Alex Gibney's Bold Elon Musk Documentary Unsettles Venice at Well-Received World Premiere

The Oscar-winning filmmaker's nearly four-hour portrait picks apart the tech mogul's mythology while examining his growing influence over tech, politics and American democracy. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk walks to the stage to speak alongside Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. The world's richest man wasn't in the building — nor would the troll king ever want to be, seemingly — butand the growing power he wields received a five-minute standing ovation from the appreciative crowd, with a couple of people shouting 'thank you,' inside the Sala Grande. The film received a very positive reception but its nearly four-hour runtime and the deeply unsettling nature of Gibney's portrayal also seemed to have exhausted the crowd.is less a straightforward biography than a relentless investigation into how its subject has accumulated such extraordinary influence over world affairs — from Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink to X and his co-pilot seat inside Donald Trump's political movement. Gibney began the project in late 2022 and believed he had finished a roughly two-hour film in late 2024 — only to keep expanding it as Musk became increasingly enmeshed in global politics. The version screening in Venice runs 225 minutes, plus a 10-minute intermission. Gibney has described the film as an attempt to pull back the curtain on the hype and mythology surrounding Musk and instead examine what the director views as an increasingly troubling concentration of unchecked power combined with dangerous impulses.since it was announced. After Gibney's intentions were revealed in 2023, Musk dismissed it on X as a 'hit-piece,' prompting the director to reply, 'How would you know? ' Musk later called Gibney a 'douche,' to which Gibney simply responded: 'Douché. 'was produced by Gibney, Jessie Deeter and Erin Edeiken for Jigsaw Productions, with Zhang Xin's Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent also producing. Black Bear is handling international sales. Bleecker Street will open the film in select U.S. theaters Oct. 16 before expanding nationwide Oct. 23.is screening in Venice out of competition, so it is not eligible for the Golden Lion. The documentary is one of the marquee titles in an especially strong nonfiction lineup at this year's festival, which runs through Sept. 12. Josh Heuston to Star in Amazon MGM's 'Throttled' Adaptation of Lauren Asher's Bestselling 'Dirty Air' SeriesThe Hollywood Reporter is a part of PMX Global, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All rights reserved.