The mood at this year’s 80th Venice Film Festival was sometimes very fractious. There were topless protesters outside the premiere of the new Woody Allen movie. The festival was branded “horrendous, dirty and nasty” for showing Allen’s film alongside those of Roman Polanski and Luc Besson. After all, these are all filmmakers who had been accused of predatory sexual behaviour in the past
The festival began on a very damp and downbeat note. There was torrential rain. The Lido, the thin little island strip on which it takes place, was deserted and drenched. The usual swarms of sunbathing tourists were nowhere to be seen. Hollywood A-list stars were also conspicuous by their absence.
