Alex Gibney's Four-Hour Documentary on Elon Musk Premieres at Venice Film Festival
The nearly four-hour documentary "Musk," directed by Alex Gibney, debuted at the Venice Film Festival to a standing ovation, offering an investigative look at Elon Musk's influence across technology and politics.
Alex Gibney's documentary "Musk," which runs 225 minutes with a brief intermission, premiered on Tuesday at the Venice Film Festival. The film, described by the Oscar-winning director as an effort to pull back the hype surrounding the tech entrepreneur, examines Musk's expanding role in areas such as electric vehicles, space launch services, satellite internet, and his involvement in U.S. political movements.
The screening concluded with a five-minute standing ovation from the audience in the Sala Grande.
"How would you know?" Gibney replied to Musk's criticism of the project as a "hit-piece."
Musk, who has publicly dismissed the documentary, previously called the filmmaker a "douche," to which Gibney responded in kind.
The documentary, produced by Gibney, Jessie Deeter and Erin Edeiken for Jigsaw Productions along with several partner companies, will continue its festival circuit at the Toronto International Film Festival before opening in select U.S. theaters on October 16 and expanding nationwide on October 23. It is being shown out of competition at Venice and is not eligible for the Golden Lion award.