“Poor Creatures”, “Maestro”, “The Killer”, “Ferrari”… All these films will be screened in the coming days during the 80th Venice Film Festival. These are solid candidates for next year’s Oscars, and yet their promotion will be limited to a minimum. On the red carpet we will see a few actors from American productions – only those who have received special permission from trade unions will appear.
Venice Film Festival in 2023 with problems
The American writers’ and actors’ strike has been going on since May and there is no indication that it will end soon. On the contrary – according to the latest information, the AMPTP group, an alliance of film studios from which the strikers are demanding a fairer distribution of profits, has invested not in low-paid actors and screenwriters, but in a powerful PR company. No wonder that, unlike previous years, very few American stars will come to the Venice Film Festival.
While the Venice Festival has always been more “European” than “American”, the US has always had a strong representation on the red carpet. Stars from the headlines flew to Italy a few days earlier and allowed themselves to be photographed by crowds of tourists, which in itself was already a promotion of the film even before the start of the festival itself, which only a lucky few have access to. This year, the representation will also be, but heavily reduced.
As we read on the portal, Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Jessica Chastain have confirmed their arrival in Venice, and the organizers expect the presence of Mads Mikkelson, Caleb Landry Jones, Cailee Spaena and Jacob Elordi. All actors have obtained special permission from the WAG-SAG-AFTRA trade unions to promote their productions. This is only possible because the films that will be promoted with their presence were created by independent creators, not those associated under AMPTP.
The great absentee will certainly be Bradley Cooper, who not only directed, but also played the main role in “Maestro”. There will be no Emma Stone from “Poor Creatures”, Zendaya, who was supposed to promote her latest film “Challengers”, will not appear. This picture was supposed to open the festival, but due to the strikes, the premiere was moved to next year.
Strike? These names get more comments
However, the Venice festival has a bigger problem than the strikes overseas. Such celebrities as Roman Polanski, Luc Besson and Woody Allen will grace Venice with their presence. They all faced – or continue to face, as in the case of Polanski – allegations of misconduct towards women. Festival director Alberto Barbera, however, confirms in an interview with the Variety portal that “there is no problem”, because Allen and Besson have been cleared of the charges. As for Polański, Barbera said that the matter is more complicated here: “I am on the side when you separate the responsibility of the individual from the responsibility of the artist.”
WAG-SAG-AFTRA strike – what is it about?
The strike of American screenwriters and actors, which lasted for several months, is the result of many years of neglect and taking advantage of the situation by large production concerts. While corporate profits increased due to the rise of streaming, the salaries of screenwriters and ordinary actors not only did not increase, but also decreased due to inflation. There is also a very fresh risk of using artificial intelligence not only to create scripts for series and movies, but also to “employ” in the production itself. Beginning actors are offered unfavorable contracts for the use of their image by AI even after they have finished their cooperation with the company – of course, without adequate remuneration for the productions created in this way.
The strike, which has been going on since May, has also been joined by actors from the headlines, and it is thanks to them that the protests gained publicity and greater understanding. Although the problems faced by trade unions in the US concern them to a very small extent, they are a very small group. For example, over 40 actors worked on the third season of Netflix’s The Witcher. How many of them can you name, besides Henry Cavill?
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
