Earlier today, the full lineup of films selected for this year’s Venice Film Festival was announced. Some of the highlights include new films from David Fincher, Ava DuVernay, Wes Anderson, and Bradley Cooper. However, two of the names that really stood out to many, and not for the best reasons, are Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, who both have new features debuting at the event. And according to the festival director, he doesn’t see any problem with inviting those two men to the prestigious event, despite the controversies surrounding them.
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Speaking to Variety, Venice director Alberto Barbera talked about the festival’s decision to select two new films from Woody Allen and Roman Polanski to screen at this year’s event. Woody Allen is debuting “Coup de Chance,” while Polanski has “The Palace.” The reasons for people being taken aback by this decision is how both men have been accused of horrific sexual assault crimes (Polanski was actually convicted and fled before sentencing decades ago) and have been effectively blacklisted from Hollywood since. However, to Barbera, he doesn’t see anything wrong with inviting these filmmakers to Venice, even in the case of Polanski, who was convicted of his crimes.
“Luc Besson has been recently fully cleared of any accusations. Woody Allen went under legal scrutiny twice at the end of the ’90s and was absolved. With them, I don’t see where the issue is,” said Barbera. “In Polanski’s case, it’s paradoxical. It’s been 60 years. Polanski has admitted his responsibility. He’s asked to be forgiven. He’s been forgiven by the victim. The victim has asked for the issue to be put to rest. I think that to keep beating on Polanski means seeking a scapegoat for other situations that would deserve more attention. That aside, there is a cultural debate underway about Polanski with less rigid positions being taken. I am on the side of those who say you have to distinguish between the responsibilities of the individual and that of the artist. Also, I am a festival director, not a judge. I judge the artistic qualities of films. And from this perspective, I don’t see why I should not invite Polanski’s film to Venice.”
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While it’s unclear who all will attend Venice, especially given the SAG strike, Barbera explained that he believes Allen will be making an appearance, though he probably will avoid doing press. Obviously, it’s important to note that Polanski and Allen have both been invited to festivals over the past several years to debut new films, so it’s not like Venice is doing something completely insane by selecting them. That said, Venice is one of the premier events in film each year, so it’s interesting to see how people react to Allen and Polanski debuting new films at the festival.
The Venice Film Festival begins on August 30.
