José by Li Cheng
Venice Days, the independent parallel section of the Venice Film Festival also known as Giornate degli Autori has announced the lineup for its 15th edition, which includes two Latin American films in competition: the Guatemalan film José directed by Chinese director Li Cheng and the Brazilian film Domingo by Clara Linhart and Fellipe Barbosa.
Cheng's feature follows José, a 19-year-old kid who lives a tough life with his mother in Guatemala. José is her youngest and favorite child, and her life is church and selling sandwiches. José spends his days on crowded buses and in the streets delivering food. Resigned and aloof, in free moments he plays with his phone and looks for random sex. When he meets Luis, a migrant from the rural Caribbean coast, José is thrust into passion and pain and self-reflection that was previously unimaginable.
Set in January 1, 2003, as Brazil celebrates President Lula's historic investiture, Domingo tells the story of two middle-class provincial families from Rio Grande do Sul gather in an old, poorly maintained house, around a champagne-fired barbecue, family secrets and frustrations. Domingo could be a day like any other, a sweet and peaceful day. But the changes promised to the Brazilian people by the new president deeply worry Laura, the matriarch, who fears to see his authority and wealth disappear a little more.
The 15th edition of Venice Days will take place August 29 - September 8 in Italy.
