In 2019, I crashed the Cannes Film Festival. Well — not really. I went legitimately with a pass I applied for (if you work in the film industry, you usually qualify). But I had no purpose being there for work or business. I’m just working on my own film directing path and wanted to see what it was like. Maybe that will pay off for me one day. Being at film festivals usually gives me this spark of remembrance of why I love cinema, why this is where I feel at home.
So I solo traveled to Cannes and thought I wouldn’t know anyone. It turns out, I ran into someone I knew every day. One of these days it was Loren Hammonds, at the time a programmer for Tribeca (now amazing film producer — look him up!). He said something I’ll never forget: “Cannes is great, but if you love movies, Venice is the best.”
I’ve wanted to go to the Venice Film Festival ever since.
So here I was, five years later, making that dream come true with Cinema Femme.
And this time I ran into nobody I knew. Instead, I attended a press conference for Sofia Coppola’s Marc by Sofia and asked her a question. I got into the red carpet premiere of Kathryn Bigelow’s House of Dynamite, and while experiencing one of the best cinematic experiences you could have — a 15 minute standing ovation for a film in competition — I realized I was sitting in the same row as Bigelow, the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director. And finally, after many nights at the fest, I met a fantastic group of new friends who reminded me of the magic of film festing.
Instead of reviewing films from the festival, I decided to write this story of what it was like, with the hopes it will inspire you to “crash” a film festival or two in your future. It’s easier than you’d think.
I arrived in Summertime
I really love the film Summertime (1955) by David Lean. Have you seen it? Another Katharine we love — Hepburn — plays a bright-eyed middle-aged traveler from America who fulfills her lifelong dream to visit Venice, Italy, and must confront her loneliness when she falls in love with a Venetian shopkeeper. It is hands down the best film about solo traveling, and depicts the 1950s rise of international tourism while capturing the color, moods and unexplainable feeling of being in Venice.
From the moment I stepped out of the train station, I felt just like her. Over the next few days, I found the locations and took lots of pictures, but by the end of the trip, I was almost unintentionally living her story (without the shopkeeper). Every day I went to Piazza San Marco. Just like her. It’s hard to resist going to see this grand sight every day that truly takes your breath away. One day, I was feeling particularly like a local, until my tourist status came swooping down on me — a seagull snatched off the top of my gelato!
Daily visits to Piazza San Marco
San Marco was where the waterbus (Vaparetto) departed for the festival. After taking the “bus” back late at night, sometimes I would stop by what seemed like the only open bar in Venice, Bar Ai do Leoni, for an amazing cocktail and cicchetti (a Venetian sort of tapas). For Venice has no nightlife (but the festival does – more on that later). I then walked the dark lonely streets back to my Airbnb, over the Rialto Bridge and up and down the small bridges over the canals, passing the location of Pensioni Fiornini (where Hepburn’s character stayed). Just like her, I would often stop, look around and soak it in. Venice is magical, strange, and seems easy to sink into if you let it.
A Venetian for the Week
My first piece of advice for anyone who plans to go to the Venice Film Festival is to book your accommodation now. One of my best travel tricks is to always make ‘free cancellation’ bookings. Even if you have just an inkling you may visit somewhere, find a good spot and book it. Just as I did with my Airbnb, back in February when I had no idea I could pull this off. What a great way to manifest, right? It was the cutest spot, with windows over a canal that gave me the thrill of trying not to drop my precious Zara into the water while drying my laundry.
But for you dear reader (and for my next visit): stay on the island of Lido, where the festival is held, or close to Piazza San Marco. To travel from the city of Venice to the festival sometimes was an hour and a half experience, half of that walking. The festival arranges special city waterbuses (Lines 20 and MC) in addition to the regular Lido transport that go directly from San Marco to the festival, running quite late (one night we caught the very last one back at 2:30am, fun and packed).
The ride is magnificent, crowded and sometimes wet. It was a wonderful adventure, but hindered my movie watching and I mean it when I say Venice has no nightlife… so you might as well stay near the festival where parties are buzzing and pop-up bars are open. The waterbuses are free for the duration of the festival if you have accreditation (which is a €65+ value), so plan to spend a few day trips to Venice while at the festival, or tack on a few nights in the city at the beginning or end of your trip. Tip: in Europe, booking.com is more widely used than Airbnb.
