All the latest developments from the opening ceremony and world premiere of ‘Comandante’ at the 80th edition of the Venice International Film Festival.
The Venice Film Festival officially kicked off its 80th edition with the world premiere of Edoardo De Angelis’ Comandante, an Italian World War II movie starring the celebrated Pierfrancesco Favino.
The film replaced Challengers, the eagerly anticipated movie by Luca Guadagnino that had to be taken off the line-up due to the ongoing writers and actors strikes in the US.
Set in 1940, Comandante is the true story of Commander Salvatore Todaro (Favino), who saved the lives of enemy sailors who had survived the sinking of their merchant ship, the Kabalo, a Belgian vessel that had opened fire and precipitated Belgium’s involvement in the war. By disregarding his orders, Todaro endangered the safety of his own submarine and his men in order to show mercy to his fellow man.
Festival director Alberto Barbera described Comandante as “a powerful call for the need to place the values of ethics and human solidarity before the brutal logic of military protocol.”
Indeed, the film finds humanity in the darkest of places and has timely resonances with regard to the necessity for empathy in a world at war and considering the displacement of those affected by conflict.
