Riz, Stellan back SAG-AFTRA strike

Venom actor to skip Locarno, while Thor actor won’t accept award at the upcoming film fest

The SAG-AFTRA strikes have taken Hollywood by storm and affected it in more ways than one as their impact has affected global film festivals. Latest reports claim that high-profile stars like Riz Ahmed will be skipping the Locarno Film Festival, while Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, despite attending, will not accept his award in solidarity with the strikers.

Previously, the Venice Film Festival was affected much in the same way as several high-profile stars, directors and producers refused to attend. According to an international publication, Ahmed, best known for his roles in films like Venom and Sound of Metal, was set to receive the Davide Campari Excellence Award at Locarno. But now, he will be giving the festival a miss. 

However, the world premiere of his latest film, Dammi, will still take place on the opening night, while the screening of Mughal Mowgli in the Histoire(s) du cinema section will proceed according to schedule.

Skarsgard, who is known well for his roles in movies like Thor, Dune, Good Will Hunting, and serials like Chernobyl and Andor, will make an appearance, but won’t be accepting the Leopard Club Award he was set to receive, as a mark of his solidarity with the protestors.

Consequently, the awards ceremony set for August 4 and the conversation event planned for August 5 have both been cancelled, although Skarsgard will be in town for the screening of his new film, What Remains, in the Fuori concorso section.

In a statement, the Locarno Film Festival stated that it “sees the ongoing strike as a sign of the problems troubling the contemporary film industry.” It further added, “We support a constructive discussion and resolution between the parties involved and respectfully accept the decisions of our guests.”

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