The only way to get ice in Italy
On my first day at the fest, the crowds surprised me right away. The festival centers around the Lido Casino, where outdoor cafes and cinemas have been fantastically popped-up. There were tons of cinephiles mixed with industry and press, gathered at outdoor tables chatting and having espresso, sandwiches and spritzes. There is even a grassy area to rest on, which is very important while attending a film festival — it’s a marathon, not a sprint (with a spritz), so recharge when you can.
My friend Maureen says “The only way to get ice in Italy is in an Aperol Spritz.” and since Spritzes originated in Venice, I tried them all: Venetian, Aperol, Campari, Hugo, Limoncello … Campari is a sponsor, and by the end of the festival, let me tell you, I don’t know if I could drink another spritz in my life.
Aren’t we all Papparazzi?
I realized quickly why the festival was so busy. For many Europeans, this is how they can see films that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. The festival is open to the public in many ways, not just the films, but seeing the red carpet. The star-gazers and paparazzi (did you know the term comes from Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and a character named Paparazzo?) were out in droves.
One day, I decided to join the crowd to watch the red carpet premiere of The Smashing Machine by Benny Safdie. I could barely see anything, I think I saw the top of Benny’s head through the feet of the photographers at one point. I was mostly there to watch the fans. Girlfriends were sitting on boyfriend’s shoulders, phones were out and teens were squealing for Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson and the appearance of an Italian actor I wasn’t familiar with.
My favorite thing was that music was being blasted from across the street to the carpet in front of the exceptional Sala Grande theatre. I think it made us all feel as fabulous as those on the carpet.
How to Fest
So how do you see films at the Venice Film Festival? It’s not as hard as you’d expect. For cinephiles, most screenings are open to the public for individual ticket sales (around 10-20 euros per screening), or if you work in the film industry, you can buy an Industry Pass (350 euros) which also gives you access to certain areas and that sweet free waterbus pass. Pre-booking spots at screenings was a bit of a nightmare, with timeslots opening at odd hours and the most popular films selling out fast.
However, I learned the best trick very quickly — the rush line. I’m an American who is used to waiting 2 hours in a rush line in Hollywood to get into special screenings, and that was to my advantage here, where Italians show up right before the film start time to get in or join the rush line. So overall, I’d suggest the Industry Pass if you can apply for it, do your research ahead of time to write out your ideal schedule and film priorities, book them, and use the rush line to get into the rest.
I had one question for Sofia Coppola
I was fortunate to have my Press Accreditation thanks to Cinema Femme, which I picked up with my cute tote bag on day one. I had booked a few films, but what I was most excited for was a masterclass organized by Cartier called “Costumes as Cinematic Language” with Director Sofia Coppola and Milena Canonero, an Italian costume designer who has worked with legends like Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, and Sofia Coppola on Marie Antoinette (which has a restoration coming out in 2026).
They had met when Sofia was 13, and talked about how seeing an actor in costume is often the first time you see them in character, and that having a passion for fashion and finding unique inspirations (like a pastel box of macaroons as the pallet for Marie Antoinette) is why Milena loved working with her.
Coppola took a new path in Directing with her first documentary, Marc by Sofia, premiering at the Venice Film Festival. Following her friendship with Marc Jacobs for over 30 years, she captures Marc’s passion, genius and vulnerability as he prepares his Spring 2024 collection. This doc is sure to inspire the next generation of designers. The comfort of their friendship gives us a glimpse into the humanity of an iconic artist and the details of his craft. They had met in the 90s when Coppola asked her Mom, Eleanor Coppola, to take her to one of Marc’s shows in New York. They hit it off right away.
I was over the moon to attend the press conference for Marc by Sofia (my very first!) and asked if they learned anything new about being creatives from the experience of making this film. My heart raced leading up to raising my hand, but I was told afterwards I seemed calm and collected (the trick is to take three deep breaths to yourself beforehand and elongate the breath out, it slows your heartrate).
