Venice Film Fest Day 2: Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie steal the spotlight

Both “Disclaimer” star Cate Blanchett and “Maria” star Angelina Jolie made a significant impact on the second day of the 81st Venice Film Festival.

The 2024 Venice Film Festival has been notably stressful for regular attendees, who often rely on premieres to gauge audience reactions and assess a film’s awards prospects. Unlike most major film festivals, many of Venice’s high-profile premieres are not listed for press and industry passholders, forcing a large portion of the last two days to be spent searching for connections to secure access to the first public screening of Pablo Larraín’s “Maria”.

A sense of urgency permeated yesterday as attendees scrambled to gain entry to the opening ceremony and the premiere of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”. Last-minute press and industry tickets were booked for both films as a precaution. While other cinephiles eagerly awaited their first glimpse of these highly anticipated movies, some experienced the rare opportunity of seeing the same Venice premiere twice in one day, two days in a row.

Though it wasn’t the worst experience, it certainly fell short of the idyllic “La Dolce Vita” lifestyle one might expect from a first-time visit to La Biennale.

Cate Blanchett’s involvement in a TV series screening in its entirety at the festival meant two days of her presence at press events and premieres. At the press conference for “Disclaimer” on Apple TV+, the two-time Oscar winner eloquently discussed how private conversations might be more effective than publicly shaming others.

When an international reporter asked if she planned to wear anything interesting to the show’s world premiere, she casually quipped, “I’m going naked.” Both responses were fitting within the context of her role in Alfonso Cuarón’s limited series, where she plays a documentarian whose past resurfaces through a provocative novel.

On August 29, several other noteworthy films also had their world premieres at Venice. Among them was Errol Morris’ latest documentary, “Separated”, which delves into the Donald Trump administration’s border control policy that forcibly separated parents from their children. Although the film has yet to secure a distributor, it already has a potential audience among MSNBC enthusiasts, as it’s based on the book of the same name by NBC News Political and National Correspondent Jacob Soboroff, who is particularly popular in many coastal suburban households.

South American cinema was highlighted with two films: “Kill the Jockey”, directed by Argentina’s Luis Ortega, and “Apocalypse in the Tropics” by Oscar-nominated Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa. Additionally, the documentary “Riefenstahl” and the narrative film “September 5”, featuring Peter Sarsgaard, offered audiences fresh perspectives on controversial Olympics broadcasts, particularly relevant after the recent success of the Paris Games.

The festival’s highlight, however, was Angelina Jolie’s promotion of her Maria Callas biopic, which Netflix recently acquired for US distribution. During the press conference for “Maria”, Jolie skillfully redirected questions away from her ongoing divorce with Brad Pitt, though she subtly suggested that her personal challenges may have influenced her portrayal of the legendary opera singer.

At the world premiere, attendees crowded the lobby, turning the venue into a near sweat lodge to catch a glimpse of Jolie as she entered the Sala Grande.

According to IndieWire, the audience’s initial reaction was hard to gauge. Similar to the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” premiere, “Maria” featured some humorously diva-esque moments that were met with complete silence, leaving many to wonder if the crowd was mesmerized or put off by Larraín’s latest portrayal of a pivotal woman in history.

The audience remained mostly reserved until the title card appeared on screen, following a montage of real-life photos of Maria Callas. That’s when the applause finally erupted—and it continued even after the credits rolled. The enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Larraín eventually had to guide his cast and crew out of the theater, as the house lights came on to signal the end of the event.

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