Horizon: An American Saga will saga continue at the Venice International Film Festival

Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter Two may be down, but brother, it is not out. Not long ago Warner Bros. and Kevin Costner’s Territory Pictures scrapped splashy plans to debut the second installment in theaters just weeks after Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter One. After everything Costner went through to get these movies made, it was a troubling development. But, no matter the mixed reviews or disappointing box office numbers for the first film, the greater cinematic community still supports the filmmaker’s big swing, as evidenced by Chapter Two having its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. 

Not only will Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter Two screen out of competition at the renowned event, the festival will also have a showing of Chapter One the same day, according to Deadline. That way, people can appreciate the saga as a saga, as Costner intended. “This late addition to the lineup of the Venice Film Festival pays a heartfelt and respectful tribute to the visionary project of a great actor and director, who invested himself in the epic reconstruction of the years crucial to the founding of the country, digging beyond myth in search of authenticity capable of restoring a piece of history in its complex and contradictory reality,” Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera said in a statement. 

In his own statement, Costner said it was “always” his dream to screen Chapter Two at Venice. “The fact that now they have decided to show Chapter One earlier in the day and then the World Premiere of Chapter Two that evening shows not only their belief in how the two films work together but their support of a director’s vision,” the director said. “I’m indebted to Alberto Barbera for his courage and leadership in committing to this cinematic journey.  It is with gratitude and excitement that I return to the Venice Film Festival. Long live the movies and those willing to stand for them.”