Banderas skewers his own craft in 'Official Competition'

Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz have brought some laughs to the Venice Film Festival

VENICE -- Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz brought some laughs to the Venice Film Festival on Saturday with a comedy that skewers their own craft, and apparently was as funny to make as it was to watch. Audiences chuckled throughout “Official Competition,” by Argentine directors Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, bringing some levity to the world's oldest film festival that is still vying with the coronavirus pandemic. The film is in the main competition at Venice, which ends Sept. 11. “Official Competition" is about the pre-production of a film and the exaggerated rituals, tics and exercises that the director (Cruz) and actors (Banderas and Argentine actor Oscar Martinez) go through to prepare for their roles. Egos, envy and competition between leads naturally come into play in this naval-gazing look at the art of making, directing and producing movies. “We laughed a LOT,” said Cruz, who was also at Venice to present the festival-opening “Parallel Mothers” by Pedro Almodovar.