Coppola shared first, “You always get to a point in the process where it’s a mess and you don’t know where you’re going. Trust the process and you’ll find your way to the end, which is what we did in the film and what (Marc) does in the show.” Producer J. Cha Cutler followed, saying she learned “to be creative at a high level. You have to sweat every detail. It’s not just a poof of inspiration. It’s taking that and really channeling it.”
Marc By Sofia will be distributed by A24.
At Work
The creative process became a theme. I also had the pleasure of seeing French Director Valérie Donzelli’s new feature, At Work (A pied d’oeuvre), which follows a 42-year old father who left his career as a successful photographer to become a writer. The film captures a rock-bottom time in his life, where he loses his family and sinks into poverty, while never giving up on his writing. Based on a true story from Franck Courtes’s book, At Work lingered with me for days. It’s a reminder that although being a creative person could make you an outcast in society, it’s worse to give up on your voice. While you are experiencing the torture of your creative process, you must also face the torture of finding creative ways to make a living. I left this story feeling seen and moved to never give up. At Work is currently seeking U.S. distribution (Sales Agent: KINOLOGY).
I Feel Love (and like a VIP)
Up until this point, I had a hard time making new friends. Compared to other festivals, I found when I tried chatting up another badge holder, the interaction was brief and they moved on. Maybe because this festival was such a mix of industry and public, networking was a mixed bag. Luckily my wonderful and creative friends Tilly (a commercial producer from the UK) and Ina (a printmaker from New Zealand) joined me for the weekend to see what the festival was like.
Our favorite place was a lovely spot we found that I would highly recommend, Isola Edipo, a pop-up of cute food truck airstreams, bars, talks and screenings. It’s nestled on the Venice Lagoon, has an amazing sunset and is buzzing with festival goers. I went back twice for this amazing focaccia sandwich and a prosecco at sunset. No RSVP required.
When it’s your first time at a festival and you don’t know many people yet, getting into parties is a challenge. Ina, Tilly and I did get an RSVP link to a party sponsored by Campari, and it was thrilling to have our names on the list when we arrived (it was a very long list for a party that seemed desperate to fill up) but we showed up too early and it was empty. Frustrated, I insisted we go back down the street to a party we had walked by that looked packed and try to crash it. That was €40, no thank you, so we had no choice but to walk back to the free party, at least there were free Spritz’s, but there were only Spritz’s (this contributed to my hardline break from Spritz’s).
I tell this story because we had our best VIP experience at this moment, the door security remembered us from before, since we had been the first to arrive, and when we walked back in, they pushed aside the line and anyone in our way to usher us inside, like we were the stars of the party. It was hilarious and convinced us to stay and dance the night away as the party filled up. The DJ even played my favorite song to dance to at film festival parties, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer, which I have managed to dance to at about 6-7 fests by now.
Feeling Fancy at the Excelsior
In between screenings, I would wander around the Excelsior Hotel, which is a huge hub for the festival. It’s beautiful, historic and right on the beach. Filled with meetings, photoshoots, the Venice Production Bridge and fabulous looking people.
Across the street is a bridge overlooking a canal that is swarming with celebrity gawkers. Have you ever seen press photos of celebrities coming into the festival on a shiny boat on the glistening water? That’s where it happens. They arrive by boat, get off, paparazzi yell at them for pictures, fans yell at them for attention, and then they disappear into some exclusive underground ether. It was fun to watch.
Red Carpets are Easy
If you have made it this far into my story, you’ve made it to the best night of my entire trip: attending a red carpet premiere at the Sala Grande, which ended in the most exciting surprise.
I couldn’t reserve tickets to the premiere of Kathryn Bigelow’s House of Dynamite with my press badge; there had been some press-only screenings that morning. But that wasn’t the experience I was there for.
Bigelow is an Oscar winning director (the first woman in history) for The Hurt Locker, and is known for Point Break, Zero Dark Thirty and a prolific Directing background. I remember crying with my Mom on the night she won that Oscar, it changed everything for us. Her latest film, House of Dynamite, a sure Oscar contender, follows multiple government agencies responding to an impending missile strike on the U.S., told over three chapters over the timeframe of the traveling missile. The ensemble cast features Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos, Gabriel Basso and Tracy Letts. It was incredible, important, scary and somehow empowering. Every American should see it.
