Inside the Fight to Save Venice as Strikes Continue to Impact the Fall Festival and Awards Season
30.08.2023 - 15:03
/ variety.com
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Venice Film Festival has only continued to garner momentum under longtime festival director Alberto Barbera, who in recent years has managed to lure significant star power — from Lady Gaga to Joaquin Phoenix to Timothée Chalamet to Harry Styles — to the Lido. So imagine the heartbreak and fear last month when — just as Barbera was about to lock in one of his strongest lineups yet — he learned that, as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike, many movie stars wouldn’t be able to make the trek to Italy this year.
Could Venice even take place without Zendaya, who carried what was supposed to be the opening night movie, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” not to mention Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) and Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”)? During the first few days after the actors’ strike was called July 13, it seemed to Barbera that its impact on the festival could be devastating, allowing a “real risk” that American movies could be pulled en masse from the Aug. 30-Sept.
9 event. “I had closed the lineup, so you can imagine with what spirit I faced the following week,” he says.
“I was ready to throw it all up in the air and rethink everything!” But then he and the festival got a reprieve. SAG-AFTRA announced that independent movies — without distribution from one of the major studios — could apply for waivers so that talent could participate in events promoting these films.
After a few days, Barbera started getting positive signals, as he was able to guarantee that Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” (from Neon) would still be able to stay in the lineup. And there were even encouraging signs from indie distributors that are still part of a major studio (which means their stars can’t promote the movies).
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