Alex Gibney's Elon Musk Documentary to Premiere in Venice

Key Points:

• Alex Gibney’s long-awaited documentary on Elon Musk, titled "Musk," will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, running nearly four hours (232 minutes) and offering an extensive look at Musk’s career and controversies.
• Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera highlighted the film’s scope, describing Musk as a “genius of capitalist entrepreneurship” and a “dangerous technocrat with no moral scruples,” emphasizing the film’s in-depth examination of Musk’s complex persona.
• The documentary faced a prolonged and challenging production, with Gibney revisiting edits amid Musk’s controversial political activities and Musk’s rising profile, including SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO that made him the world’s first trillionaire.
• Musk has publicly criticized the film as a “hit piece,” while Gibney responded with sarcasm; the documentary is backed by HBO Documentary Films and Bleecker Street, with a U.S. theatrical release set for October 16 and HBO handling North American streaming.
• Gibney, an acclaimed documentarian known for critically examining powerful figures and institutions, has a history of high-profile works including "Taxi to the Dark Side," "Enron," and exposés on Silicon Valley icons, making him well-suited to tackle Musk’s story.