The summer movie season is also halfway through, and Hollywood typically begins to look to the fall, when the three major film festivals serve as the unofficial kickoff for Oscar season. His 7 of 10 past Best Picture winners debuted at the fall festival and walked out the gates to standing ovations and critical acclaim, making it through the months-long gauntlet of awards ceremonies. was helpful.
But now that SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America are both on strike, could the long-running struggle between the unions and the film companies crumble the fall launch pad?
The writers’ strike, which began on May 2, didn’t make much of an impact on the Cannes Film Festival later that month, but the actors’ strike, which began on Friday, will now take place in Venice, Telluride, Colorado and Toronto. There is a possibility that the form of the film festival that is held will be greatly changed. That’s because SAG-AFTRA has banned members from advertising any movies during the strike, including interviews, photo ops, and red carpet work. Without such appearances, film festivals would be robbed of the star power that is so valuable in raising a film’s profile.
Perhaps the first event to be affected is the Venice Film Festival, which will begin its 80th edition with its premiere on August 30th. Sexy tennis comedy “Challengers” Starring Zendaya. Venice has recently been on par with Cannes in terms of glitz and headlines, so the loss of the big name will be a huge blow. Nearly every major moment in Venice last year was star-driven. brendan fraser crying After ‘The Whale’ premiered, Harry Styles and Chris Pine were criticized heavily on social media for seemingly clashing while promoting ‘Don’t Worry Darling’. (Though, if there had been a strike, star Florence Pugh would have had a better excuse for notoriously missing the press conference for the film.)
The festival will announce its full line-up on July 25, which is rumored to include promising films like Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla, about the relationship between Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla. and David Fincher thriller The Killer starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton. These writers are famous enough to at least get some publicity leeway, but Cooper’s reporting could be seen as ignoring SAG’s ban, so Cooper won’t be the director of The Maestro either. Even as a lead actor, you may find yourself in a predicament.
The Telluride Film Festival, which takes place September 1-4 and has attracted attention from the likes of “Lady Bird” and “Moonlight,” shouldn’t suffer too much from starlessness. This intimate gathering in Colorado is popular with high-profile attendees. They don’t have to do photo shoots or media raids, instead they can just walk around like normal people.
But the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off Sept. 7, is a dizzying 10-day event filled with red carpets, portrait studios and press junkets, all of which would be significantly scaled back if actors were banned from attending. become.Canadian companies already Prepare for revenue hits If contracted by the festival. The organizers issued a statement of concern last week, saying, “The impact of this strike on the industry and on events like ours is undeniable. We will continue with our plan.”
There is a workaround for actors to attend festivals, but it’s a slim one. Ireland’s Duncan Crabtree, a SAG-AFTRA negotiator, said any “truly independent” film that could reach a tentative agreement with the Guild could allow stars to do media work. said there is. mission. Still, it’s a condition that will likely sidestep January’s indie-focused Sundance Film Festival, rather than the fall festival, which is packed with big titles from big studios. And if the SAG strike continues into January, festivals aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch.
The month-long strike will put the awards season ecosystem through its toughest test since COVID-19. If the star can’t attend the ceremony, can the event go on at all? (At least when these things are on Zoom, the nominated stars have turned up.) Post-pandemic prestige movies need all the help they can get at the box office. If not sustained by awards buzz and media-pleasing movie stars, studios may choose to postpone some of their more vulnerable year-end titles to 2024.
That could give broadcasters like Netflix an advantage during awards season because they don’t have to consider box office returns in deciding what to premiere or postpone. And films that have already had big cultural moments, like June’s arthouse hit A24’s Past Lives, and Apple’s October release of Martin Scorsese’s big premiere. “Killers of the Flower Moon” etc. The Cannes Film Festival in May will be in a better position for success this awards season than films that may not get a full press tour.
Can you reach an agreement in time to save awards season in this fierce battle? Even if both sides were able to come to a compromise before the televised ceremony began, there is one possibility that change could still be felt. That said, don’t expect your usual list of studio execs to be thanked enthusiastically in your acceptance speech.
