VENICE, Sept 1 — The premiere of director Martin Scorsese’s short film “The Audition” has been cancelled at the Venice Film Festival, allegedly due to “technical problems.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the festival said in a statement: “We have just been informed by the production that due to unexpected technical problems the film could not be here in time.”
THR added that a rep for the film said while the producers had hoped that the film would be ready in time for Venice, which takes place from September 2 to 12, the film is still in postproduction and could not be completed in time.
Scorsese stars in the film, alongside frequent collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Brad Pitt also makes an appearance.
The film’s premiere at the world’s oldest film festival was seen as controversial by some, as it was produced to promote the opening of Melco-Crown's US$2.3 billion (RM9.6 billion) Macau Studio City and the existing Manila City of Dreams resorts and casinos.
According to the South China Morning Post, the film’s inclusion in the festival’s line-up came as a surprise, as the casino operator had said it would make its debut at the opening of Studio City in Macau, which is scheduled for October 27.
The short film was rumoured to have cost US$70 million, with each actor taking home US$13 million for the two-day shoot, according to a report by Page Six. The casino has denied these figures.
