Venice Strikes Back: Alberto Barbera on His Powerhouse 2025 Festival Lineup
Venice's 2025 lineup, with its blend of prestige auteurs, big-name debuts and politically charged provocations, reaffirms the Lido as the premiere launchpad for award-season hopefuls. Highlights this year include Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt, Dwayne Johnson in Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine and a triple threat from Netflix: Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein starring Jacob Elordi, Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly with George Clooney and Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite with Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Jussie Smollett Speaks in Netflix Doc 'The Truth About Jussie Smollett?'
Paramount Execs Tell Staff That Africa Offices and Channels May Close Amid Strategy Review (Exclusive)
Disability Advocate, AGC Studios Boss, 'Poor Things' Producer, Berlinale Boss Set for Locarno Pro
Add in new features from Yorgos Lanthimos, Jim Jarmusch, Park Chan-wook, François Ozon, Paolo Sorrentino, Mona Fastvold, Gus van Sant, Julian Schnabel, Mamoru Hosoda and Laszlo Nemes, and the political heft of Kaouther Ben Hania's Gaza drama The Voice of Hind Rajab and Olivier Assayas' The Wizard of the Kremlin [with Jude Law as Vladimir Putin], and you have, on paper, one of the best Venice festivals in years. That's saying something.
Shortly after unveiling this year's program, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the fierce but friendly rivalry between the major festivals, the challenge of programming two-to-three-hour epics and why politics are back on screen in a big way.
This is going to sound like I'm a broken record, because I say it every year, but you have another phenomenal lineup. We in the press always pit the big festivals — Cannes, Venice, Toronto — against one another, but how much is competition, a desire to beat the other big festivals, a drive for you?
I'm a good friend of [Cannes festival director] Thierry [Fremaux] and [Toronto Film Festival CEO] Cameron [Bailey]. We're colleagues. We meet each other at each other's festivals. I've got a wonderful relationship with them. But of course, it is a competition. That's just a fact. There is competition between festivals, and each of us tries to get the best films from what the market gives us.
We are lucky in that we're maybe in a better position, coming at the beginning of the new season, where Cannes is at the end of the old one. And we're a week, 10 days, ahead of Toronto, so we are often lucky to get a lot of world premieres. I know Toronto tries to get as many world premieres as possible, and they don't always succeed in competing with us on certain films.
But this competition is a way to push you to do your best, to get the best out of the submitted films.
How do you measure success for a festival lineup?
The first element is the way the film is accepted during the festival, the response of both the critics and the audience to the film. That's the first moment when you realize if you made a good choice or if you were wrong. Because when you invite one film, it means you give up the chance to invite another. And it always happens that this or the other film doesn't meet the expectations that were created when we announced the lineup. That first moment when the film screens is when I realize if I did a good job or not.
Then, of course, if the film travels to other festivals or gets awards, if it goes to or wins the Oscars, which happens a lot, that helps to confirm and establish the position of the festival, of our position in the international calendar of festivals, and gives us the chance the following year to get access to the most interesting and important films of the season.
In your presentation, you suggested you would have liked to have put Luca Guadagnino's in competition. Was it Amazon MGM that wanted it to run out of competition?
That was a decision by Amazon MGM. From the beginning, when they showed the film to us, they told us 'We don't want to be in competition. This is a film we believe in. It's our candidate for the Oscars. It doesn't need to be in competition.' So I accepted that. I respect the decision of producers. Most of the time.
star Julia Roberts will make her Venice debut this year, as will Dwayne Johnson, star of Benny Safdie's competition film . Any advice for the Lido newbies on navigating the Venice red carpet?
I'm sure they know how to behave. They are great professionals, both of them. And they are delivering exceptional performances in the two films that we'll see. Both Julia Roberts and Dwayne Johnson are really outstanding. So I'm very happy to have them in Venice. As you know, we have a wonderful new audience, very warm, very gentle. I think the experience here is easier for talents than at other festivals — that's what they tell me.
Partially due to the success that you've had over the years, more and more people are coming to Venice. How much pressure is that putting on the festival's infrastructure?
