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Although there was a dearth of star power on the red carpet due
to the Hollywood actors strike, festival goers can look forward
to some 50 films over 11 days, including Craig Gillespie's "Dumb
Money," "Lee" which stars Kate Winslet and Taika Waititi's "Next
Goal Wins".
The festival will also include directorial debuts for Patricia
Arquette with "Gonzo Girl" and for Kristin Scott Thomas with
"North Star".
Studio Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka said it was an honor
for "The Boy and the Heron" to have been chosen as the opener
for the festival.
"It shows that animation and live-action films don’t need to be
differentiated anymore," he said.
The film, a semi-autobiographical story of a young boy
struggling with the death of his mother, is expected to
Miyazaki's swan song. The 82-year-old director, known for works
such as "Spirited Away" and "My Neighbor Totoro", did not attend
the opening.
The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
have been on strike since May over pay and the use of artificial
intelligence.
"Gonzo Girl" stars Arquette, Camila Morrone and William Dafoe
were among the few actors gaining union approval to promote
their films.
"I am lucky to be here, but a lot of people are unable to attend
the festival," Morrone told Reuters, calling the strike
"essential" and stressing that it was important to be resolved.
Over 150,000 actors and 65,000 writers across the United States
have refused to resume shooting or promote films. The 2023 Emmy
Awards have also been postponed to January next year due to the
strike.
"We will get back to the bargaining table at some point. I hope
it’s tomorrow but it may be a little longer than that. And once
we do, I'm confident that we will be able to hold the line and
make sure that whatever agreement we end up with, is fair,
equitable and respectful for our members," said Duncan
Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director of SAG-AFTRA.
(Reporting by Divya Rajagopal, Nivedita Balu and Jenna Zucker;
Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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