Kevin Spacey ignored the usual etiquette by appearing at his second film festival in a year, aiming to rebuild his career after multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
Just three months after surprising appearances in Cannes, he showed up at the prestigious Venice Film Festival on Friday to relaunch himself despite little indication that Hollywood is ready to welcome him back.
At 66, Kevin Spacey presented a trailer for his low-budget sci-fi thriller Holiguard Saga – Portal of Force at an event held at Venice’s luxurious Hotel Cipriani.
Festival officials made it clear the event was independent and not affiliated with the Venice Film Festival. This film marks Spacey’s first directorial effort in 21 years, and he hopes it will kickstart a franchise.
Filmed last year in Mexico, Holiguard Saga – Portal of Force stars Kevin Spacey alongside action star Dolph Lundgren and Eric Roberts, who has faced struggles with addiction.
The event was funded by Elledgy Media Group, whose founder, Elvira Paterson-Gavrilova, praised the film’s ambitious and honest storytelling.
However, the project faces controversy because the film’s writer, producer, and actor, Vladimir “Lado” Okhotnikov, is wanted by U.S. authorities for alleged involvement in a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme tied to the Forsage platform.
Okhotnikov co-wrote the film based on his ideas and is listed as a producer through his company, Lado Film.
The U.S. Department of Justice describes the case as a Ponzi and pyramid scheme that defrauded investors worldwide of about $340 million. If convicted, Vladimir Okhotnikov—who denies the charges—faces up to 20 years in prison. He remains outside U.S. jurisdiction and has not been arrested.
In an email to Variety, Okhotnikov called the accusations “unfounded,” saying no evidence or court rulings have been presented against him. He criticized media coverage for treating the indictment as proof of guilt and noted that no further legal action has been taken in nearly three years.
He added that the indictment’s widespread publication has caused him significant harm beyond his reputation.
The Portal of Force, with a $10 million budget, is set in a near-future world where two ancient warrior factions secretly battle for control over humanity amid hidden supernatural forces.
Elledgy Media Group, the main producer and financier of The Portal of Force, clarified that Vladimir Okhotnikov didn’t invest in the film. His producer credit was given because the production used his studio and post-production facilities in Dubai, where he lives.
The film’s gala dinner marks another effort by Kevin Spacey to rebuild his reputation. He recently attended the Amfar charity gala and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at a dinner hosted by the Better World organization. This event was held at the Carlton Hotel’s beach club and was not an official festival function.
The Better World Fund was founded by American entrepreneur Ted Turner, formerly married to Jane Fonda. In his acceptance speech, Spacey thanked the organization’s president, Manuel Collas de La Roche, saying, “Who would have thought honoring someone exonerated in every courtroom would be seen as brave? But here we are.”
In 2022, Spacey was found not liable in a New York civil sexual abuse case, and in 2023, he was cleared of sexual assault charges in London after a month-long trial.
At the gala, Spacey compared his struggles to those of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, and praised actor Kirk Douglas for publicly supporting Trumbo.
Kevin Spacey spoke about the backlash actor Kirk Douglas faced for defending fellow screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, saying Douglas noted that playing heroes on screen is easier than standing up for justice in real life. Spacey reflected on the importance of standing up for principles and warned that history often repeats itself if we allow it.
Since the 2017 sexual misconduct scandal, Spacey has fought to restore his reputation, freedom, and finances. He lost homes and wealth after multiple legal battles and was effectively blacklisted in Hollywood following actor Anthony Rapp’s claim that Spacey behaved inappropriately toward him when Rapp was 14. Other allegations of sexual misconduct on the set of House of Cards also emerged.
Kevin Spacey has denied all allegations but apologized to Anthony Rapp and stated he was seeking evaluation and treatment. Two years ago, he was acquitted in the UK of nine assault charges related to his time at the Old Vic, though legal cases in the US continue.
Recently, Spacey teamed up with producers of House of Cards in a $150 million lawsuit against the show’s insurers to avoid personal bankruptcy. The producers had previously sued Spacey for $30 million, blaming his behavior for costly suspensions, but agreed to reduce that to $1 million if he joined their lawsuit.
They are now claiming Spacey had “compulsive sexual behaviour disorder” in 2017, arguing this illness caused him to leave the show and should trigger insurance payouts. However, the insurers want the case dismissed, arguing Spacey and the producers can’t claim both that he was too sick to work and that he was suspended because of the scandal.