Well, well, well. The Venice Film Festival has finally decided to recognize what the art world has known for decades – Julian Schnabel isn’t just playing around with his camera. The announcement of his Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award feels less like news and more like a long-overdue confirmation of the obvious.
Schnabel – that delightfully uncontainable force who stormed through the ’70s New York art scene like a hurricane in paint-splattered clothes – has somehow managed to pull off the most improbable of creative pivots. Not content with merely dominating one artistic medium, he’s gone and mastered another, leaving a trail of stunned critics and transformed audiences in his wake.
“I never dreamed that I would become a filmmaker,” he says, with that characteristic blend of candor and nonchalance that’s become his trademark. “In fact, I am a painter.” Such delicious understatement from a man whose cinematic palette has proved as bold as his artistic one.
And speaking of bold – his latest venture, “In the Hand of Dante,” reads like a Hollywood dream team roster. Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, Al Pacino, John Malkovich… and just when you thought the cast couldn’t get any more impressive, Martin Scorsese steps in. The plot? A deliciously dark romp through New York’s criminal underbelly, centered around Dante’s Divine Comedy manuscript. In today’s landscape of predictable streaming fare (looking at you, 2025’s endless parade of AI-generated content), it’s refreshingly ambitious.
Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera didn’t mince words about Schnabel’s distinctive touch: “Each of Julian Schnabel’s films is a world of its own. None is like the one before or the one after.” Coming from Barbera, who’s seen enough films to fill several lifetimes, that’s saying something.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the audacity of Schnabel’s journey. From “Basquiat” to “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (which nabbed him that sweet Best Director prize at Cannes), to the breathtaking “At Eternity’s Gate” – each film feels like a painting come to life, each frame composed with the precise eye of someone who understands both stillness and motion.
What’s particularly fascinating about Schnabel’s evolution is his steadfast refusal to choose between his artistic loves. While lesser talents might have abandoned the brush for the camera, he’s maintained his presence in both worlds, creating a unique artistic language that speaks fluently in multiple mediums.
Scorsese – who’s not exactly known for empty praise – put it perfectly when describing Schnabel’s work as “abundant, overflowing and vibrating with life, pulse.” Coming from the man who practically wrote the book on modern cinema, that’s not just a compliment – it’s a coronation.
Mark your calendars for September 3rd, when the Sala Grande in Venice will host what promises to be one of those rare moments where high art and cinema collide in spectacular fashion. Though knowing Schnabel, he’ll probably show up in pajamas and still manage to make it look impossibly cool.
In an industry that increasingly feels like it’s playing it safe (how many superhero reboots are we up to now?), Schnabel’s recognition feels like a victory for artistic fearlessness. As we eagerly await “In the Hand of Dante,” one thing’s crystal clear – sometimes the most interesting stories happen when you refuse to acknowledge the existence of boundaries altogether.
Leave a Reply