Watching the world premiere of a film in the same building as the cast and crew is one of the best cinematic experiences possible, and for me, worth the wait. So I got in the rush line at the Sala Grande an hour and a half before the screening with a bottle of water and half a pizza in my bag (literally).
There were two couples ahead of me, who explained that usually they let you in after the film started, when it’s dark and random where you end up sitting. We watched the red carpet from afar. Bigelow showed up with sunglasses on, looking elegant.
We eagerly waited and were thrilled to be let in about 10 minutes into the film start time.
I was chaotically shuffled in with this young Italian couple, who I followed closely since we were being yelled at in Italian by the theatre staff — balcone! What? Oh, the “balcony!” We were tangled between two curtains and entered the dark theatre while the film was off to the races. I carefully tip-toed down the stairs, they sat the Italian girlfriend in one row, then awkwardly sat me and her boyfriend together — in the front row of the balcony!
I wasn’t moving, this was the best seat in the house. I couldn’t believe it.
The film was already moving fast, Bigelow’s style — quick dialog and cutting. At first I was a bit jarred, then I remembered that this is the experience of watching her films, and where her great talent lies: within minutes I was completely immersed and forgot I was in a cinema in Venice, surrounded by Italians. Seeing a film about such an important and relevant topic for my country as I was getting ready to return home somehow felt good. House of Dynamite reminded me why I love movies. Why I want to make movies.
Sitting in a row with Bigelow
As the film ended, the applause began to build, and build. Nobody left, they stood up, kept applauding. At these big festivals with films in competition, the length of the standing ovation is the best review of a film. It is truly one of the most incredible feelings to be part of it. I clapped and stood and smiled, I was filled with emotion for so many reasons.
Then they turned the lights on, to highlight Bigelow and the cast. They were sitting in the SAME ROW as me! The whole time! We crowded around to see as Idris Elba waved at the crowd and hugged his cast. Everyone seemed emotional. I got even more emotional. The ovation lasted for 15 minutes. Bigelow came to the aisle right next to me and waved to the crowd below, she looked overwhelmed and powerful at the same time. I felt blessed and overwhelmed too.
They shuffled the cast out, which I somehow got shuffled into as well and managed to shake Gabriel Basso’s hand, thanking him and telling him I was an American having a big emotional reaction to that movie. “We’re safe right?” He joked. Then, as I was going downstairs, I got pinned against a wall as they moved the cast into the green room entrance. I respectfully stood back, acting like I belonged there. Because I did! The festival Goddesses got me there to have what became a highlight of my life story so far.
House of Dynamite is one of Bigelow’s most brilliant and captivating films, sure to be at the top of Oscars lists and is a story for all humanity. It will have a limited release in theatres on October 10th (the best way to see it, with people you can discuss with afterwards) then will be released on Netflix October 24th.
And finally, my new Friends
As I walked out of the cinema, I heard some Americans talking and insisted on chatting with them about the film. We were all shook. They ended up inviting me to join them for dinner. Turns out, they were a group of producers and actors from Charlie Kaufman’s new short film How to Shoot a Ghost (which will be released on Kanopy) and were the sweetest people I met on my trip. Actors Josef Akiki and Jennifer Stepanyk, and Producers Franklin P. Laviola, Nicolas Laviola, Isabelle Deluce and Emily McCann Lesser.
We had a great meal with great stories, and rode the waterbus back to Venice together to walk the empty streets home. I finally found my festival people, who inspired me with their kindness to call me their new friend.
So, I left Venice with a full heart. Just like Kathryn Hepburn in Summertime. I wanted to share this story so you, too, could feel brave enough like her (or me) to take an adventure to a new city to re-discover your own love of film.
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Next month, Veronica will visit the New Orleans Film Festival. Stay tuned for intel on new films by female, trans, and non-binary filmmakers in the South, and a report on what’s known as some of the best film festival parties, New Orleans style.
Veronica Miles is a filmmaker, traveler and consultant who is based in New Orleans.
IG @veronicalm // veronicamiles.com
