International film journalists have spoken out at the Venice Film Festival about the lack of access to big talent including Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Lady Gaga, warning that “film journalism is facing extinction” if studios and publicists continue to keep them at bay.

While stars and filmmakers including Cate Blanchett and Sigourney Weaver appear on the red carpet and hold press conferences, in addition to a handful of interviews with top media, the majority of journalists attending the festival do not have access to big names.

They have now written an open letter to the industry warning that the situation is becoming untenable. An open letter has already collected the signatures of 50 journalists who have criticized the lack of access to Europe’s top festivals. In addition to Venice, the letter also points to Cannes and the Berlinale as being equally unsupportive of film and entertainment journalists, many of whom are freelance and rely on an exclusive quote to get a story published.

The letter was posted on the Facebook account of a group called International Film Festivals Journalists, which brings together more than 700 members, including journalists, film publicists and festival programmers. The group was founded in 2020 by Italian freelance journalist Marco Consoli during the lockdown, at a time when festivals were in crisis and in-person interviews were not possible.