A 4-hour Elon Musk documentary and a dark CIA comedy lead Venice Film Festival lineup

Key Points:

• The 83rd Venice Film Festival, opening on September 2, will feature a diverse lineup including a four-hour documentary on Elon Musk, Martin McDonagh’s CIA comedy “Wild Horse Nine,” and films starring Robert Pattinson, Penélope Cruz, and Javier Bardem.
• Key competition films include “Wild Horse Nine” with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, Pattinson’s “Primetime,” Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard,” Florian Zeller’s thriller “Bunker,” and Casey Affleck’s “Company,” marking his first competition entry.
• The festival will also showcase notable documentaries such as Alex Gibney’s “Musk,” Barbara Kopple’s “Union Town,” and Laura Poitras’s short on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with several films premiering out of competition.
• Danny Boyle’s “Ink,” about media mogul Rupert Murdoch, will open the festival and compete for top awards including the Golden Lion, judged by a jury led by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who also has a short film featured and will present a lifetime achievement award to Ellen Burstyn.
• Venice continues to be a significant platform for Oscar contenders, although recent years have seen mixed success in translating festival buzz into box office or awards victories.