Venice Chief Alberto Barbera on Robert Pattinson, Lack of Studio Movies

Key Points:

• Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera has curated a star-studded lineup featuring top international directors despite fewer films from U.S. studios and streamers, attributing the shortage to studios' internal struggles and production delays rather than a decline in festival interest.
• Barbera explained that many anticipated Hollywood films are either unfinished or delayed due to production issues, with studios also grappling with new promotional strategies, leading some to bypass festivals in favor of direct theatrical releases.
• Notable exceptions at Venice include A24’s "Primetime" starring Robert Pattinson and Disney-backed Oasis reunion documentary "Don’t Look Back in Anger," illustrating ongoing studio engagement with the festival.
• Addressing gender representation, Barbera noted only one female-directed film in competition due to a lower number and quality of submissions from women, emphasizing that selections are based strictly on film quality rather than gender quotas.
• Barbera rejected claims of bias against female directors, highlighting Venice’s history of awarding women and stressing the festival’s focus on artistic merit over identity-based selection criteria.