Venice at a Crossroads

After eight years at the helm of Italy's most prestigious film event, rumors began to swirl about the unthinkable: Marco Mueller, the man credited with single-handedly returning the Venice International Film Festival to its former glory, was looking at other options. During the past year, he has remained typically cagey on the subject. Does he want more money? Is he bored? No one knows. What is certain, however, is that headhunters from other festivals have swooped in to try to woo the man who exerts significant influence over Italy's cultural power brokers.