Gus Van Sant's 'Dead Man's Wire'; Julian Schnabel's 'In the Hand of Dante'; and 'Motor City,' directed by Potsy Ponciroli. Alex Majali; Courtesy of Venice (2) Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment The Venice Film Festival has no official market - no Marche du Film, no European Film Market - meaning the deals on the Lido tend to happen quietly, in hotel suites at the Excelsior and over spritzes along the Lungomare. But sellers still see the festival as a prime launchpad, using it to float prestige projects to the right buyers, banking on critical heat to position art house titles that could otherwise vanish in a crowded marketplace. "It's a different kind of hustle," says one veteran European sales agent. "You're not going to Venice to presell a title and close out your financing in a week. But for the right finished film, it can be the place that generates that first wave of buzz and gets buyers excited so you can close deals in Toronto and beyond." Related Stories Movies Noomi Rapace on the Complex, "Punk Rock" Take on Mother Teresa in 'Mother': "There Are No Saints" Movies Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut 'The Chronology of Water' Getting Awards Season Release Date This year's lineup should give buyers plenty to work with. Politically charged dramas and hard-hitting documentaries dominate alongside geopolitical thrillers and a handful of star-driven titles with crossover potential, meaning Venice 2025 could prove a critical - and quiet - game changer for sellers looking to make noise without the market. 100 NIGHTS OF HERO DIRECTOR Julia Jackman STARS Nicholas Galitzine, Maika Monroe, Emma Corrin, Charli XCX, Richard E. Grant, Felicity Jones BUZZ Based on Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel, Jackman's feature debut reimagines a feminist fairy tale of forbidden love, seduction and survival told through 100 haunting stories. With an intriguing ensemble and a stylish pedigree, 100 Nights of Hero has the makings of a crossover art house hit. SALES WME Independent (international), WME Independent/CAA Media Finance (domestic) BELOW THE CLOUDS DIRECTOR Gianfranco Rosi BUZZ Rosi, a Golden Lion and Golden Bear winner, returns with an intimate homage to Naples, the third in his trilogy on everyday Italian life after Sacro GRA and Fire at Sea. Expect strong festival interest and high-end doc buyers looking for prestige nonfiction with cinematic flair. SALES The Match Factory COVER-UP DIRECTORs Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus BUZZ Oscar winner Poitras (Citizenfour, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed) teams with Obenhaus for a portrait of legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who exposed the Vietnam War massacres at My Lai, investigated Watergate, CIA domestic spying and Abu Ghraib. Prestige doc buyers will be watching closely. SALES Submarine DEAD MAN'S WIRE DIRECTOR Gus Van Sant STARS Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Dacre Montgomery, Myha'la BUZZ Van Sant's Venice out-of-competition entry, originally set up as a project with Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage, dramatizes the real-life 1977 hostage crisis in Indianapolis, in which a disgruntled borrower wired a shotgun to a bank manager in a tense standoff. The high-profile cast and true-crime edge make this a hot commercial prospect for the right indie buyer. SALES WME Independent HIJRA DIRECTOR Shahad Ameen BUZZ The Saudi director of Scales (Venice 2019) returns with an ambitious desert-set drama about the bond formed between different generations of women on a perilous journey. With its striking landscapes, rare look at Saudi society and feminist undercurrents, this should be a must-watch for festival programmers and specialty distributors. SALES CAA Media Finance IN THE HAND OF DANTE DIRECTOR Julian Schnabel STARS Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, Al Pacino, Jason Momoa, Martin Scorsese, John Malkovich BUZZ Art film expert Schnabel, director of Basquiat, At Eternity's Gate and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, adapts Nick Tosches' novel about a handwritten manuscript of The Divine Comedy passing from the Vatican to the New York mob to Tosches himself. A star-packed ensemble and literary intrigue could lure both prestige distributors and awards-minded buyers. SALES WME Independent, co-repped by CAA Media Finance LOST LAND DIRECTOR Akio Fujimoto BUZZ Following his acclaimed refugee dramas Passage of Life and Along the Sea, the Japan-born, Vietnam-raised filmmaker presents an international co-production (Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany) that continues his exploration of migration, displacement and identity. With Fujimoto's growing reputation on the festival circuit, Lost Land is poised to attract global art house and socially engaged buyers. SALES Arizona Distribution MOTOR CITY DIRECTOR Potsy Ponciroli STARS Alan Ritchson, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Lionel Boyce, Shailene