Venice Film Festival in turmoil

ROME -- The Venice Film Festival is in turmoil with powerplay now underway that will determine whether artistic director Marco Mueller remains at the helm. Venice Biennale prexy Paolo Baratta was reupped Thursday by Italy's newly installed post-Berlusconi government, leaving large sectors of the local film industry wondering whether Baratta will overlook frictions with Mueller, resolve their differences, and opt to continue their collaboration; or instead look for a new Lido topper. Those frictions center around the Lido's infrastructural woes, with the venerable fest's planned new Palazzo del Cinema in recent years turning into an open-air construction site, making its grounds akin to civil-war-era Beirut, plus exorbitant hotel costs, and overall lack of accommodation. All matters on which Mueller wants more oversight. Meanwhile, according to sources, new Italo Culture Czar Lorenzo Ornaghi, shortly after reupping Baratta, has contacted Mueller, opening informal negotiations. But Baratta, who is now emboldened by his reappointment, is not expected to be willing to cede much ground. Baratta's mandate will not kick in formally until early January, when a decision must be made. Consensus in the Italo industry is that Mueller is not just the best man for the job, due to his standing within the international industry and vast web of contacts, but also that he is quite crucial for Venice not to sink. Mueller's prestige is seen as the best way to counterbalance the fest's infrastructural deficiencies, which will certainly not be resolved by its next edition, in September 2012. Mueller, who has offers on the table from fests in Russia, Japan, and also from the Rome Film Festival, seems keen to stay at Venice, but is also determined to be able to cater more directly to industry needs. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com