A lot. Well, not on the festival itself, because we have a lot of seats, a lot of theaters, to accommodate everybody. The pressure is put on the infrastructure outside the festival, on the hotels, the restaurants, and so on. Venice is one of the most touristic places in the world, with a lot of events at the end of August and the beginning of September. There are a lot of people coming in, also for other events. It's difficult to find hotels, and it's becoming more and more expensive to attend.
This is the main issue we have. We don't have enough hotels on the Lido, actually, just one five-star hotel, The Excelsior. The good news is that they are going to renovate the Grand Hotel Des Bains. It will take 4-5 years, but it should come back as beautiful as it was in the past. So I'm quite confident and optimistic about that, because it's from people from Dubai [Abu Dhabi's Eagle Hills is backing the $230 million renovation] who have a lot of money. So it should work, right?
I've written a few times who struggle with the cost of going to Venice and also with access to the talent that they need to justify coming. Is there anything that you or the festival can do to address this problem?
It's extremely difficult to do something regarding the hotels, the cost of the rooms, the restaurants and so on. The infrastructure is just not there. I know there is an issue for some independent journalists to get access to interviews with stars and so on, but again, this is out of our control. It's the decision of the production team or the press agent for each film. I try to convince them to be more open and available, but they often only stay 48 hours, 72 hours in Venice, because of the cost of staying here, so it's difficult to meet all the requests they get from journalists. It's a major problem, but I don't know what we can do to solve it.
You also mentioned in your presentation how submitted films are getting longer and longer. How big a problem is that when it comes to programming?
It's a big issue because we usually have four [competition] films a day, in the main theater, two in the afternoon and two in the evening. If every film is two hours long or more, it means the last film won't start until very late in the evening. It's a huge problem for everybody. From tomorrow, I'll start working on the screening schedule, and I'll see how things look, but I'm a little worried. We'll find a solution, of course, but it's not easy.
This is a trend that started one to two years ago and has become a really major trend. Most of the films are more than two hours long, and many are two hours and 30 minutes long or longer. It's a problem.
Venice has never avoided political films, but current events seem at the center of a lot of movies in this year's lineup, from Kathryn Bigelow's to Kaouther Ben Hania's to Olivier Assayas' . Why did you think it was important to program these movies?
They are all very strong films in of themselves. Not only very emotional but excellent films dealing with contemporary issues. Most of the films this year are dealing with contemporary problems. Whether it's the use of atomic weapons [A House of Dynamite], to the horrors of the wars in Ukraine or Gaza, or looking at dictatorships in many countries in the world.
It's the comeback of the cinema of reality, and I think it's important that the festival is open to the contemporary world and not closed off inside the universe of films and cinema, that cinema of dreams.
There will still be a lot of entertaining films, spectacular films, at the festival, but most of the films are strongly connected to contemporary problems and issues. Some are very strong and emotional. I get emotional talking about The Voice of Hind Rajab. I was so impressed when I watched that film. Every time I think about it, I get emotional again. I think it will be one of the films that will get the most intense response from everybody, from the press and from the audience, for obvious reasons, not only political reasons but for emotional, human reasons.
Netflix is also back in force this year, after .
Yes, they couldn't come last year because they didn't have any films to offer, but they have three very strong films this year, from Kathryn Bigelow, from Noah Baumbach and from Guillermo de Toro. We worried if it was a good idea to have three films from Netflix in the main competition, but they are all so good, they all deserve to be in there.
Do you ever worry that your streak at Venice will end, that this could be your last good year?
