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Raquel Carvalho

The premiere of director Martin Scorsese’s short film The Audition – produced to promote Melco Crown Entertainment’s new US$3.2 billion Hollywood-inspired Macau casino – was cancelled at the Venice Film Festival, allegedly due to “technical problems.”
“We have just been informed by the production that due to unexpected technical problems the film could not be here in time,” festival organisers said in a statement released on Saturday.

The inclusion of The Audition in the festival’s line-up came as a surprise, since the casino operator had said the film, which reportedly cost US$70 million to make, would make its debut at the opening of Studio City in Macau, scheduled for October 27. That intention was reiterated by Melco Crown co-chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho Yau-lung in a press conference in the gambling enclave on August 5.
Earlier this year, Brett Ratner, one of the producers, also said he was looking forward to the global premiere of the 16-minute film at the launch of Studio City.


A representative for the film told The Hollywood Reporter this week that producers had hoped it would be ready in time for Venice, but it was still in post-production.
As reported by the Sunday Morning Post, the film’s inclusion in the world’s oldest film festival – which runs between September 2 and 12 – had sparked controversy, since it was produced to promote Studio City.
“It’s not as though film festivals have been sacred places. There have always been compromises between art and commerce. But this is a bit new,” Dr Steve Fore, associate professor in the creative media school at Hong Kong’s City University, told the Post.

Despite the obvious promotional aim of the film, Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera argued that it was not an extended advert. “It’s a Scorsese film, not a commercial. The casino paid for the film, but it’s not in the film at all,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The 30-second teaser available on Studio City’s Facebook page shows a wide-shot of the Macau Studio City and then a scene in which Martin Scorsese is having dinner with Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. It’s the first time that the three Hollywood superstars have starred in a film together.



Martin Scorsese's star-studded film produced for Macau casino is pulled from Venice Film Festival

The inclusion of The Audition in the festival’s line-up came as a surprise. Photo: Studio City Macau

The film starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio is reported to cost US$70 million. Photo: Reuters; AP

Photo: Studio City Macau

Martin Scorsese-directed ad for new Macau casino to screen at Venice film festival

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Hong Kong