Among the 18 films in competition, Victim, the feature debut from Slovakian director Michal Blasko, explores the personal and ethical conflict of a mother surprised by her son's behavior, against the backdrop of issues such as racism, internal immigration between European countries and nationalistic tensions. Roberto De Paolis with his second film after the well-received Pure Hearts the highly anticipated new work by Teona Strugar Mitevska (titled The Happiest Man in the World ) after God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel ( La Pivellina, Mister Universo ) with their film dedicated to the daughter of actor Giuliano Gemma, Vera Isabelle Huppert in the new film by Jean-Paul Salomé, The Sitting Duck : these are just a few of the highlights of the Orizzonti (and Orizzonti Extra) programme of the 79th Venice Film Festival (31 August-10 September), a section that will also host numerous first works and two films from Iran, while the international community is strongly calling for the release of Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad.ĭe Paolis himself will open the Orizzonti section with Princess, with a Nigerian prostitute as the protagonist of a film “with fabulous and dramatic tones, between documentary and fiction,” as described by the festival’s artistic director Barbera, during the presentation of the program today in Venice. The Happiest Man in the World by Teona Strugar Mitevska