First things first, despite the SXSW and Tribeca canceling their live events and partially moving online, Cannes and Venice are different beasts. They are purists at heart, with a very rich and lengthy tradition in celebrating the theatrical experience. There is absolutely no way these festivals would embrace going digital and screening their competition films via a streaming platform. Okay? Get that out of your head. Either these prestigious European festivals happen in-person or will be unequivocally canceled.
Read moreVenice Jury President Lucrecia Martel Defends Roman Polanski’s Inclusion
Director Lucrecia Martel is President of this year’s Venice Film Festival jury, at the opening press conference this morning, Martel admitted that Roman Polanski and the overall anti-#MeToo movement happening within the festival is somewhat problematic, but she also defended the inclusion of his latest film in competition. (via Deadline).
Read moreOur 22 Most Anticipated Titles of Fall Festival Season
As we enter the final months of 2019, and with the festival season bringing with it waves of Oscar hype and talk, what are the films to look out for at this year’s fall fests? We got you covered with this shortlist of the 20 must-see titles playing at this year’s fall festivals. It all starts off this Wednesday with the Venice Film Festival screening its opening night film and the Telluride Film Festival announcing its lineup and screening schedule on Friday. Meanwhile, the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off next Thursday September 5th with a screening of Armando Iannucci’s “The Personal Life of David Copperfield.”
Read moreIs Todd Phillips' ‘Joker' Premiering at Venice?
Another day, another Venice Film Festival preview. This time Deadline tries to tackle the upcoming festival, set to take place from August 28th to September 9th. And yet, most of the stuff they tackle is Hollywood-centric, no mention of Reichardt, Zhao, Zeitlin, Kore-eda or the Safdies. Hell, they don’t even want to mention Woody Allen’s “Rainy Day in New York,” even though I have it under good authority that it is definitely premiering on the Lido.
Read moreReport: Roman Polanski and Woody Allen set to Premiere New Movies at Venice Film Festival
According to reliable sources, the heads of the Venice Film Festival are very close to nabbing both Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York” and Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” as part of their upcoming lineup, set to unfold from August 28th to September 9th on the Lido. This could turn out to be a much-talked about event for the movie world, as Allen and Polanski have both been, by all accounts, blacklisted in Hollywood due to decade-old allegations of sexual misconduct resurfacing in the #MeToo era.
Read moreWoody Allen's ‘Rainy Day In New York' Venice-Bound? Italy, Germany and Spain announce release dates.
Good news came on Sunday, courtesy of Italy’s Lucky Red. The Italian outlet reported that Woody Allen’s currently-in-limbo “Rainy Day in New York” was confirmed for an October 3rd Italian release date. This instantly led to speculation about a potential Venice Film Festival bow in September.
Read moreIt Looks Like the Venice Film Festival Will Also Ban Netflix Movies in Their 2019 Lineup
Eric Kohn has an interesting report in IndieWire about the Netflix-Cannes issue. However, before we get into that topic, he lays out the cards for us, in terms of this year’s upcoming festival, and, as mentioned of WoR, not only is Scorsese’s “The Irishman” a potential competition title, but there’s also a new untitled Noah Baumbach starring Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson, Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat,” and Joshua and Benny Safdies’ A24-produced “Uncut Gems,”
Read moreCannes Head Thierry Fremaux says Venice obsessed with American movies
Ha, Cannes head Thierry Fremaux says that arch nemesis the Venice Film Festival are obsessed with American movies [via Screen Daily].
“I don’t understand this obsession with American movies. My friend [Venice director Alberto] Barbera didn’t have Kore-Eda’s film, nor Korean, Egyptian or Lebanese movies in Competition. I think a festival must show the cinema of the whole world,” explained Fremaux.”
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BREAKING: Steven Soderbergh has stepped in to finish "The Batman Part II" as Matt Reeves remains away due to family reasons. This is a beautiful gesture, if you ask me: a filmmaker helping out a fellow filmmaker.