The first is Mymovies' virtual screening room, which, in an arrangement with the Venice Biennale, will be showing a number of titles from the lineup of the independent sidebar promoted by ANAC and 100autori. Nine films will be available for viewing in prime time (at 9:20pm), from the 4th to the 12th of September - six of them in the Official Selection.

The way to access to these 'screenings' is just like the rules for a real screening: you start with getting accredited, you book your 'seat' on the Mymovies website, at mymovies.it/ondemand/biennalecinema, then you enter the 'theater' at the scheduled time (Giornate titles will only be available for four hours from the time stated in the program). The virtual screening theater also has a chat room so you can share your impressions and reactions with other viewers just a few hours after the film's official premiere on the Lido. Two of these films will be also available from outside of Italy: Residue by Marawi Gerima (available worldwide except US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand) and Agalma by Doriana Monaco (worldwide).


"We jumped at the chance to join forces with the Venice Biennale and our streaming partner Mymovies," says General Delegate Giorgio Gosetti, "since we believe this virtual option will give Giornate films the visibility and the warm welcome that our audiences have always guaranteed, as our showcase has gone from strength to strength. This year, many of them will not be able to be there with us at Venice, given the limited capacity of the venues due to public health measures, so we're delighted to give them this additional opportunity. We have always thought that the virtual dimension should be used as a new tool that doesn't hurt traditional theaters, and this initiative serves as a key testing ground for this belief."

Here's the screening schedule for the films available on Mymovies:

4/9: The Whaler Boy by Philipp Yuryev (Official Selection)


5/9: Residue by Marawi Gerima (Official Selection)


6/9: Preparation To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time by Lili Horvát (Official Selection)


7/9: Conference by Ivan I. Tverdovskiy (Official Selection)


8/9: iSola by Elisa Fuksas (Venetian Nights - Directors Island)


9/9: Mama by Li Dongmei (Official Selection)


10/9: Samp by Flavia Mastrella and Antonio Rezza (Special Event)


11/9: Saint-Narcisse by Bruce LaBruce (Official Selection - out of competition)


12/9: Agalma by Doriana Monaco (Venetian Nights - Directors Island)

But Giornate also has another trick up its sleeve, a brand-new, edgy venue for even more screenings. Its traditional Venetian Nights lineup, which supplements the Official Selection, has found a "home" at the Directors Island, a theater holding 99 viewers a stone's throw from Riva Corinto, headquarters of Isola Edipo, which has made this latest cultural offering possible. Free admission to these world premiere screenings, on nine evening dates starting September 3rd.

At this new Giornate venue all the COVID-19 containment measures adopted by the Venice Film Festival will also be in place, and screenings can be booked directly on the Giornate website starting August 31st. 

"It's a tradition that we're proud to carry on," declare Gaia Furrer and Silvia Jop, who jointly selected the titles in this section for Giornate and Isola Edipo, "since Venetian Nights was created to showcase filmmakers and art forms that break the mold. This year we're spotlighting the cross-pollination of music, theater, art and the image itself, in a sort of tribute to the very spirit of the Biennale, but with the dynamic, independent take that is the hallmark of Giornate and Isola Edipo alike."