Venice: Travis Scott, Kiefer Sutherland, Lily James Films on Sale

With no official film market and a more laid-back attitude than Cannes, Berlin or Toronto, Venice has never been the go-to festival for movie deals.

But opportunistic buyers could spot a bargain this year, as many of the hottest titles arrive at the Lido without major distribution in place.

Just ahead of Venice, Sideshow and Janus Films picked up domestic rights to Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car follow-up Evil Does Not Exist, and Mubi snatched up Sophia Coppola’s Priscilla, an A24 release in the U.S., for several markets, including the U.K., Germany, Latin America and Turkey.

Here are some of the other prime targets for dealmakers in the 2023 Venice Film Festival lineup.

Director Harmony KorineStars Travis Scott, Jordi MollaBuzz Another slice of extreme avant-guard from Spring Beakers and Trash Humpers director Harmony Korine, this experimental action film — shot entirely in infrared — comes with the solid gold marketing hook of rap superstar Travis Scott, who stars alongside Spanish actor Jordi Mollà in a video game-inspired story of a melancholic assassin on a mission to slay a demonic crime lord. Low on plot, by sky-high on style, this could be a hot item for cutting-edge indie distributors worldwide.Sales CAA

Director William FriedkinStars Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Lance ReddickBuzz Friedkin’s modern-day update of Herman Wouk’s acclaimed novel (made into the 1954 classic film starring Humphrey Bogart) was always going to attract interest, but the recent deaths of Friedkin and co-star Reddick lend the project a new poignancy as the final work of two great artists. Set to air on Showtime in the U.S., the film could attract specialty theatrical buyers internationally. Sales Paramount Global Content Distribution

Director Jack HustonStars Michael Pitt, Nicolette Robinson, Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci, John Magaro, Anatol YusefBuzz The feature debut of actor-turned-director Huston features the one-two combo of the clear genre appeal of an underdog boxing tale — Pitt plays an ex-con fighting for redemption in the ring — with an impressive, character actor ensemble cast.Sales CAA

Director Saverio CostanzoStars Lily James, Rebecca Antonaci, Joe Keery, Alba Rohrwacher, Willem DafoeBuzz This coming-of-age drama, set over a single night at Cinecittà in the 1950s, when the Rome backlot was known as “Hollywood on the Tiber,” looks to be a nice fit for mainstream art house buyers and could be a dark-horse awards contender.Sales Filmnation/UTA

Director Richard LinklaterStars Glen Powell, Adria ArjonaBuzz This action comedy, starring Powell as an undercover police officer who poses as an assassin for hire, was a major pre-sales hit at Toronto last year — AGC sold out Europe, Latin America, and much of the rest of the world — and is likely to mop up the rest of the world and ink a big U.S. deal in or around Venice.Sales CAA/Cinetic Media (United States), AGC International (worldwide)

Director Jasmila ZbanićStars Jasna DjuricićBuzz Bosnian director Zbanić capitalized on the success of Quo Vadis, Aida?, her Oscar-nominated drama, by helming an episode of HBO hit The Last of Us. This six-part series, Zbanić’s first effort as a showrunner, features Quo Vadis star Djuricić as a public prosecutor struggling to balance the challenges of her professional commitments and her private life. It could be a prime target for streamers and pay TV buyers.Sales Beta Film

Director Matteo GarroneStars Seydou Sarr, Moustapha FallBuzz Garrone, director of Gomorrah and Tale of Tales, is a bankable name on the international art-house market, and his latest feature — which tells the story of two young refugees who leave Dakar to make the harrowing journey to Europe — could not be more topical.Sales Pathé

Director Michel FrancoStars Jessica Chastain, Peter SarsgaardBuzz The Mexican director of New Order, After Lucia and Sundown does not make easy movies, but the star power of Chastain and Sarsgaard, playing a couple trying to build their relationship while dealing with trauma and dementia, will ensure that buyers give Franco’s latest a look.Sales ICM Partners/The Match Factory

Director Olmo SchnabelStars Darío Yazbek Bernal, Jack Irv, Willem Dafoe, Peter SarsgaardBuzz The pedigree of first-time director Schnabel — as the son of painter and auteur director Julian Schnabel —and the impressive supporting cast for this debut should draw buyers to check out this coming-of-age romance set in New York between the impulsive Alejandro (New Order actor Bernal) and Jack, a simple pet store employee (Irv).Sales WME Independent/CAA

Director Nikolaj ArcelStars Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Melina HagbergBuzz This Danish period drama reteams star Mikkelsen with the director of the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair in this based-on-a-true-story drama about the man who tried to tame and colonize the last wild region of Denmark in the mid-1700s. Magnolia snatched up U.S. rights to the title (previously titled The Bastard and King’s Land) in a pre-sale deal last year.Sales TrustNordisk

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