17-05-2025
Da'Vine Joy Randolph to Preside Over Jury at Italy's Taormina Film Festival That Will Open With ‘John Wick' Spinoff ‘Ballerina'
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who won an Oscar for her role in 'The Holdovers,' will preside over the jury of Italy's upcoming Taormina Film Festival that will run June 10-14 in the Sicilian sea resort.
This year's other Taormina jurors are Rupert Everett, multiple Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, former Variety editor Steven Gaydos and Italian actors Ilenia Pastorelli ('They Call Me Jeeg') and Alessandra Mastronardi ('Medici').
More from Variety
Cannes Critics' Week: Thai Director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke on Possessed Vacuum Cleaners and Dust Pollution in 'A Useful Ghost'
'Miroirs No. 3' Review: Christian Petzold and Paula Beer Team Up Once More for an Elegant Sliver of a Psychodrama
'Thank You for Banking With Us!' Wins Best Film at Critics Awards for Arab Films
The Sicilian cinema event, being headed once again by marketing guru Tiziana Rocca, has also announced John Wick' spinoff 'Ballerina' as its out-of-competition opening film with director Len Wiseman and actor Norman Reedus in tow.
'I am very enthusiastic about returning to Taormina,' Rocca said at a Cannes press conference. 'This year's biggest challenge will be to relaunch it and place it once again in the international festival sphere,' she added.
Taormina starting this year will be divided into four sections: international feature film competition; out of competition; special events at the ancient Greek theatre, and a new section dedicated to short flms.
The first Taormina title announced in competition is Alex Garland's 'Civil War' follow-up 'Warfare.' Italy's I Wonder Pictures, which has a partnership with A24, will release the film in Italy on Aug. 21.
As previously announced, Taormina this year will honor Martin Scorsese with a career award. The storied Sicilian event will host a screening of a restored copy of Scorsese's 1976 classic 'Taxi Driver' in the fest's 8,000-seat open-air ancient Greek amphitheater in the shadow of Sicily's active Mount Etna volcano. Fest guests over the past decades have included Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Federico Fellini, Pedro Almodóvar and Tom Cruise.
The 71st edition of Taormina will run June 10-14.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
