Venice Chief on Hollywood Festival Retreat, Gender Parity

The Venice Film Festival is navigating a period of profound transition, with artistic director Alberto Barbera offering a clear-eyed assessment of the challenges facing both the festival circuit and the broader film industry. In a series of recent interviews, Barbera addressed Hollywood’s diminishing presence at major European festivals, a troubling reversal in gender parity among filmmakers, and the looming but uncertain role of artificial intelligence in cinema.

Barbera, who has led the world’s oldest film festival since 2012, acknowledged a noticeable retreat by major Hollywood studios from the traditional festival landscape. He attributed this shift to a combination of factors, including the lingering aftershocks of the 2023 strikes, the increasing dominance of streaming platforms, and a recalibration of how studios prioritize theatrical releases versus direct-to-consumer strategies.

“The days when every major studio would launch its prestige awards contenders at Venice or Cannes are behind us, at least for now,” Barbera said. “Studios are more cautious, more focused on data-driven decisions that often bypass the festival circuit entirely.”

He noted that while Venice has maintained strong programming from international auteurs and independent American filmmakers, the volume of star-driven, studio-backed premieres has declined. This trend, Barbera warned, could diminish the cultural buzz that festivals rely on, though he stressed that Venice’s identity is not solely dependent on Hollywood’s participation.

“We are an international festival, not a Hollywood extension,” he said. “But we also recognize that a healthy relationship with the American industry benefits everyone.”

Barbera also voiced concern over a backslide in gender parity among directors in competition, a reversal that has drawn criticism from industry advocates. After several years of progress, including a record number of women-directed films in the 2023 lineup, the upcoming edition sees a noticeable decline.

“I am not satisfied with where we are,” Barbera said. “We made significant strides, but the numbers this year are not where they should be. The pipeline issue is real, but so is the responsibility of selection committees to be intentional.”

He emphasized that the festival does not operate with formal quotas but has actively sought to broaden its field. The difficulty, he explained, lies in a combination of fewer high-profile submissions from female directors and the festival’s commitment to curatorial freedom. Barbera pledged to continue prioritizing equity in future editions.

The question of artificial intelligence in filmmaking also featured prominently in Barbera’s commentary. He described AI as a “double-edged sword” that could radically democratize production while threatening the very definition of authorship.

“AI is not a distant possibility - it is already here, and we are only beginning to understand its implications,” Barbera said. “It can help with visual effects, script development, even sound design. But if we allow it to replace human creativity at the core, we risk losing what makes cinema an art form.”

He pointed to recent labor disputes in Hollywood over AI protections as a sign that the industry is grappling with the issue, but added that festivals like Venice must take an active role in shaping the conversation. The festival has no formal policy on AI-generated content for competition slots, but Barbera indicated that a working group may be formed to establish guidelines.

“We cannot ignore the technology, but we also cannot accept submissions where a machine is credited as the sole creator,” he said. “The audience comes to Venice to see human stories, told by human hands.”

Barbera also addressed the festival’s evolving relationship with streaming services. While Netflix and Amazon have been reliable partners in recent years, he noted that the lines between cinema and television have blurred further, raising questions about eligibility and exhibition standards.

“A film that is never shown in a theater and goes straight to a platform - can it truly be considered cinema?” he asked. “We have relaxed some rules, but we still insist on a theatrical release for our main competition. That is nonnegotiable.”

The 2026 Venice Film Festival is set to take place from late August through early September, with a lineup that Barbera promised would include both established masters and bold newcomers. He declined to reveal specific titles but hinted that several high-profile international productions were confirmed.

As the industry continues to wrestle with structural change, Barbera’s frankness reflects a festival director who sees his role as both curator and commentator. “We are not just showing movies,” he said. “We are trying to understand where cinema is going.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter