{
  "id": 5179678,
  "title": "Vincent Gallo's new film deemed \"too provocative\" to screen in competition at Venice",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/vincent-gallos-new-film-deemed-too-provocative-to-screen-in",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-02T21:19:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/vincent-gallo-golden-state-killer-movie-out-of-competition-venice-film-festival"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Vincent Gallo's film Golden State Killer, a controversial serial killer biopic starring Gallo and James Franco, will not be screened in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, according to festival artistic director Alberto Barbera. Barbera revealed that Gallo himself chose to have the film screened out of competition, citing its \"provocative\" content as the reason it wasn't considered for the prestigious Golden Lion award. The film, based on the life of notorious serial rapist and murderer Joseph James DeAngelo, was originally titled The Policeman but was later renamed by Gallo. Despite Barbera's initial willingness to screen the film, Gallo declined to make an appearance at the festival. The Venice selection has sparked debate over the festival's political stance amidst global crises, with Barbera acknowledging the potential for controversy among the lineup of films.",
  "summary": "The festival offered Golden State Killer out-of-competition status, which Gallo balked at.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}