Barbera: U.S. Studio Shortfall Reflects Industry Identity Crisis, Not Venice Bias

Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera says the lean U.S. studio presence this year reflects an industry-wide identity crisis and shifting promotional tools, not the festival’s bias. He points to unfinished or delayed Hollywood projects (such as Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning and David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth) and last‑minute decisions as reasons some films didn’t land in Venice, while Pattinson’s Primetime arrived only at the final stages. The lineup also features Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine; Barbera emphasizes that gender parity remains a function of submission quality, not bias, and argues festivals can still be vital platforms for films.