Editor

One of the new and surprising talents of Italian cinema, actress Isabella Ragonese, recently acclaimed in Venice for the film-revelation of Controcampo Italiano 2009 Ten Winters (Dieci Inverni) by Valerio Mieli, winner of the Nastro d’Argento 2010 for her performance in La nostra vita by Daniele Luchetti and One Life, Maybe Two (Due Vite per caso) by Alessandro Aronadio, will be the godmother for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 67th Venice International Film Festival.

The 67th Venice International Film Festival will take place on the Lido from September 1 through 1 2010, directed by Marco Mueller and organized by la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta.

Isabella Ragonese will open the 67th Venice Film Festival on the evening of Wednesday September 1, on the stage of the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) for the inauguration ceremony, followed by the screening of the opening film (in Competition) at Venice, Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky.

On September 11 the actress will present the closing ceremony, during which the winners of the Lions and the other awards attributed by the Jury for the Venice 67 competition of the Film Festival will be announced.

Since her very debut, the brief but extraordinary film career of Isabella Ragonese has been tied to Venice. After her intense work as an author and playwright, the first film she performed in was Golden Door (Nuovomondo) by Emanuele Crialese, Silver Lion at Venice in 2006. Her success with critics and public alike was renewed by her performance (as the protagonist) in the film by Paolo Virzì, A Whole Life Ahead (Tutta la vita davanti, 2008): Isabella Ragonese played Marta, a recent graduate in Theoretical Philosophy but most of all an irregular worker, a role which made her the symbol of a generation, and for which she won the Biraghi prize, the Capri prize and a nomination for the David di Donatello as Best Actress. She also won the Kinéo Prize “Diamanti al Cinema Italiano” as best New Artist of the Year and the “Anna Magnani” Prize at the Golden Graal and the Astro Nascente Prize for Cinema. In 2009, she again won both public and critical acclaim for her performance in Ten Winters (Dieci Inverni)by Valerio Mieli, a film that opened the brand new Controcampo Italiano section at Venice and was a great success. Isabella Ragonese’s talent has also found significant confirmation in The Sea Purple (Viola di Mare) by Donatella Maiorca, Just Married (Oggi sposi) by Luca Lucini, La nostra vita by Daniele Luchetti, One Life, Maybe Two (Due vite per caso) by Alessandro Aronadio. For her performances in these last two films, Ragonese won the Nastro d’argento 2010 as Best Supporting Actress.