Rookies rule Venice Critics' Week

ROME — The Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week has unveiled a promising lineup of nine first works, eight of which are world preems, with a prevalence of caustic comedies and pics taking the pulse of contempo life in cities such as Sarajevo, Kabul, Beijing, Olso and Istanbul. English-language titles are notably absent from the Lido sidebar’s 23rd edition. Organizers have instead opted to uncover fresh fare from more esoteric parts “often overlooked by festivals,” said section’s topper Francesco Di Pace, citing Malaysian helmer Yeo Joon Han’s dark musical “Sell Out!,” in the section's competish, as a prime example. Bosnia’s Namik Kabil is bringing “Night Watchmen,” a look at postwar Sarajevo with lots of black humor; Paris-based Afghani helmer Barmak Akram has “Kabuli Kid,” a Wild Bunch title; China’s Zhou Yaowu is coming... [read full story]