Venice Film Festival Lineup Analysis

We’re back again, Insiders. Greetings from Europe, where the traditionally quiet period for the industry feels anything but this year. Jesse Whittock on the buttons. Sign up for the full, expanded Insider newsletter experience here.

Venice Line-Up Analysis

Studios stay away (again): The summer slowdown may be upon us in Europe and the U.S., but in the backdrop the fall festival season is revving up. Venice unveiled the lineup for its 83rd edition and TIFF dropped its Gala, Special Presentation, Discovery and Primetime lineups this week. There was much talk over the lack studio fare at Venice, a festival that has previously helped launch pictures such as Dune, Joker and Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, in a trend also seen in Berlin and Cannes. Talking to Deadline after the announcement, Venice’s Artistic Director, Alberto Barbera, confirmed he had chased titles such as Digger, The Adventures of Cliff Booth, Artificial and Dune: Part 3, but for one reason or another they had not come through. He said, however, it is too early to suggest that Hollywood has turned its back on festivals. Let’s see. There is still much to look forward to in the zeitgeisty, political selection. Competition highlights include South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-Dong’s Possible Love, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Look Back, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine and Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson. Further stars due to hit Venice’s red carpet include Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in Florian Zeller’s Bunker, Rooney and Kate Mara and Orlando Bloom in Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard, and Alicia Vikander and Susan Sarandon in The Echo Chamber. Russell Crowe will also touch down with documentary What Love Builds, while Britpop rockers Noel and Liam Gallagher will make an appearance for Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace’s documentary, Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, about their recent reunion tour. Further talking points this year include the dearth of women in competition with Danish-Egyptian director May-el Toukhy the only woman making it into the 20-picture competition, with post-World War II drama Woman Unknown. Barbera told Deadline that he and his selection team had worked hard to scout potential female-directed Golden Lion contenders, but the quality and submissions were not there. “This year it’s decreased,” he said. “I don’t know why. It’s inexplicable because the pursuit of gender equality seemed like an unstoppable trend.” Our handy talking points guide provides more and all Venice stories are pooled here. Fall festival reveals continue next week with San Sebastian announcements.

Rebel’s Legal Victory

Case dismissed: Rebel Wilson will be celebrating this weekend. The messy court battle over whether she had defamed the lead actress in her directorial debut, The Deb, ended this week in a win for the Pitch Perfect star. A judge ruled Wilson had not besmirched Charlotte MacInnes’ reputation by alleging the actress had been sexually harassed by Deb producer Amanda Ghost before the pair colluded to cover it up. MacInnes and Ghost had bathed together in a Sydney apartment after Ghost experienced a medical issue. Wilson claims MacInnes said this made her feel uncomfortable, but withdrew her complaint after Ghost gave her more career opportunities. It’s been long and strange case in Australia, and there are more legal issues to resolve before it’s totally done, including a formal appeal from MacInnes lodged today, but a judge ruled MacInnes had changed her story and that she had not proven Wilson harmed her career by making the allegations public. Ironically, a debut trailer for coming-of-age comedy The Deb dropped this week. Somehow, it’s hard to imagine Wilson, MacInnes and Ghost got together for a viewing party.

The Insider Interview: James Goldston

James Goldston, the veteran doc producer and Candle True Stories boss, this week reflected on making two documentaries about the late Michael Jackson. The first, Living with Michael Jackson, was among the catalysts for the singer to be charged with child molestation. Goldston was “reluctant” to revisit the complicated megastar’s story 20 years later, but was ultimately swayed by the notion there was “actually something to say now” in a world where attitudes to celebrity have changed. He therefore went on to make the hit Netflix doc Michael Jackson: The Verdict. >>>Read The Interview

Lisa Nandy: Troublemaker-In-Chief

Grandee Nandy: A few months ago, you could have said the name ‘Lisa Nandy’ to almost anyone in American media and would have been met with blank stares. However, circumstance means that the UK’s Culture Secretary is now playing a pivotal role in everything from Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, to whether American streamers will have to help collect the BBC licence fee, and even how far the ban on British teenagers’ social media use stretches. As Max outlined in this snappy analysis, Nandy could now become the most consequential British politician in U.S. entertainment. Many in the States would have hoped she was handed a new brief under new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, but it was confirmed she remains in post, and her to-do list is extremely significant.

The Essentials

 Hot One: Apple TV has recruited couples therapist Esther Perel to lead dating-meets-doc series The Last Person on Earth, which is from UK producer Boldprint Studios.

Another One: Top British presenter Holly Willoughby is swapping the TV screen for YouTube, launching lifestyle series Holly Willoughby Together.

A third: Sony LIV has quietly greenlit The Legend of Karna, an animated series from Sharad Devarajan and Jeevan J. Kang and their production house, Graphic India.

Brits are coming: Plimsoll rebranded as a studio, Sister turned a profit and Left Bank Pictures got new managers in a busy week for big British producers.

Greenlight: Paramount’s $110 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros Discovery may be on pause but it has secured approval from the European Union’s antitrust authority.

Investigation: UK children’s acting firm Mark Jermin Management could have broken agency law by effectively charging training fees for the opportunity to secure representation, according to legal experts.

New role: Isabel Davis has been appointed Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund.

New shop: Four Canadian entertainment industry veterans have pooled resources to launch a production house, Paper Route Studios.

 Box office: Christopher Nolan epic The Odyssey blitzed the global box office and is continuing to post record numbers daily.

Photo of the Week

Top of the World – Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in a bad-spirited FIFA World Cup Final to be crowned champions for the second time in their history.

International Insider was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Jesse Whittock. Melanie Goodfellow contributed. Send any tips, comments or ideas for international coverage to [email protected] and [email protected]