Julia Roberts defends After the Hunt at Venice; Guadagnino: Why shouldn’t I pay tribute to Woody Allen?v
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Julia Roberts defended the themes of After the Hunt during the Venice Film Festival press conference, stating that the film does not undermine feminist movements. A journalist told Roberts that the film had been considered “controversial” at the press screening, with some believing that its story reignites the “old debate” over the credibility of women’s claims of sexual harassment.
After the Hunt follows a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when one of her star students makes an accusation against a colleague, while a secret from her own past hovers on the edge of exposure. The film stars Michael Stuhlbarg, Lio Mehiel, Arianne Kassam, and Will Price. Nora Garrett wrote the screenplay, and Alan Mandelbaum is producing.
Roberts said: “I don’t want to be combative—it’s not in my nature. But I like your expression ‘reviving old debates.’ I don’t think it revives women turning against each other or failing to support one another. There are a lot of old debates, and bringing them back sparks conversations.”
She continued: “The best part of your question is that when you left the theater, you were talking about the film. That’s what we wanted—to create that feeling. You grasp your strong conviction because we presented it to you. So, you’re welcome.”
Roberts went on to reject the idea that the film deliberately stirs controversy: “We’ve lost the art of human discussion. We’re not making statements; we’re playing these characters in this moment in time. I doubt it’s about creating scandal, but we are inviting people into a conversation. Whether you’re excited or angry about it is up to you.”
In one of the few lighthearted moments of the press conference, Roberts asked her colleagues to all open their drinks at once so the sound wouldn’t be disruptive multiple times. Garfield jokingly responded: “That’s what it was like every day on set. When she opened her drink, we all had to open ours. A reflection of Julia Roberts’ little world.”
In the film’s opening credits, Guadagnino, like Woody Allen, listed the cast in alphabetical order. Asked why he would pay tribute to a filmmaker accused of sexual misconduct, he replied: “The blunt answer is, why not? I grew up with a body of work, and when I started making this film with my collaborators, I couldn’t help but think of Crimes and Misdemeanors, Another Woman, or Hannah and Her Sisters. This story had a foundation that, to me, connected with Allen’s best films from 1985 to 1991. I played with the graphic elements and typeface until I settled on this, and it felt like an appealing homage to an artist who has faced difficulties—and it raises the question of what our responsibility is toward an artist like Woody Allen, whom we love. Also, that typeface is classic. It goes beyond Woody.”
Speaking about the story, Guadagnino added: “It’s a look at human truths. It’s not that one truth is more important than another; it’s about how we view the collision of truths and where the boundaries lie when they coexist. It’s not a manifesto about reviving traditional values.”
Amazon MGM will release After the Hunt on October 10 in limited theaters and expand it nationwide on October 17.
