TIFF, Venice Festivals Persevere Despite Strikes’ Impact

Ahead of 2023s Venice and Toronto International film festivals, there was much speculation as to whether the SAG-AFTRA strike would render both useless without A-list talent in tow for key premieres.

But until theres a noticeable lack of flashy sales, itll be difficult to gauge whether the strikes will have been as impactful on festivals as they have for major studios release calendars.

Venice did kick off without its originally planned opener, as MGMs Challengers, the new Luca Guadagnino film starring the ever-bankable Zendaya, skipped the fest and moved its release date to 2024, one of a cluster of primarily studio tentpoles to do so.

But a week into Venice, the standing ovations wont stop coming, even if directors are the ones doing the heavy lifting for a lineup that barely seemed to change.

Despite star Emma Stones absence, Poor Things was one of many major film premieres that stayed onschedule, with the number of films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion the same as in 2022. Already set up at Searchlight, the next film from The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos received a rave reception and eight minutes of standing applause.

Likewise, other films, such as Sofia Coppolas Priscilla for A24, have kept momentum going with more standing ovations, making it seem as though everything is business as usual.

The sales have already started as well, with Neon seizing on Ava DuVernays Origin ahead of its premiere. The distributor, often known for scooping up Palme dOr winners at Cannes, is one of many non-AMPTP entities expected to take advantage of the dearth of available films for distribution, as long as they sign on for thenew terms set by SAG-AFTRAs interim agreements ahead of the fall festival season.

The true test of the festivals prominence this year will be if these new rules deter the likes of Netflix and Apple from their flashy spending habits seen at Sundance this year, where they each dropped as much as $20 million on Fair Play and Flora and Son, respectively.

Netflix also accounted for one of the only disclosed price tags at Cannes this year, spending $11 million on Todd Haynes May December.

A24 is another non-AMPTP entity to watch closely, though the distributor has grown increasingly picky and isnt necessarily as allured by festival picks sporting significant talent. Mainly active on the premiere side at Sundance, A24s only acquisition at the winter fest was Australian horror flick Talk to Me. With no A-list names in the cast and hailing from a pair of filmmakers known for DIY filmmaking on their YouTube channel, the film is more in line with the scrappy nature of Everything Everywhere All at Once than typical prestige fare and, much like that film, has already become one of the best box-office success stories for a non-major studio effort in recent years.

Without significant talent, Talk to Me still ended up outgrossing Searchlights TIFF hit The Menu, which sported an ensemble cast and was directed by Successions Mark Mylod. Of a small number of non-major films that have made at least $20 million domestically, only four got their start generating buzz at festivals, a sign of the shifting film landscape that continues to see such releases fail to stand out with theater crowds.

As for TIFF, the festival kicks off tomorrow and also hasnt seen any observable impact on its lineup on account of SAG-AFTRA, though it did delay its lineup announcement several days after Challengers departed Venice, suggesting some changes were likely made behind the scenes.

Unlike Venice, TIFF took a bigger hit courtesy of the pandemic for its 2020 and 2021 lineups, with its Gala and Special Presentations notably scaled back. That isnt the case this year, but the 2023 fest marks the last Bell Canada is sponsoring, having done so for nearly three decades. Bell noted the decision to cut ties with TIFF had been made earlier this year.

Still, Venice has shown that festival audiences havent lost their appetite for big premieres without stars in tow, so it remains to be seen if the mood at TIFF will have been truly soured. But if both fests end with many films lacking buyers, itll be another hurdle the film world must clear.