The team behind opioid crime thriller “ King Ivory ” had a somewhat unorthodox journey to the Venice Film Festival this year. When a delayed flight from New York meant they missed their connection by a matter of minutes, the group of six — including stars Ben Foster and Melissa Leo , plus producer Jeremy Rosen and writer/director John Swab — found themselves in Munich on a long waitlist for the only other plane going to Venice that day. Thinking that the chances of them all getting seats were fairly slim, Rosen made what he describes as an “executive decision,” hiring a Mercedes Sprinter van for a seven-hour drive that took them from Germany into Italy through the Austrian Alps.
“It was truly like a camp trip...
a camp trip for privileged children,” he notes. There was also a hint of danger — Swab claims that about halfway into the ride, he spotted Rosen “falling asleep at the wheel.” Thankfully, they pulled over and switched.
But for all the drama, the journey proved to be worth it. Rosen and Swab’s first trip to the Venice Film Festival was rewarded with a string of solid reviews for “King Ivory,” which had its world premiere in the Horizon Extra competition. Featuring an intertwining series of tragic stories involving opioid traffickers, addicts, gangs and the police, the film — which alongside Leo and Foster also stars “Better Caul Saul” main cast member Michael Mando — was likened to a gritty “Traffic” for the fentanyl age.
The tri.