Photo Credit: Getty Images
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be strategically kept apart at this year's Venice Film Festival, avoiding any awkward encounters amid their ongoing legal battles. Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera confirmed that their appearances will be spaced out to ensure they do not cross paths.
Jolie is scheduled to attend the premiere of her latest film Maria on Thursday, Aug. 29, and will leave the event shortly after to head to the Telluride Film Festival with director Pablo Larraín. Pitt, on the other hand, will arrive in Venice two days later on Saturday for the premiere of his film Wolfs.
"There's no possibility for them to meet each other at the Lido," Barbera stated, making it clear that the timing of their appearances was carefully planned.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 60, who have been embroiled in a contentious divorce process since Jolie filed for separation in 2016, continue to work through unresolved settlement issues. Despite nearly eight years since their split, sources indicate that negotiations are still ongoing. An insider close to the situation recently revealed that both sides are still in communication but have yet to reach a final agreement.
The couple, who were together for over a decade and married for two years, share six children: Maddox (23), Pax (20), Zahara (19), Shiloh (18), and twins Knox and Vivienne (16). In addition to their custody arrangements, the two are locked in a legal dispute over Château Miraval, the French winery they co-owned during their relationship.
On the professional front, Jolie's Maria is one of the films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The movie sees Jolie portraying renowned opera singer Maria Callas, with a cast that includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, and Haluk Bilginer. Larraín, known for films like Jackie and Spencer, directs the biographical drama.
Pitt stars in Wolfs, which reunites him with longtime friend and collaborator George Clooney. Directed by John Watts, known for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the action-thriller centers on two "lone-wolf" fixers assigned to the same job. The film, which will screen out of competition, also features Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Richard Kind.
The Venice Film Festival, one of the industry's most prestigious events, runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. Other high-profile attendees include Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix, Julianne Moore, Daniel Craig, and Michael Keaton, ensuring this year's event will be star-studded.
