21 films chasing top prize at Venice Film Festival

The Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival set to begin September 1, will be awarded to one film among 21 contenders from across the globe.

Following are the films in the running:

‘Madres paralelas’ (Parallel Mothers): Spain

Two single women prepare to give birth in a maternity ward in Pedro Almodovar’s latest film with regulars Penelope Cruz and Rossy De Palma.

‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon’: US

Ana Lily Amirpour’s fantasy film starring Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson and Jeon Jong-seo follows a girl with super powers who escapes a mental asylum and rejoins the world in New Orleans.

‘Un Autre Monde’ (Another World): France

The last of Stephane Brize’s trilogy about the world of work, it stars Vincent Lindon as a boss forced to make tough decisions.

‘The Power of the Dog’: New Zealand/Australia

Two brothers feud on a Montana ranch after one comes home with a new wife, in Jane Campion’s film starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst.

‘America Latina’: Italy/France

Italian twins Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo wrote and directed this love story thriller starring Elio Germano.

‘L’evenement’ (Happening): France

A young woman risks prison as she seeks an abortion in 1960s France in Audrey Diwan’s drama.

‘Competencia Oficial’ (Official Competition): Spain/Argentina

Penelope Cruz stars as a filmmaker dealing with two difficult leading men, including Antonio Banderas, in the comedy directed by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn.

‘Il Buco’ (The Hole): Italy/France/Germany

Michelangelo Frammartino’s film is based on the true story of a group of speleologists who in 1961 discovered a deep cave in a remote area of Italy’s south.

‘Sundown’: Mexico/France/Sweden

Tim Roth stars as a wealthy man seeking to walk away from his life while on vacation in Mexican director Michel Franco’s latest.

The other films are:

‘Illusions perdues’ (Lost Illusions): France, ‘The Lost Daughter’: Greece/US/UK/Israel, ‘Spencer’: Germany/UK, ‘Freaks Out’: Italy/Belgium, ‘Qui rido io’ (The King of Laughter): Italy/Spain, ‘On the Job: The Missing 8’: Philippines, ‘Zeby nie Bylo Sladow’ (Leave No Traces): Poland/France/Czechoslavakia, ‘Kapitan Volkonogov Bezhal’ (Captain Volkonogov Escaped): Russia/Estonia/France, ‘The Card Counter’ US/UK/China, ‘E’ stata la mano di Dio’ (The Hand of God): Italy, ‘Vidblysk’ (Reflection): Ukraine, and ‘La Caja’ (The Box): Mexico/US.