The strikes (by WGA — the Writers Guild of America — and SAG-AFRA, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists over issues around residuals, higher wages, use of artificial intelligence and more) prohibit actors from promoting their films, and Venice is the first major festival to see a reduction in both film premieres and celebrity attendees — Zendaya’s film “Challengers,” for example, was slated to open the festival but was pulled at the last minute, favoring an opening in spring instead.
