The Venice Film Festival and Netflix have enjoyed a fruitful relationship for a while now. Partly, this is because Venice has become a destination for studios who want to debut films that will likely become awards contenders, and partly, because Cannes and the streaming service can’t seem to figure out their differences. Though nothing is set in stone, just yet, it appears 2022 is shaping up to be another banner year for Netflix in Venice.
According to a report from Variety, Netflix is lining up four features that are likely to show up at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The films being discussed are Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde,” Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise,” Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” and Romain Gavras’ “Athena.” Each of these films is highly anticipated and has already been discussed as potential awards contenders later this year.
“Blonde” is no stranger to being rumored for a film festival debut. Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe story, starring Ana de Armas, has been in post-production for more than a year and is seemingly destined for a flashy debut at a summer festival, such as Venice. Baumbach’s “White Noise” is the adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel of the same name and has an all-star cast that includes Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Jodie Turner-Smith. Iñárritu’s “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” is definitely an awards contender, as anything the filmmaker touches seems to automatically be involved in Oscars debates. And finally, you have “Athena,” which is a modern tragedy that Gavras co-wrote with Ladj Ly, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the recent “Les Miserables.”
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Needless to say, these are all films that fans have been eagerly awaiting. And if these all get accepted into this year’s Venice, it is yet another year with Netflix sending its best of the best to the festival. Last year, the streaming service sent Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” both of which went on to become major awards season players.
This year’s Venice Film Festival is set to begin on September 10.