Every time. After every festival, I tell myself, I won't be able to do as strong a lineup next year. And then we are lucky enough to get access to the most interesting films of the season. And this is the case again. For this year at least.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History
The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience
Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hosting tips we've learned from the royals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If there's one thing the royals know how to do well, it's marking an occasion. From lavish gala dinners to ceremonies upholding centuries-old traditions, events attended by - as well as those organized by - the British Royal Family are usually an elaborate affair. With the Royal Family's lives very much in the public eye, we've managed to learn a few hosting tips along the way, from how to hold a teacup in public to, most recently, stylish presentation tips from Meghan Markle's Netflix documentary, With Love, Meghan. Here are hosting tips we've learned from the royals covering how to greet guests in a regal style at a dinner party, invitations, menus, and table manners. As well as some tips on how to elevate simple dishes and make welcome drinks feel personal and unique. In other words, everything you need to bear in mind while hosting a dinner party fit for royalty. During her hit Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, Meghan Markle (or Sussex, as she corrects one guest in the show) says one of the most important parts of hosting is to ensure guests have something to snack on as soon as they arrive. "Never let a guest arrive without something to feed them on the table," she advises viewers while explaining her love of crudités platters. Another of Meghan's clear priorities when she has guests round is to ensure she's seen to be on top of her housework, as well as her cooking skills. She says when awaiting an LA chef for dinner in an episode of With Love, Meghan, "I need to impress this man! Not just with my doughnuts - with my tidiness, with my kitchen savvy, my cleanliness." A quick cleaning session after each task makes cooking and baking a lot less of a messy job. Meghan explains in an episode of With Love, Meghan, "So, just as with cooking, I will always have like a garbage vessel. "Everything stays organised, clean as you go," Meghan explained. "Lili has made a song out of it," she said, before singing herself: "Clean as you go – clean, clean, clean, clean." Lady Elizabeth Anson, a royal party planner who has worked with the British Royal Family (and is a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II and a niece of the late Queen Mother), told the New York Times, "Lady Elizabeth uses high-end e-vite service Paperless Post. But clarified that wherever possible, it's best to send a physical invite and put some time and effort into it, as cheap invites make people "imagine there's going to be acidic wine and miserable food". Windsor and royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has previously revealed exactly how the royals drink their tea, according to reporting from Reader's Digest. "The royals love their tea time, so it's especially important that they hold their cups correctly," he explains. "You pinch the handle with your thumb and index finger, so they meet in the middle rather than looping through the handle. Every time you drink, you look into the cup to show control and make sure the tea doesn't go all over. Kate does this very well.' Fresh flowers will always instantly brighten up a dinner space. Meghan revealed in an episode of With Love, Meghan, "First thing I do is see what colour I gravitate to, and then everything goes from there. "Kind of think about it like an outfit, and once you pick the base look, you have to accessorise in a way that makes sense and matches." "The Duchess of Cambridge is known to be an excellent hostess," Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told Woman's Day. "She loves to cook, host, and is known to personally serve her guests. "While she may love to throw a party, Catherine also must be the perfect guest, as she attends many parties annually, personally and professionally, and spends long weekends with the royal family or Christmas lunch as a guest of the Queen at the Sandringham Estate." "If you have nine guests, you should serve a selection of at least three foods," explains Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, when advising on royal hosting. "Include a vegetarian option, and make them small enough to eat in one bite. Serve with cocktail napkins and offer toothpicks for oily foods. (Nobody wants to shake hands with greasy fingers.)" Meghan's one-pot pasta dish had mixed reviews online after With Love, Meghan aired, but her guest and long-time friend, make-up artist Daniel, had only good things to say about this easy-to-prepare dish. "This is literally cosy," Daniel said in appreciation. Meghan explained to viewers how she often opts for a one-pot dinner to save on prep and washing up. This is something that Kate Middleton is thought to be extremely good at. "As the host, your job is to speak to and engage each of your guests, making sure everyone is happy, comfortable, and feels welcome," says Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette. One of Meghan's dinner party tricks was to personalise her margaritas according to her guests' likes and dislikes. In With Love, Meghan, she made a margarita base and then different syrups for each guest, including a spicy mix for those who like a little heat with their cocktail. Personalized labels also add a thoughtful touch. "When it comes to banquets, all the menus are traditionally written in French, even if they're describing English dishes; that's just the way it's done," Tom Parker Bowles told Harper's Bazaar. "Happily, the Queen speaks flawless French, and she has the most incredible memory, so she remembers what every single guest likes and doesn't like." Make sure you're clear on what you're serving guests and feeling organised before a dinner party, if you want to host like a royal. 