Adam Driver was observed becoming emotional when he and Michael Mann were met with a six-minute standing ovation during the global debut of their new movie, Ferrari. The 39-year-old actor takes on the role of the iconic motor racing driver and founder of Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix racing team, Enzo Ferrari, in the biographical film directed by Mann.
The duo attended the screening of the film at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday (31 August). Before the movie commenced at the Sala Grande Theatre, Driver and Mann were showered with a six-minute standing ovation, as reported by Variety.
After the film reached its gripping conclusion, Driver was reportedly seen “holding back tears”. Subsequently, Mann helped him up, and the two were met with another round of applause.
Starring alongside Hugh Jackman, Penélope Cruz, Patrick Dempsey, and Shailene Woodley, Ferrari is inspired by the biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine,” authored by Brock Yates.
Set in 1975, against the backdrop of Italy, the drama narrates the life journey of the automotive magnate whose family revolutionized the concept of the high-performance Italian sports car and essentially pioneered the realm of Formula One racing.
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Driver’s appearance at the 80th annual Venice Film Festival, which commenced on Wednesday (30 August) and will continue until Saturday 9 September, coincides with the ongoing strike of actors and writers.
However, as Mann’s film wasn’t produced under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) contracts, Ferrari was granted a provisional agreement during the historic Hollywood shutdown.
The exception, provided by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) for several films and TV shows categorized as “truly independent,” enables the production of such projects to persist.
During the film’s press conference, Driver was inquired about his participation in the festival.
“I am deeply proud to be present here as a visual representation of a movie that’s independent of the AMPTP, and to endorse the leadership directive, which is an effective strategy,” the actor expressed.
He delineated the interim agreements as “dual-purpose,” elucidating (as per Alex Ritman of The Hollywood Reporter): “It enables the creation of independent movies not affiliated with writers who are non-WGA members.”
On the same day, French director Luc Besson made an emotional comeback to the film festival circuit, following his exoneration from rape charges in June.
Addressing the press prior to the world premiere of his latest action drama, Dogman, at the international film festival, the 64-year-old French filmmaker struggled to hold back tears as he conveyed his passion for the art of filmmaking.
“The only two things that can save you are love and art, definitely not money. When you have both you’re lucky,” Besson conveyed, as reported by Singapore’s Channel News Asia.
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