Potential Impact of the Strike on Venice Film Festival

Venice Film Festival is set to showcase exciting premieres, including biopics on Priscilla Presley and Enzo Ferrari, as well as an intriguing portrayal of Emma Stone as a Frankenstein-inspired character. However, the looming Hollywood actors’ strike could potentially impact the presence of major stars at the festival.

Controversial Lineup Raises Eyebrows

The lineup for the 80th edition of the prestigious festival on the beach-lined Lido also includes the latest films from Roman Polanski and Woody Allen, both sure to raise eyebrows due to long-time sexual abuse allegations dogging the directors.

Possible Toned-Down Red Carpet

But the usually star-studded event could be a more toned-down affair this year with fewer A-listers on the red carpet amid the first industry-wide walkout in more than 60 years that has effectively shut down Hollywood.

Although many U.S. actors and actresses may have to stay away, the impact of the strike on the Aug. 30 to Sept. 9 event has so far been “very modest,” the festival’s artistic director, Alberto Barbera, told journalists, with only one film pulling out entirely.

Talent working in independent films, provided they are not linked to the big studios, may still come, he said, in announcing the official lineup.

“So we hope the red carpet won’t be as empty as some have stated in recent days,” said Barbera.

Highlights and Golden Lion Contenders

Among the 23 films competing for the top Golden Lion prize is Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” about legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein.

Barbera described the film as a “biography of an extraordinary genius” that focuses on Bernstein’s tormented relationship with his wife, played by Carey Mulligan.

It was not clear if director Cooper, who also plays the lead role, will be able to attend.

Venice has increasingly become a launchpad for Oscar contenders, including recent winners such as “Joker,” “La La Land” and “A Star is Born,” with shots of celebrities arriving by gondola making for priceless PR.

Allen and Polanski

David Fincher returns to the Lido with “The Killer,” more than 20 years after his cult hit “Fight Club” sharply divided the festival’s critics.

Bound to trigger controversy is the inclusion of new films by Allen and Polanski, both of which are playing out of competition.

Polanski’s “The Palace” features “grotesque and surreal characters and aims to satirize humanity,” said Barbera, while comparing Allen’s “Coup de Chance,” his first French language movie, to his earlier “Match Point.”

Both directors have been effectively blacklisted by Hollywood over historic sexual assault allegations. While Polanski has been convicted in the U.S. – where he remains a fugitive – for the rape of a minor in the 1970s and still faces other allegations, Allen was investigated multiple times but cleared by police in the 1990s.

Vying for Golden Lion

Stone is not likely to appear for “Poor Things” in which she again teams up with Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”), playing a woman brought back to life by an eccentric scientist.

The festival was forced to switch its opening film last week after “Challengers,” a tennis romance starring U.S. actress Zendaya, was withdrawn due to the strike.

It has been replaced by “Comandante” by Italy’s Edoardo De Angelis, a World War Two naval drama starring Pierfrancesco Favino.

But many high-profile Hollywood films are pressing ahead with a Venice premiere, including Sofia Coppola’s movie about the wife of Elvis, and Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” with Adam Driver in the lead role.

International directors include Mexico’s Michel Franco with “Memory” starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, and Italy’s Matteo Garrone (“Gomorrah) with “Io Capitano.”

Also competing for the top prize is France’s Luc Besson – who was cleared of rape allegations by France’s top appeals court last month – with “Dogman” and “Europa Europa” director Agnieszka Holland, whose “The Green Border” was shot at the migrant crossing on the border of Poland and Belarus.

Playing out of competition is a 40-minute Wes Anderson film, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” based on a Roald Dahl story, and a new feature from Richard Linklater, “Hit Man.”

Challenges Faced by the Strike

Actors in the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike earlier this month after talks to reach a new deal with studios failed, joining writers who have been striking since May.

Demands by the SAG-AFTRA union have focused on dwindling pay in the streaming era and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.