'She's [Queen Elizabeth II] intricately involved in what's on each menu, which is important if you're hosting the president of France or Japan,' Tom Parker Bowles told Harper's Bazaar. In With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, focuses on presentation a lot, using simple adjustments to make her dishes look more attractive. For example, on her crudité platter, she artfully arranges peas still in their pods, prompting her guest to say, "Why doesn't anyone ever present peas like this?!" There's no need to overcomplicate things. "A party with good table wine and good pasta or good sausages and mash can be just as much of a success as one with Krug, caviar, oysters and lobster,' party planner Lady Elizabeth told the New York Times. 'It's not about expensive ingredients. It's about people." "Typically, ' the Duchess Slant' is used when a lady has to sit for an extended amount of time while keeping poise and posture," says Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette. This is seen as a more elegant way to sit on a sofa or chair, perhaps during a drinks reception before dinner, and you'll notice it's a familiar posture for all the royal women. Holding a glass by its stem rather than the bottom will prevent heating the liquid, and you'll often see the royals adhering to this rule. When serving, remember that wine should typically be poured only to just below the widest part of the glass, according to traditional rules of etiquette. Another thing we learned from With Love, Meghan is that the Duchess really likes edible flowers - she sprinkles them everywhere. While the merits of doing so on one's own breakfast may be more questionable, when it comes to a finishing touch for a dessert on a fruity cocktail, they look stylish and sweet, particularly in the summer months. Dehydrated fruits were also popular with the Duchess during the first season of With Love, Meghan. This timeless garnish will instantly elevate a drink and can be easily made at home using an air fryer or by slowly heating slices in the oven on a low setting. Try lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange, depending on the notes in the cocktail. This is a big one for the Royal Family - they're always extremely discreet. When royals need to use the restroom, they won't announce the details and instead will excuse themselves quietly. 'When they get up, they cross their knife and fork so waitstaff know they'll continue to eat when they come back,' royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams explains regarding how the royals break away from the table at a dinner event. Windsor and royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams advises a modest dress code if you want to make like a royal at a dinner party. "The outfit has to be modest, elegant, and appropriate for the occasion, and it should never distract from the royal's role or risk causing a scandal or public debate,' he told Reader's Digest. A firm, assertive handshake is typical among members of the Royal Family. 'The handshake should be firm. The thumb goes up, the fingers [go] together, shake for two pumps," advises royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams when it comes to greeting guests. Another fun presentation hack picked up from With Love, Meghan, is creating signature ice cubes with flowers or fruit. However, she advises against using tap water. "I've made this mistake. Do not just use tap water," she said. "Otherwise, the ice cubes just come out a little cloudy, and you want to see the flower." A royal bathroom will be well thought out, but it won't have candles or reed diffusers, Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, explains. "The Duchess [Catherine] will also probably have lightly scented soap and paired hand cream. Many upper-class British homes prefer bar soap to liquid, so the Duchess may use that in her private quarters." Food writer and critic (and the Duchess of Cornwall's son!) Tom Parker Bowles previously told Harper's Bazaar, "Everything I've learnt about the Queen's preferences is from Mark Flanagan, the personal chef to the Queen. She likes seasonal ingredients - asparagus, lamb - and food from the estate, such as grouse or venison from Balmoral. 'She'll have pheasants from Sandringham (in season from October to February), and she even has her own cheese made using milk from the cows at the royal dairy in Windsor.' A cake makes a beautiful centre piece if having guests over for a special occasion, and according to Meghan Markle in With Love, Meghan, a naked cake is best. While baking in the Netflix show, she said about the cake she's made: "There's something really satisfying about a cake that is bare on the outside but she is so beautiful on the inside and you just don't know how good she is until you go deep and you get to know her better." Duchess Meghan loves a fruit or veggie platter. "We have a veggie platter, crudites, every day in our house,' she said in the Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. "Even for our kids, I think what's been so nice and why they love eating vegetables is because it looks colourful and fun." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Netflix Forges Groundbreaking Bundling Deal With Top Middle East Broadcaster MBC Group
