Some controversial directors are headed to Venice with their latest films.
The prestigious Venice Film Festival announced its 2023 lineup on Tuesday, revealing that new movies from Woody Allen and Roman Polanski will be playing out of competition. Allen will premiere the French-language thriller "Coup de chance," while Polanski has the black comedy "The Palace," which stars John Cleese.
The presence of both films is sure to be controversial, as Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977. He fled the United States after learning a judge planned to send him to prison. Allen, meanwhile, has been accused of sexual abuse by his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow. He has denied the allegation and has never been charged with a crime.
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Polanski premiered his previous film, "An Officer and a Spy," at 2019's Venice Film Festival. The festival's artistic director, Alberto Barbera, defended this at the time, arguing that "we have to distinguish necessarily between the artist and the man" and that Polanski is "one of the last masters still active in European cinema." Allen debuted his previous film, "Rifkin's Festival," at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2020.
A new film from Luc Besson called "Dogman" will also be playing in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Besson has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including Sand Van Roy, who alleged the director raped her. He was cleared of all charges in that case.
Other titles announced for Venice include Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein biopic "Maestro," Sofia Coppola's Priscilla Presley film "Priscilla," David Fincher's thriller "The Killer," and Yorgos Lanthimos' "Poor Things." It was considered a strong lineup, though some A-list stars may not be able to attend and promote their films due to the Hollywood actors strike, which led "Challengers," the sports dramedy starring Zendaya, to pull out at the last minute and delay its release to 2024.
The 2023 Venice Film Festival is set to begin on Aug. 30.
