nation.
To press its claims, China deploys fighter jets, drones and warships around Taiwan on a near-daily basis, with the number of sorties increasing in recent years.
In the 24 hours to 6:00 am on Friday (2200 GMT Thursday), Taiwan's defense ministry said it had detected 33 Chinese aircraft and eight navy vessels in its airspace and waters.
That included 19 aircraft that took part in China's "joint combat readiness patrol" on Thursday evening and was the highest number in more than three weeks, according to an AFP tally of figures released daily by the ministry.
Taiwan also spotted a balloon -- the fourth since Sunday -- about 172 kilometres (107 miles) west of the island.
"It can't be ruled out that there will be a relatively large-scale military exercise in response to Lai's visit," Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told AFP.
'Old friends'
Lai, an outspoken defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and whom China calls a "separatist", departs Saturday on his first overseas trip since taking office in May.
He will stop briefly in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam to meet "old friends", as he visits Taiwan's three remaining allies in the Pacific.
Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.
China has reacted furiously to Lai's planned trip, with a spokesperson for the defense ministry vowing Thursday to "resolutely crush" any attempts for Taiwan independence.
Asked whether China's military would take countermeasures over Lai's Pacific tour, Wu Qian said: "We firmly oppose official interaction with China's Taiwan region in any form."
China has staged two large-scale military drills around Taiwan since Lai took office and verbally attacked him at every turn over his statements and speeches.
Lin Ying-yu, a military expert at Tamkang University, said China's response would be determined by Lai's remarks during the trip.
"China may carry out military exercises, but they may not be large ones. It will depend on what President Lai says," Lin told AFP, adding the current weather was "not very good" for drills.
'Legitimacy'
The South Pacific was once seen as a bastion of support for Taiwan's claim to statehood, but China has methodically whittled this down.
In the past five years, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru have all been persuaded to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
The Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau are now the only Pacific island nations among Taiwan's 12 remaining diplomatic allies.
Beijing's efforts to woo Taiwan's allies and expand its influence in the region have alarmed the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Switching recognition to China "opened the door to much deeper engagement between Beijing and those countries," said Mark Harrison, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at the University of Tasmania.
Lai's trip was a rare opportunity for the president to represent Taiwan abroad and bolster its claim to statehood.
"Even though they kind of look theatrical and performative, (these trips) actually give Taiwan a genuine voice in the international system," Harrision told AFP.
"They confer legitimacy, they confer the appearance of sovereignty and, with the international system as it is, the appearance of sovereignty is also sovereignty."