At the Venice Film Festival, grappling with the state of the world and crying with Oasis

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Venice Film Festival was lighter on blockbuster Hollywood fare this year, but that might have been a good thing in the end: There were more important things to talk about.

As the 83rd edition winds down, here are some of our biggest takeaways.

Before Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary “Musk” even premiered, billionaire Elon Musk had already made several appearances on screen at the festival, two of which were in montages.

Danny Boyle’s “Ink” — about how Rupert Murdoch and Larry Lamb transformed The Sun newspaper into a popular and salacious tabloid — closed with a Murdoch-created coda of the world resembling “Oppenheimer” that included images of Musk as part of the new media landscape with his ownership of X.

“Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger” had him closer to the beginning, along with images of the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump and international conflicts, illustrating the collective madness that bookended Oasis’s 2009 breakup and the band’s 2025 reunion tour.

And Musk’s name was often on the lips of the young independent Russian journalists, in regards to Starlink, attempting to cover the war in Ukraine from afar in Julia Loktev’s documentary “My Undesirable Friends: Part II—Exile.”

Gibney wasn’t surprised that Musk was everywhere. As he told The Associated Press, Musk has become a kind of “stock villain.”

Sometimes, Venice is all about the star moments. This year the festival did get some George Clooney, but the focus was less on movie star glamour than the state of the world. By and large the films were less escape than mirror.

In “NAZA,” Israeli military insiders sketch out what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. “My Undesirable Friends: Part II—Exile” shows the lengths Russian journalists will go to in an attempt to continue telling the truth about their country’s war on Ukraine.

“Musk” gives a sobering look at the world’s richest man, his failures, his successes and his manipulations, and his influence on culture and the geopolitical landscape.

In “Possible Love,” Lee Chang-dong grapples with wealth disparity in South Korea, through the lens of a laid off worker who was injured in police violence against strikers. “Woman Unknown” wonders whether one can transcend class, in post-World War II Denmark.

There was a social consciousness and aching regret even in the more Hollywood projects.

“Wild Horse Nine” opines on the sins of the CIA, and the people carrying out the operations, leading up to the 1973 military coup in Chile. “Bunker” wonders why tech billionaires whose fortunes are predicated on connecting people are preparing for the apocalypse. The 1969-set “Ink” considers the sensationalist media landscape, and what sense of civility and decorum was lost in the name of profits: Decades later, a man would die by suicide as the “To Catch a Predator” team skirted protocol in the name of television ratings, dramatized in “Primetime.”

It seemed surprising at the time that a very glossily packaged Oasis reunion tour documentary (that’s already in theaters) had the most jaded of festivalgoers weeping, but perhaps it shouldn’t have been. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s festival delusion.

Or maybe a few Oasis bangers, shared with tens of thousands of emotional fans, are simply what we all need as a respite from everything else.

The crowd isn’t always wrong.

Last year excluded (sorry Dwayne Johnson, Clooney, etc.), the festival has launched more than a few best actor nominees (and winners), like Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist” and Brendan Fraser in “The Whale.”

This year, those leaving Venice with the most Oscars buzz are two actors of different generations who haven't yet won the coveted award: John Malkovich, for the pain and madness he brought to a dying CIA agent reconciling with his past in “Wild Horse Nine,” and Robert Pattinson, for transforming into a calculating, theatrical, ratings-hungry Chris Hansen in “Primetime.”

No one expected a Ben Affleck moment and it was for sweet, family reasons: Supporting his brother younger brother Casey Affleck and his nephews in the gothic drama “Company.” It also features their parents, who both died this year and to whom the film was dedicated.

Unlike the Gallagher brothers and Mara sisters, however, they didn’t pose together.

It seemed like no one could escape politics, or questions about artificial intelligence, in the many news conferences.

Clooney said he thinks we're living in a “kakistocracy.” Susan Sarandon said that she's losing work over her support for Palestinians in the war on Gaza.

