The line-up for the 80th-anniversary edition of the Venice Film Festival will be announced in less than a week (July 25), but the presence of some US films in the usually Hollywood-heavy official selection is hanging in the balance with A-list stars unable to attend the Lido to promote studio and streamer films due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Few believe the strike will be over by the time the festival opens on August 30.
A festival source has confirmed to Screen the US studios and streamers to whom Venice organisers are speaking separately are all making different decisions. Some are considering pulling their films from the festival if the strike prevents them from bringing their stars; others are willing to be at the Lido with their films anyway.
However, an Asian-European-focused Venice is understood to be the least likely scenario at this stage with US actors in independent films confirrmed to attend as of today (July 19). They would be supporting films in the Competition line up and Horizons section for which SAG-AFTRA strike rules permit US actors to work to promote. There is at least one film of this stripe in each of the two sections, said the source.
“We’re working on this one day at a time,” the festival insider told Screen. “Today the situation looks better than yesterday, and yesterday looked better than the day before. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that tomorrow will be even better, of course.”
For the July 25 announcement, the festival has some movies on the bench in case a major studio or streamer film is pulled at the last moment but otherwise the source said organisers are planning on announcing the full line up next Tuesday.
Luca Guadagnino’s English-language romantic drama Challengers remains poised to open the festival on August 30, despite the likely no-show of its cast which is headed by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. Warner Bros has international rights to the film with MGM/Amazon releasing in North America.
The Venice Film Festival runs from August 30 to September 9.
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