Lav Diaz's 'Phantosmia' to premiere at the Venice Film Festival 2024

Award-winning film director Lav Diaz is set to return to the Venice Film Festival this year with his newest film, "Phantosmia."

"Phantosmia" will be premiering under the Out-of-Competition, Fiction section of the 81st Venice Film Festival from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7, as announced by La Biennale di Venezia on Tuesday.

"Phantosmia" is produced by Sine Olivia Pilipinas, Lav's production arm, and TEN17P. It stars veteran actor Ronnie Lazaro alongside Janine Gutierrez, Hazel Orencio, Paul Jake Paule, Arjay Babon, Dong Abay, Allen Alzola, Heart Puyong, Mitzi Comia, Vince Macapobre, Toni Go, Lhorvie Nuevo, and Edrick Alcontado.

The synopsis reads: "Hilarion Zabala’s (Ronnie Lazaro) mysterious olfactory problem has recurred; a counselor/psychiatrist suspects it to be a lingering case of phantosmia, a phantom smell, and possibly caused by trauma, a deep psychological fracture. One recommended radical process to cure the ailment was that Hilarion must go back and deal with the darkest currents of his past life in the military service. Reassigned in the very remote Pulo Penal Colony, he must also confront the horrific realities of his present situation."

"Phantosmia" has a running time of 245 minutes or about four hours.

The film will premiere in the Out-of-Competition, Fiction section alongside other films, including Tim Burton's much-awaited "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice," which will see the return of Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara, as well as Jon Watts' "Wolfs" starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The Out-of-Competition, Fiction section also includes Pupi Avati's "L'orto Americano," Marco Bellocchio's "Se Posso Permettermi - Capitolo II," Francesca Comencini's "Il Tempo Che Ci Vuole," Fabrice du Welz's "Maldoror," Takeshi Kitano's "Broken Rage," Harmony Korine's Baby Invasion," Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Cloud,"Claude Lelouch's "Finalement," and Alice Rohrwacher, JR's "Allegorie Citadine."

Lav has won various awards from the prestigious Venice Film Festival, bagging the Best Film award in 2008 for "Melancholia" in the Orizzonti category. In 2007, he earned the Special Mention award in the Orizzonti category for "Kagandahan sa banwaan ning mga engkanto."

He also won the Gold Lion award in 2016 for Best Film for "Ang Babaeng Humayo," as well as the Best Director award in 2020 for "Lahi, Hayop (Genus, Pan)" in the Orizzonti section.

In 2020, Lav's drug war-themed film "Kapag Wala Na Ang Mga Alon (When The Waves Are Gone)," premiered at the Venice Film Festival's Out of Compteition - Fiction section. The film also starred Ronnie, alongside John Lloyd Cruz, Shamaine Buencamino, and DM Boongaling.

— CDC, GMA Integrated News