Julia Roberts found herself at the heart of a heated discussion during the Venice Film Festival press conference for her new film, “After the Hunt.” The thriller, set within the competitive world of higher education, immediately sparked controversy over its themes concerning the #MeToo movement and cancel culture. Roberts stars as Alma Olsson, a beloved Ivy League college professor whose life takes an unexpected turn when her mentee, Maggie Price (Ayo Edebiri), accuses a friend and colleague, Henrik “Hank” Gibson (Andrew Garfield), of crossing a serious line.

During the press conference, a journalist suggested that “After the Hunt” was undermining the feminist movement and “reviving old arguments” about believing women who speak up about sexual assault allegations. Roberts, known for her candidness, did not directly address the query about undermining feminism but emphasized the film’s intention to provoke difficult conversations. “Not to be disagreeable, because it’s not in my nature,” Roberts stated with a laugh, “but the thing you said that I love is it ‘revives old arguments.’ I don’t think it’s just reviving an argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting each other. There are a lot of old arguments that get rejuvenated that creates conversation.” She added, “The best part of your question is that you all came out of the theater talking about it. That’s how we wanted it to feel. You realize what you believe in strongly because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome.”

Roberts firmly denied that the film was attempting to stoke controversy, expressing concern that society is “losing the art of conversation in humanity right now.” She clarified the film’s purpose: “We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time. I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation. To be excited or infuriated about it is up to you. If making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing that I think we could accomplish.” Director Luca Guadagnino echoed this sentiment, describing the film as “looking at people in their truths. It’s not that one truth is most important, it’s how we see the clash of truths and what is the boundary of these truths together. It’s not about making a manifesto to revive old-fashioned values.” Roberts lightened the mood by humorously jabbing, “I love the softball questions early in the morning.”

Later on Friday evening, “After the Hunt” premiered to an emotional reception on the Lido, earning a six-minute standing ovation. Julia Roberts was visibly moved, wiping away tears, blowing kisses to the appreciative crowd, and embracing her director and co-stars Edebiri (who also teared up) and Garfield. On the red carpet, Guadagnino and Roberts paused to sign autographs amidst cheers of “Julia!” and “Luca!”, while Andrew Garfield endeared himself to fans by taking selfies in his sharp blue suit.

The R-rated film, playing out of competition at Venice, also features Guadagnino regulars Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny in supporting roles. The script marks Nora Garrett’s feature screenwriting debut, with production handled by Guadagnino, Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody, and Allan Mandelbaum. Executive producers include Garrett, Karen Lunder, Justin Wilkes, and Alice Dawson. In a rare moment of levity during the tense press conference, Roberts playfully instructed her fellow cast members to simultaneously open their cans of water to avoid disrupting their upcoming statements, prompting Garfield to joke about her on-set demands.

Luca Guadagnino, the Italian auteur, boasts an extensive history with the Venice Film Festival. He was last at Venice with “Queer,” his William S. Burroughs’ adaptation starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, which received a nine-minute standing ovation. Over the years, Guadagnino has premiered numerous films on the Lido, including his directorial debut “The Protagonists” (1999), the documentary “Cuoco Contadino” (2004), Desire Trilogy installments “I Am Love” (2009) and “A Bigger Splash” (2015) with Tilda Swinton, “Suspiria” (2018) starring Dakota Johnson, his Ferragamo documentary “The Shoemaker of Dreams” (2020), and the romantic horror “Bones and All” (2022) with Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, which earned him the Silver Lion for best direction. While Guadagnino is a festival veteran, Roberts, Garfield, and Edebiri are making their Venice Film Festival debuts with “After the Hunt.”

“After the Hunt,” an Amazon MGM Studios release, is slated for a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles on October 10, with a wider expansion planned for October 17.