“I've had movies taken away recently, because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still,” Sarandon said.

And Venice jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal, when asked if movies and stars should be political, said she believes that films are “fundamentally, unavoidably political.”

As for AI, both Clooney and Boyle worried about how it might negatively affect journalism, while a documentary about Diesel brand founder Renzo Rosso embraced the technology.

Ellen Burstyn, the 93-year-old recipient of the Golden Lion award, not only made the long journey to Venice to collect the prize, but appeared in two films as well, including a short in which she plays Marilyn Monroe at 100.

Burstyn couldn't help but cry at the ceremony.

“You can’t imagine how meaningful this is to me. It’s one thing to win an Oscar, a Tony or an Emmy — all of which I’ve won,” she said. “But this? It’s a lot.”

For more coverage of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival

George Clooney poses for photographers with the golden lion for lifetime achievement during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)

Director Alex Gibney poses for portrait photographs for the film 'Musk' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Ellen Burstyn receives the golden lion for lifetime achievement during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival inl in Venice, Italy, on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Robert Pattinson poses for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Primetime' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)

John Malkovich poses for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Wild Horse Nine' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Ninety Grand Slam tournaments have passed since Andy Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 final at Flushing Meadows. Since then, no other U.S. male player has managed to win the U.S. Open on home soil or any of the other three majors.

Apart from Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open and his compatriot Gastón Gaudio at the 2004 French Open, every champion across the world’s four major tournaments has been European.

Frances Tiafoe or Ben Shelton — who face off in the U.S. Open semifinals on Friday night — could end this drought for American men.

“You know the history; it was the era of the ‘Big Three’ (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic) — something unmatched," Del Potro told reporters. "But American tennis has the potential to break this pattern. There are so many good players now with the potential to be Grand Slam champions, and I sincerely believe Tiafoe or Shelton can do it.”

As the last Grand Slam champion born outside of Europe, Del Potro takes pride in walking the grounds of the U.S. Open.

The winner of the 2009 Open — who defeated Federer in the final to deny the Swiss star a sixth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows — now works as an analyst for ESPN Latin America.

“I’m so happy to be back in this special place,” the Argentine said. “It’s always a pleasure to be here. They still treat me like a champion, which feels great.”

His first day in this new role was grueling, featuring two men’s quarterfinals: First, Tiafoe’s victory over Alex Michelsen, followed by Shelton’s win over Carlos Alcaraz — a match that set the record for the latest finish in tournament history, ending at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday.

“I don’t have the experience and it’s not easy at all, but I’m enjoying it a lot,” Del Potro said. “My first day ended at 4 a.m.”

His triumph at Flushing Meadows at age 20 hinted at further major victories. However, a punishing series of injuries intervened: He underwent three surgeries on his right wrist, one on his left wrist, and four on his right knee from 2019-21.

Del Potro ultimately retired in 2022 at age 33, ending a career that included a pair of Olympic medals: Bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“I’m moving better now because I’m not doing as much. I’m not playing anymore, and I’m not pushing myself hard in daily life,” Del Potro said. “Whenever I wanted to accept invitations for clinics or exhibition games I had to go through a medical process with injections or anti-inflammatories. I stopped because that took a heavy toll on me in recent years.”

Del Potro shared his experience with injuries with Alcaraz, speaking with him during the World Cup final in July.

Alcaraz returned to action at the U.S. Open after a nearly five-month hiatus caused by a right wrist injury. The Spaniard — who has seven Grand Slam titles at age 23 — avoided surgery and opted for conservative treatment, staying off the tour and missing two majors, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

“I told Carlitos to stay on that conservative path and not mess with his wrist,” Del Potro noted. “My mistake was refusing to stop because I was fighting for ranking points in every tournament. Carlitos made the right decision; his wrist responded very well, and he played a great match against Shelton.”

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

FILE - Juan Martin Del Potro waves before an Argentina Open tennis match against Federico Delbonis at Guillermo Vilas Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello, File)