Venice Lineup Interview: Festival Director Alberto Barbera Says ‘Joker 2’ Is ‘One of the Most Audacious Films in Recent American Cinema’ and Daniel Craig Delivers ‘The Performance of His Career’ in ‘Queer’


The Venice Film Festival, a perennial awards platform, unveiled another top-tier lineup this morning, including Todd Phillips’ film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Joker: Madness for TwoThe English debut of Pedro Almodóvar The room next door with Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, Luca Guadagnino’s film with Daniel Craig Weirdbased on the novel by William S. Burroughs, biopic of Maria Callas by Pablo Larrain Married with Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman A24 Film Baby girl.

Festival director Alberto Barbera has confirmed that Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe will all walk the red carpet for Tim Burton’s festival opening, Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.

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The event will also feature multiple episodes from four major series: Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ series Disclaimerwith Cate Blanchett, Joe Wright’s Mussolini series Mr. Son of the Centuryby Rodrigo Sorogoyen The new Year and that of Thomas Vinterberg Families like ours.

Netflix, which has been a regular and consistent presence at the festival in recent years, is one of the notable absentees. However, it was clear that this year, the streaming service had fewer obvious Oscar candidates.

Shortly after today’s lineup was revealed, we caught up with Barbera (whose contract was recently extended) to discuss this year’s very promising lineup.

DEADLINE: You said this morning that you thought Joker 2 was going to surprise people. I’m guessing the sequel is just as dark, if not darker, than the first one…

ALBERTO BARBERA:That’s right. It’s a sequel to the story but the film is completely different from the first film. If you’re expecting the same thing in terms of violence or other things, you’ll be surprised. When I saw the film in Los Angeles in early February, there were four or five of us in the screening room, including the screenwriter Scott Silver, and we were stunned, we were speechless at the end of the screening. It’s a darker film.

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DEADLINE: And it’s a musical…

BARBERA:It’s a dystopian musical, or a musical comedy of sorts. I think it’s one of the most audacious, courageous, and creative films in recent American cinema. And I think it really confirms Todd Phillips as one of the most creative directors working today.

DEADLINE: Today’s trailer was really intriguing. Do you think the Academy will respond to the film?

BARBERA:I would be surprised if that were not the case…

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DEADLINE: This morning you said that Daniel Craig really “put himself in danger” with his performance in Luca Guadagnino’s film. Weird. What did you mean by that?

BARBERA:In terms of him playing a gay man in a very direct and courageous way, including some sex scenes that are quite intense. I think it’s the performance of his life so far. The same goes for Joaquin Phoenix in Joker 2These are two truly exceptional performances…

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Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig at the 2021 premiere of “No Time to Die”

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

DEADLINE: It looks like this year’s lineup might feature some projects with a strong sexual connotation…

BARBERA:Yes, wait and see Disclaimer (laughs). It’s very erotic. I was surprised. After years of no sex and no eroticism in films, it’s one of the biggest surprises in this year’s programming: the dominant theme of sex, the number of erotic scenes and sexual behaviors.

DEADLINE: That’s refreshing. A lot of streamer projects have been pretty sanitized in that sense… What films in the lineup do you think will stand out for the Academy?

BARBERA: Joker, Weird, Married and Almodovar are part of it. Maybe The BrutalistAlso.

DEADLINE: How do they approach singing in Maria?

BARBERA:I thought Angelina (Jolie) lip-synced the original songs.

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DEADLINE: You were saying this morning that we would have to wait until the second week of the festival to see some of the big films…

BARBERA:Yes, it was a question of timing and schedules. The Almodovar, Joker And Weird will be in the second half of the festival. Joker 2 It will probably be Wednesday, for example.

DEADLINE: You have four really intriguing series this year. And a lot in terms of episodes of each series…

BARBERA:Yes, we show a lot of each of these series. We have five and a half hours of Cuarón and it’s the shortest series that we show. Each series is very cinematic and has real cinematic qualities.

DEADLINE: Regarding some omissions, papal themes Conclave This was what some people were waiting for…

BARBERA: It was due to a date conflict…

DEADLINE: Was Gladiator never an option?

BARBERA:No, he wasn’t ready.

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DEADLINE: Could we see other big movies added to the lineup?

BARBERA:I’m going to see another movie tomorrow.

DEADLINE: Depp’s film Modi was expected by some for Venice, and before it was announced for San Sebastian, Emmanuelle also. We assume you have seen these movies…

BARBERA:It wouldn’t be fair of me to talk about films that aren’t here…

Alberto Barbera, 2023 (Getty)

Getty Images

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DEADLINE: As always, you have an excellent documentary program. The Russian film Anastasia Trofimova’s film Russians At War is fascinating in its critical approach to the invasion. Will the festival need to provide the filmmaker with extra security given the sensitive subject matter?

BARBERA:The director finished the film in Canada and France. She plans to come with the film, from what we know. We haven’t discussed security yet, but it’s something we’ll discuss, I’m sure.

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DEADLINE: Can you identify a gem or surprise for the competition?

BARBERA:The Singapore film, From the eyes of strangers, by Yeo Siew Hua, is a very mature and interesting film, even though it is only a second feature film.

DEADLINE: There was some concern within the festival industry that the new Italian government or the new president of the Biennale might try to exert political influence on the festival. Did you experience any censorship or political direction from them?

BARBERA:None. We worked very well and I worked exactly as before…

DEADLINE: No problem with the Mussolini series, for example…

BARBERA:None at all… It’s based on a very popular book in Italy, anyway.

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