Venice Film Festival unveils A-list lineup with ‘Priscilla,’ ‘Ferrari,’ ‘Maestro’ amid strikes
Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein drama “Maestro,” Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley film, Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” David Fincher’s “The Killer” and Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” will make their world debuts at the Venice International Film Festival this autumn.
Organizers announced the lineup Tuesday for the 80th edition of the festival, which – despite the flashy names behind the movies – may have a little less Hollywood glamor than usual gracing its picturesque docks and red carpet in September as the Hollywood actors and writers strike continues. As part of the strike, actors cannot promote projects of studios and streamers with whom the union is in talks.
The prestigious film festival has already lost a high-profile premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama “Challengers” starring Zendaya, which was scheduled to play the opening night slot but has now been pushed back to 2024 due to labor disputes in the US. But Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera said Tuesday that the strike’s impact on the festival lineup was otherwise minimal.
“Priscilla”, an A24 film based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir “Elvis and Me”, starring Kelly Spenny and Jacob Elordi was widely expected to attend the festival. Coppola also launched “Somewhere” in Venice in 2010. “Priscilla” will compete for the Golden Lion with “Ferrari,” the buzzy racing drama based on the Brock Yates biopic starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari and Penelope Cruz as his wife, Laura.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ highly anticipated “Poor Things” with Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo will also hit Lido. Lanthimos previously launched “The Favourite” in Venice in 2019; It would go on to receive 10 Oscar nominations and win one.
Meanwhile, DuVernay’s film, “Origin,” is based on the book “Cast” and the life of its author, Pulitzer winner Isabel Wilkerson. The film stars Anjanu Ellis-Taylor.
Netflix will once again have a big presence at the festival with “Maestro,” directed by Cooper and starring the legendary musician Cooper, opposite Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre, and Fincher’s “The Killer,” starring Michael Fassbender as an assassin. The streamer is also bringing Pablo Larrain’s “El Conde,” a dark comedy starring Augusto Pinochet as a vampire, as part of the contest titles.
Michele Franco’s “Memory” with Jessica Chastain and Peter Skarsgård is another hotly contested title.
Venice has never been a festival to shy away from controversial directors and has programmed new films from both Roman Polanski and Woody Allen.
Polanski is back with “The Palace” for the first time since 2019 with John Cleese and Mickey Rourke in 1999 New Year’s Eve at a Swiss hotel. Alan is debuting in his first French film “Coup de Chance”. Luc Besson, who was recently cleared of charges in a rape case, will also be in the lido with “Dogman,” starring Caleb Landry Jones.
The jury presiding over the main competition this year is filled with high-profile directors, including Damien Chazelle, Jane Campion, Martin McDonagh and last year’s Golden Lion winner Laura Poitras.
In addition to the Polanski and Allen films, Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl-inspired “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” with Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel and Ralph Fiennes is also out of competition; Harmony Korine’s “Aggro Dr1ft”; Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man”; Friedrich Wisemann’s “Mains Plaisirs – Les Troisgros”; and William Friedkin’s “The Caen Mutiny Court-Martial.”
Venice is a top launching ground for award contenders and has, in recent years, featured Oscar-nominated films such as “The Whale,” “The Banshees of Inishrin,” “Tar,” “The Power of the Dog,” “A Star Is Born” and “La La Land.” It’s also the first major stop in the busy Fall film festival season, with the Toronto, Telluride, and New York Film Festivals.
Like the Cannes Film Festival, celebrity is a big part of Venice iconography: think Lady Gaga sitting on the side of a water taxi in her black Jonathan Simkhai bustier dress, or Timothée Chalamet vamping in Haider Ackermann’s backless red halter top. Last year also had plenty of viral moments due to the cast of “Don’t Worry Darling” and an alleged “spit-gate” that had Internet viewers wondering whether Harry Styles spit on his co-star Chris Pine at the film’s premiere.
It’s unclear whether any Hollywood talent will be able to make the trip this year. Barbera noted at this point that some actors and actresses would not be able to attend, but without specifying specifics, he added that talent from the independent sector would be able to grace the red carpet and press conference.
The Venice Film Festival will run from 30 August to 9 September.
