It’s official, Hollywood no longer loves film festivals. The recently announced Venice Film Festival line up lacked the big marquee titles from Tinseltown. Head Alberto Barbera blamed the industry’s problems as a whole for the lack of presence. The 83rd edition starts September 2nd with the Danny Boyle film Ink opening the Lido in the Competition section. As the big studios continue to shift strategies away from industry gatherings, fest find themselves struggling getting A list titles that generate attention and buzz. Twenty works will compete for the Lion. Maggie Gyllenhaal takes the lead as Jury President.
A recharged Sundance Film Festival kicks off in January 2027. This time the influential indie happening has its first outing in newer and bigger settings, Boulder after years in Park City, Utah. So high is the confidence, head Eugene Hernandez announced additional changes to the 11-day reel unspooling. The big news, expanded sections, upped from 10 to 12 titles, all world premieres.
For the struggling Berlinale, these are bad omens for Potsdamer Platz trying to recover from 2026’s headlines. Hollywood will most certainly skip a winter film launch in Berlin. More filmmakers will compete for spots in Colorado, entering Berlin when Sundance gives the thumbs down.
The festival circuit has more twists and turns than a 1940’s B-film noir movie.