Industry

I’ve just returned from the Venice Film Festival, and one thing struck me: cinema is only part of the show.
Venice is also a huge bonfire of vanities.

For days, much of the conversation seemed to revolve around dresses, hairstyles, jewellery, red carpets and the glamorous parties hosted by major brands such as Cartier, Armani and Campari. Cinema provides the stage, but fashion, luxury and celebrity culture increasingly seem to be part of the main performance.

And then there is the extraordinary human ecosystem of the Festival.
Venice attracts journalists and industry professionals from all over the world — hundreds, probably thousands — representing every possible kind of media outlet. You can literally find a New York Times journalist standing next to someone from a tiny local publication.
The result? Endless queues for press conferences, screenings and premieres. Waiting outside. Trying to get into events. Discovering that accreditation doesn’t necessarily mean access. And constantly moving from one place to another, hoping to make it in time. But perhaps this is also what makes Venice fascinating.
It is an incredible melting pot where you can cross paths with a major producer, a Hollywood star, an actress looking for her next role, a model, a journalist, an influencer or simply someone hoping to be noticed.

For me, the Festival was interesting precisely because of this contrast: the cinema industry on one side, and the enormous spectacle surrounding it on the other. Venice remains one of the world’s great showcases for cinema. But after experiencing it from inside, I came away thinking that the most interesting film may sometimes be the one taking place outside the screening rooms.