AMSTERDAM.- Gucci Group and the 64th Venice Film Festival today announced that artists Julian Schnabel and Piotr Uklanski, photographer Anton Corbijn, novelist Lee Chang-Dong, and journalist Bhavna Talwar are nominees for the second annual Gucci Group Award to be presented on September 3, 2007 at Venice’s Palazzo Grassi during the 64th Venice Film Festival. Danny Huston, Michelle Yeoh, and Francesco Vezzoli are among the members of the 2007 Gucci Group Award Selection Committee.

The Gucci Group Award is bestowed to an internationally-acclaimed artist who has made a remarkable contribution to a film in any capacity within the past 18 months, as a director, actor, screenwriter, set designer, or costume designer. The 2007 Gucci Group Award nominees include Lee Chang-Dong, novelist, for writing and direction of Secret Sunshine, for which Jeon Do-Yeon won Best Actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival; Anton Corbijn, photographer, for his directorial debut, Control, a biopic about Joy Division front man Ian Curtis; Julian Schnabel, visual artist, for direction of Le Scaphandre et le Papillion(“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), for which he won Best Director at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival; Bhavna Talwar, journalist, for her directorial debut, Dharm, which explores religious fanaticism and caste conflicts in India; and Piotr Uklanski, visual artist, for writing and direction of Summer Love, the first Polish Spaghetti Western.

“Gucci Group is committed to recognizing and honouring visionaries who transform their art into experiences which we all can embrace,” said Robert Polet, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Gucci Group. “We are honoured to work with the Venice Film Festival, and together we share a mission to support artists whose talents transcend ordinary limits, who possess the courage for expression in new and untried media, and who have brought their art to life on screen.”

The 2007 Selection Committee is comprised of some of today’s leading creative personalities, including: Marco Müller, the director of the 64th Venice Film Festival; actor and director Danny Huston; Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of the New York Times Style magazine; Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli, whose installment Democrazy, is currently at the 52nd International Art Exhibition; and actress and producer Michelle Yeoh. Each Selection Committee member nominated one artist, and together will determine the winner of the award.

“The Gucci Group Award at the Venice Film Festival honours the multi-talented genius and innovation of artists who paint their canvasses and write their stories into moving pictures,” said Marco Müller, director of the 64th Venice Film Festival. “Together with the 2007 Selection Committee, we have chosen the best and brightest international artists, who, through broad creative metamorphosis, continue to challenge our hearts and minds.”

The first Gucci Group Award was presented to Australian born musician Nick Cave at a ceremony attended by 300 guests last year. Cave was honoured for his screenplay, The Proposition, an Australian intellectual Western. The 2006 Selection Committee was comprised of Marco Müller; fashion designer Alexander McQueen; Alessandra Mammì, film critic for L’Espresso; the musician Moby; and award-winning actor Jeremy Irons.

The Gucci Group Award is collaboration between the internationally-recognized 64th Venice Film Festival and Gucci Group, the innovative leader in luxury fashion, accessories, and personal care items.

The winner of the second annual Gucci Group Award will be announced on September 3, 2007 during the ceremony at Palazzo Grassi in Venice at 7:00 p.m.