Along with Oja Kodar, the film also stars John Houston, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg, Joseph McBride and Norman Foster. The film is based on two short stories written by Orson Welles and sculptor, director and actress Oja Kodar, Welles’ life partner. The Other Side of the Wind is produced by Netflix, which will have the film available on its platform at the end of the year.

Welles shot The Other Side of the Wind during the 1970s, but it remained unfinished until his death in 1985. Welles’ last film will now premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival out of competition.

‘For some time I thought it would be good to make a feature length documentary about all the problems struck by The Other Side of the Wind, but now I’m on the fence; maybe it’s better that the film has been made. In any case, I don’t want to see it before the public does,’ said Kodar. 

The Other Side of the Wind is about the final day of an aging film director, whose guests come to a celebration to see his latest film.

‘Innovative editing, superior acting, fresh direction – for years I’ve considered this film a hidden gem in the great director’s opus, a film that can now finally be presented to a wider audience,’ said Daniel Rafaelić, head of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. 

Producers Frank Marshall and Filip Jan Rymsz supervised the completion of Welles’ film.

‘We succeeded in gathering a talented postproduction team who helped us with the exciting challenge of finishing Orson’s last film. It was incredible to work with him 40 year ago and is now a great honour to finally bring his vision to the big screen,’ Marshall said, last year, in an interview for Variety upon signing an agreement with Netflix.

Oja Kodar, born in Zagreb as Olga Palinkaš, met Orson Welles in 1962 in Zagreb, where he was filming The Trial, based on the novel of the same name by Franz Kafka. Oja later worked with the director as an actress (The Deep), a co-writer (The Other Side of the Wind, F for Fake) and co-producer (The Dreamers, Don Quixote).

The 75th Venice International Film Festival will open with First Man, the latest film by Damien Chazelle, whose La La Land opened the 63rd edition of the festival. First Man, like La La Land, stars Ryan Gosling. The festival will, among others, include premieres of films by the Coen brothers, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Leigh and many more. Vanessa Redgrave will be presented with a lifetime achievement award. For more information please visit the Venice International Film Festival’s official website.

Cover photos: Oja Kodar, Gary Graver and Orson Welles; Orson Welles on the set of The Other Side of the Wind