PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Lorene Scafaria, director of the film Hustlers.
After Seeking a friend for the end of the world and The Meddler, Lorene Scafaria presents Hustlers starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. Inspired by the article published by New York Magazine entitled “The Hustlers at Scores” written by Jessica Pressler, the film follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. At the 14th Rome Film Fest, Lorene Scafaria talks about a line in the film that reflects its metaphoric intention to talk about today’s America and financial system: “This whole city, this whole country is one big strip club”. Hustlers celebrates sisterhood while managing not to judge its characters or their actions. Do women and female characters always need to justify, explain why they become villains? Lorene Scafaria comments on this big question arising from the film.
Hustlers: In 2007, Destiny has become a stripper so she can provide for herself and her grandmother; her life will change when she meets Ramona, the star of the strip joint, and the two immediately hit it off. Destiny learns how to win over her male audience from Ramona, and also that when you’re inside a corrupt system, you have to exploit the situation instead of being exploited. To that end, Ramona gives Destiny a complete rundown on her Wall Street customers at the club. From that point on, the two women start raking in much more money than they can ever spend, right up to the Great Recession of 2008. Destiny and Ramona are joined by two dancers, Mercedes and Annabelle, and make a stab at changing the rules of the game, but it quickly spirals out of their control.
From Ari Aster’s Eddington to Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, the 2025 Cannes Film Festival lineup is rich with cinematic giants and rising voices.
Project coordinator of MASO and Coordinator film Location at the IDM Film Fund, Renate Ranzi talks about their first experience with the project and launches the new Call of entries
German filmmaker Werner Herzog will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival (August 27 – September 6, 2025).