21 films chasing top prize at Venice Film Festival

The Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival set to begin September 1, will be awarded to one film among 21 contenders from across the globe. Here are the films in the running:

‘Madres paralelas’ (Parallel Mothers) — Spain: Two single women prepare to give birth in a maternity ward in Pedro Almodovar’s latest film with regulars Penelope Cruz and Rossy De Palma.

‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon’ — US: Ana Lily Amirpour’s fantasy film starring Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson and Jeon Jong-seo follows a girl with super powers who escapes a mental asylum and rejoins the world in New Orleans.

‘Un Autre Monde’ (Another World) — France: The last of Stephane Brize’s trilogy about the world of work, it stars Vincent Lindon as a boss forced to make tough decisions.

‘The Power of the Dog’ — New Zealand/Australia: Two brothers feud on a Montana ranch after one comes home with a new wife, in Jane Campion’s film starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst.

‘America Latina’ — Italy/France: Italian twins Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo wrote and directed this love story thriller starring Elio Germano.

‘L’evenement’ (Happening) — France: A young woman risks prison as she seeks an abortion in 1960s France in Audrey Diwan’s drama.

‘Competencia Oficial’ (Official Competition) — Spain/Argentina: Penelope Cruz stars as a filmmaker dealing with two difficult leading men, including Antonio Banderas, in the comedy directed by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn.

‘Il Buco’ (The Hole) — Italy/France/Germany: Michelangelo Frammartino’s film is based on the true story of a group of speleologists who in 1961 discovered a deep cave in a remote area of Italy’s south.

‘Sundown’: Mexico/France/Sweden: Tim Roth stars as a wealthy man seeking to walk away from his life while on vacation in Mexican director Michel Franco’s latest.

‘Illusions perdues’ (Lost Illusions) — France: Xavier Giannoli’s film adaptation of the Balzac novel stars Benjamin Voisin, Xavier Dolan and Gerard Depardieu.

‘The Lost Daughter’ — Greece/US/UK/Israel: US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut is based on an Elena Ferrante novel and stars Olivia Colman as a woman obsessed with another mother and daughter.

‘Spencer’ — Germany/UK: Chilean director Pablo Larrain follows the last years of marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles and stars Kristen Stewart and Jack Farthing.

‘Freaks Out’ — Italy/Belgium: A circus troupe in Rome becomes increasingly desperate with the onset of the Second World War in Gabriele Mainetti’s film.

‘Qui rido io’ (The King of Laughter) — Italy/Spain: Toni Servillo stars as Naples’ famous turn-of-the-century comedian Eduardo Scarpetta in Mario Martone’s biopic.

‘On the Job: The Missing 8’ — Philippines: Erik Matti’s action film with prisoners-turned-hitmen that explores corruption in the media is a sequel to 2013’s ‘On the Job’.

‘Zeby nie Bylo Sladow’ (Leave No Traces) — Poland/France/Czechoslavakia: The true story of a witness to the fatal beating of a young activist in Warsaw by the militia under the Communist regime by Polish director Jan P. Matuszynski.

‘Kapitan Volkonogov Bezhal’ (Captain Volkonogov Escaped) — Russia/Estonia/France: Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov’s thriller follows a state interrogator in the former Soviet Union who flees, hoping to repent.

‘The Card Counter’ — US/UK/China: A gambler is haunted by his past as a serviceman in Paul Schrader’s revenge thriller starring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe.

‘E’ stata la mano di Dio’ (The Hand of God) — Italy: Paolo Sorrentino’s drama is set in Naples during the heady years when football legend Diego Maradona delivered big dreams to the gritty Southern city.

‘Vidblysk’ (Reflection) — Ukraine: A Ukrainian surgeon seeks to rebuild his life after witnessing horrifying violence as a Russian prisoner in Valentyn Vasyanovych’s drama.

‘La Caja’ (The Box) — Mexico/US: A Mexico City teen heads north to collect his father’s remains but is drawn into the grim world of apparel assembly plants in Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas’ film.