Matt Damon's 'Downsizing' opens Venice film festival

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Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing”, a satire about shrinking humans to five inches tall as a solution to over-population and global warming, opened the Venice film festival on Wednesday.

It kicked off days of screenings, parties and red carpet glamour at the world’s oldest film fest on the historic lagoon city’s Lido Island.

The movie, starring Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig, tells the story of financially-strapped occupational therapist Paul Safranek and his wife Audrey who decide to be downsized – a process that is irreversible – so they can be part of the affluent “small community” where money goes a lot further.

Damon said films were the best vehicle to help humans empathize with each other, adding that despite its apocalyptic tone, “Downsizing” ultimately is an optimistic movie.

"Downsizing" is one of the 21 films competing for Venice's top prize, the Golden Lion, which will be handed out on September 9 along with other awards including the first for virtual reality productions.

Members of the jury pose before the opening ceremony of the 74th Venice Film Festival and the premiere of the movie "Downsizing", August 30, 2017, at Venice Lido. /AFP Photo

A total of 71 films show range from big-budget Hollywood productions, like George Clooney's sixth directorial outing, "Suburbicon", to new works by indie favorites Andrew Haigh and Warwick Thornton.

British director Haigh will be presenting "Lean on Pete", his first film since the acclaimed "45 Years", while Thornton arrives in Venice next week to promote "Sweet Country", a Western set in 1920s Australia that deals with the treatment of indigenous people.

Along with Clooney, major stars due on the red carpet include Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, who will pick up lifetime achievement awards while plugging their new film "Our Souls at Night", a Netflix drama about a romance between two elderly neighbors.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters