Venice Boss Confirms ‘Conclave' Was Only Offered Out-of-Competition Slot

There will always be comparisons between the fall lineups of Venice, Telluride and Toronto. It’s inevitable, and it happens every year.

This year, Venice has put together a competition lineup that is currently being dominated by Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” (which isn’t at Telluride). However, Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” which seems to be the most acclaimed film at Telluride, did not show up on the Lido, and Venice boss Alberto Barbera has just explained why …

I liked “Conclave”. I didn’t think it was a Competition film for Venice, but I invited it Out of Competition. We tried to figure out timing for it to play here and at Telluride, which they also wanted, but we couldn’t find the right dates and timing for it to work. We discussed various options but couldn’t get the time that suited everyone. It’s a shame. I liked the movie and there is a strong connection with the subject and Italy…

Now, just because Barbera saw “Conclave” as an Out-of-Competition title does not mean that he didn’t like the film. If you remember, “Spotlight,” which ended up winning the Oscar for Best Picture, also played OOC at Venice in 2015.

Then again, Barbera rejected Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” in 2022 (so did Telluride) and it went on to world premiere at TIFF, on its way to earning a stellar nine Oscar nominations the following year (winning four, including Best International Feature and Best Cinematography).

The high-brow sensibilities of Venice curation might not have adhered as well to the knotty commercial thrills of “Conclave.” I get that. If anything, another Telluride title that would have fit better within Barbera’s lineup is RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys,” which had originally been offered a Un Certain Regard slot by Cannes before finally deciding to hit the fall fests instead.

“Conclave” has earned raves at Telluride and is now being positioned as a Best Picture contender by most pundits. The only other title to have come remotely close that kind of Oscar buzz at Telluride is Jason Reitman’s decently reviewed “Saturday Night.”