Worst-case scenario averted? That’s the mood this week in Hollywood when it comes to September film festivals, a pivotal launching pad for the year’s fall films—a smaller-scale, auteur-driven bunch that relies on word of mouth and awards campaigns to succeed with audiences. The (justified) fear was that studios would start pulling out of Venice and Toronto en masse as it became clear that the SAG-AFTRA strike would likely not be resolved by then, preventing the vast majority of stars that usually walk the carpet at these global events from attending. But while that reality remains true, the movies are forging ahead—well, most of them.
I’m David Canfield, still working out exactly what Labor Day weekend and beyond will look like, about a month from now. That’s when Venice and the Telluride Film Festival are underway. Especially in the case of the latter—a less glamorous, more filmmaker-focused showcase in which many stars could technically attend without engaging in studio-driven promotion—there remains tons of questions as to who will attend, who can attend, and what it all means.
Whether or not Bradley Cooper goes to Venice to support his new film Maestro, for instance—and indications are that he will not, choosing to stand in solidarity with SAG—the movie will have a splashy premiere on the Lido that Netflix hopes will kickstart a major Oscar run. Ditto for David Fincher’s The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender, in a big comeback year for the actor after taking some time away from the spotlight. (He also leads Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, which is set to have its world premiere in Toronto.) Searchlight will launch Yorgos Lanthimos’s anticipated The Favourite follow-up, Poor Things, in Italy, despite pushing its release back several months to December; Neon has Michael Mann’s Ferrari, while A24 will drop Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. This is the slate we were hoping for. I’ve heard that several studios have made a commitment to supporting these festivals in a time of serious upheaval, coming so soon after COVID. Of course, with much of this upheaval a result of collective action against the studios, that’s probably a necessary strategic play too.
Meanwhile, out of Toronto’s lineup, we can detect several Telluride bows (may that “international premiere” language never change, guys), including Nyad, Rustin, Fingernails, and The Holdovers. These films star, respectively, Annette Beningand Jodie Foster; Colman Domingo; Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed; and Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.All have strong distribution and campaign plans firmly in place, with a goal of getting these actors into the Oscar conversation. How that kind of setup will take place at Telluride—where, just last year, eventual Oscar winner Sarah Polley and near-winner Cate Blanchett were honored with the festival’s tribute medallions—very much remains to be seen. SAG has essentially cleared actor attendance when not associated with any official studio or promotional activity, so expect a case-by-case situation on attendance and mingling. I know I won’t be passing by as many (or any?) big names on Main Street while trying to hunt down a 4 p.m. sandwich.
Also worth looking out for: the acquisition market, which feels both incredibly robust and incredibly unclear. Venice will world-premiere several titles from Oscar-nominated filmmakers that are seeking distribution, including Ava DuVernay’s Origin and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man; TIFF has a huge crop of star-directed movies looking for a partner, including debuts from Michael Keaton, Anna Kendrick, and Kristin Scott Thomas. Kate Winslet is leading a buzzy biopic, Lee, that also falls in this category. Will any of these folks make it to Toronto? Their presence would certainly make an impact. But they’re also striking against many of the very entities that could sign on to distribute their films—so who’s to say what the priority is? Complicated times, indeed.
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