VENICE: The race for the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion was set to move into higher gear on Thursday with a hotly tipped biopic about sports car supremo Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver.

Driver brings much-needed stardust to a festival whose red carpet is missing its usual celebrities this year because actors and writers are barred from publicity work by historic Tinseltown strikes.

Ferrari from director Michael Mann — known for highly stylised and glossy thrillers like Heat and Collateral — was given an exemption by the unions since it was made outside the studio system.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the premiere, Driver said he stood in solidarity with the unions. “Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International (who funded Ferrari) can meet the dream demands of what (the Screen Actors Guild) is asking for... when a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?” he said.

The 39-year-old actor is one of the busiest men in Hollywood, juggling blockbuster roles in the Star Wars franchise alongside work with a who’s-who of top directors, from Ridley Scott to Noah Baumbach and Spike Lee.

Also premiering at the festival on Thursday is Dogman by French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon).

The tale of an abused boy finding refuge with a pack of dogs and a drag show is said to feature a stand-out performance from Caleb Landry Jones, who won best actor at Cannes two years ago for Nitram about a mass shooting in Australia.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2023