Top Middle East broadcaster MBC Group has forged a groundbreaking partnership with Netflix under which the U.S. streaming giant will play alongside its Shahid streamer on MBC's recently launched MBCNOW entertainment content aggregator. The newly created bundle will combine Netflix and Shahid in addition to MBC's linear TV channels, under one single subscription. More from Variety Adam Sandler Remembers Cameron Boyce In Subtle 'Happy Gilmore 2' Tribute Netflix Adapts Hit Korean Reality Show 'Physical 100' in Italy Film and TV Help Drive Madrid's GDP, Economic Growth as They Consolidate as Strategic Priorities for the Region This first-of-this-kind partnership for Netflix in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) follows similar carriage deals recently struck between major TV networks in Europe and streaming services, starting with Netflix and French broadcaster TF1 and followed by Prime Video and France Televisions, which is another French broadcaster, and by Disney+ and Britain's ITV in the U.K. As of December 2024 Shahid – which is the MENA region's top streamer – had 4.4 million subscribers, while Netflix had 3 million subs, according to the most recent figures from global analyst Omdia. 'This groundbreaking partnership is one for the books,' said Fadel Zahreddine, group director of emerging media at MBC GROUP is a statement. 'To have two streaming giants – Shahid and Netflix – come together under one platform is something never seen before in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and wider MENA, and we're very excited for what's to come,' the executive added. 'This is definitely the future of streaming and content consumption,' noted Bhanu Chaddha, MBC Group's director of distribution and TV products. Commented Mohammed Al Kuraishi, head of business development and partnerships, Middle East and Africa at Netflix: 'We're thrilled to have MBC Group join forces with Netflix to bring its content to our audiences under the convenience of a single subscription.' The MBC/Netflix bundle combines Shahid's vast library of Arabic TV shows, films, and documentaries – including a substantial number of original productions – along with Netflix's full catalogue. The bundle will give customers 'a saving of more than or 21% compared to individual subscriptions,' according to the statement. Streaming is booming across the MENA region, where the OTT subscription video market, led by MBC's Shahid, generated revenues estimated at $1.2 billion in 2024, according to Omdia, which projects continued MENA market growth. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Happy Gilmore 2' Launches With Tie-In Golf Video Game on Netflix
Adam Sandler fans should keep their clubs — er, remotes, out when they finish watching 'Happy Gilmore 2' on Netflix, so they can easily switch over to play the streamer's new tie-in video game, 'Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo.' Available now on Netflix via TVs and desktop, the Easter Egg video game is titled 'Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo' and, like the streamer's other video game offerings, is free for all Netflix subscribers. More from Variety 'Happy Gilmore 2' Review: Adam Sandler Tees Off a Happy Orgy of Raucous Fan-Service Nostalgia Adam Sandler on Casting 'Unbelievably Funny' Bad Bunny and Travis Kelce in 'Happy Gilmore 2' and Chances of a 'Billy Madison' Sequel: 'Let's Write It Tonight!' Adam Sandler Says 'Happy Gilmore 2' Had a 'Massive Part' for Carl Weathers Before His Death: 'We Had to Rewrite a Lot of Stuff' Per Netflix's description for 'Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo,' 'When you watch the film, there's an opening montage of Happy's last 30 years, including him becoming a video game star – and we made that into a playable demo. It's a short, retro game experience where you can golf, fight familiar foes 'Mortal Kombat'-style, and cause chaos around the golf course in full-on 90s era gaming vibes.' Developed by Amber, the video game's launch on Netflix comes on the heels of the streaming service partnering with Spotify for a different interactive 'Happy Gilmore' experience: the 'Happy Gilmore 2 Tournament.' Available via the music streaming platform's app, the collab 'lets users swing through film-inspired golf challenges, complete with iconic easter eggs, audio clips, and a personalized playlist of 'Happy' tracks to soundtrack their next round and celebrate the film's upcoming release.' Netflix has been slowly building out its video game offering (mostly mobile titles, but more and and more that can be played on web and the TV, like 'Happy Gilmore' golf demo) over the past three years and now has more than 100 titles on offer. The streamer is increasingly focused on tie-in games based on its own IP, including 'Squid Game: Unleashed,' 'Black Mirror: Thronglets' and 'Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game,' and has been cutting down on its acquired indie titles. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword
