A spitting scandal and 13-minute ovation: The biggest moments from 2022's Venice Film Festival.

In case you missed it, the Venice Film Festival is currently on.

Each year there is fancy fashion, celebrity interactions and talk of the upcoming Academy Award nominations, but mostly, this is the kind of event that comes and goes without too much commotion. 

It's a classy affair you see, put on by La Biennale di Venezia, one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world.

So far in 2022, however, it's been well and truly overshadowed by... mess. Sure, there's all the usual stuff - the gowns, the films, the performances - but there is also a lot of talk about that movie you cannot stop hearing about, Don't Worry Darling, and a Timmy Chalamet meets Narnia crossover we didn't see coming.

We certainly haven't seen drama like this arrive in one of the infamous water taxis in a while.

We've rounded up all the biggest Venice moments - the juicy gossip and the prestige film takes - so far.

The Don't Worry Darling of it all.

This is the messiest film rollout I can recall and oh my god... I'm living for it (for a full rundown on the BTS drama, we have you covered here.)

After months of rumours, speculation and pointed quotes, the cast of Don't Worry Darling arrived at Venice for their first engagement as a group.

Florence Pugh, who leads the Olivia Wilde directed movie, skipped the photo call and press conference to begin the day, only arriving in Venice in time to walk the red carpet for its premiere. 

At the conference, Wilde dodged a journalist question about 'clearing the air' on Pugh's absence, saying that she loved Pugh's work in the movie and didn't want to feed "endless tabloid gossip".

Then, when Pugh did arrive for the red carpet and screening, there was absolutely no interaction between Pugh and Wilde. Or Wilde and boyfriend Harry Styles. Or Pugh and Styles.

Image: Getty. 

Poor Gemma Chan, Chris Pine and Nick Kroll were (literally) placed in the middle of those three, like they were siblings needing to be broken up because they can't stop fighting.

It's just so... weird.

To make matters even worse, early reviews of the movie have been... not good. It's currently got a 39 per cent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

At least the memes have been funny.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mamamia (@mamamiaaus)

Is there anyone left who is NOT worrying at this point?

A SPITTING SCANDAL.

This deserves its own subheading.

Because who could have foreseen the greatest mystery of our time being: 'did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine in front of hundreds of people, at the premiere of their highly anticipated film?'

Truly, what a timeline.

This is the video that has everyone wondering...

#HarryStyles appears to spit on Chris Pine i won't sleep until i know the truth pic.twitter.com/wLXjIHTYgU

— JZMaclin (@Mac70J) September 6, 2022

Honestly, it's unclear. And the internet loves to make a mountain out of a molehill. Like, WHY WOULD HE? 

But also... I can't stop watching that clip. Spit or not, SOMETHING happens. Why does Chris Pine look down? Why does he stop clapping? What in the actual hell is going on with this film?

Brendan Fraser's 'comeback'.

The internet has been rooting for The Mummy star Brendan Fraser for years - so much so, that he cried in an interview when he was informed how much love and support he had online.

The 53-year-old had spent a decade or so away from Hollywood, partially for mental health reasons, and (allegedly) partially because of being shut out after alleging the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Philip Berk assaulted him at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2003.

He's ready for his comeback - and what a way to do it.

Fraser is the star of Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller The Whale, and has received critical acclaim since the film's premiere at Venice.

Fraser was emotional when receiving an eight-minute standing ovation from the crowd. At one point, he tried to leave the theatre but the outpouring of support was so loud; he stayed longer and took a bow. 

The standing ovation for #TheWhale was so enthusiastic, Brendan Fraser tried to leave the theater but the crowd’s applause made him stay. #Venezia79 pic.twitter.com/ZZ0vbFX7Rl

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 4, 2022

All the best press conference and red carpet moments.

Other than lewks, (check out our red carpet post here for the event's best fashion moments), this year's Venice red carpet has provided us plenty of talked about moments.

Like Chris Pine (pre-spitgate) photographing Florence Pugh with a disposable camera:

Image: Getty. 

And Timothée Chalamet channeling his inner (chic) Mr Tumnus, only hours after declaring "societal collapse is in the air".

Image: Getty/20th Century Fox. 

he played kyle in lady bird and never went back pic.twitter.com/L7wMjDlisO

— i want to bailey-ve 🛸 (@been_herde) September 2, 2022

After all that, Timmy/Mr Tumnus went viral yet again for completely misreading an (albeit: strange) situation and stealing a fan's sunglasses:

not timothée in his criminal era 😭pic.twitter.com/x9CZcZJW7E

— paige (@laurieslaurence) September 3, 2022

Speaking of viral, Chris Pine may be the new King of Viral Moments. Him disassociating at the Don't Worry Darling press conference, particularly as Harry Styles talks about how he likes Don't Worry Darling because it "feels like a movie", became a major meme:

somebody get chris pine outta there #Venezia79 pic.twitter.com/zmYxmvpbka

— bethany (@fiImgal) September 5, 2022

you can almost see the screams catching in his throat pic.twitter.com/AXtiPAd4zx

— anna (@romansgerri) September 5, 2022

I also need to shout out this incredibly wholesome moment between Adam Driver and White Noise director Noah Baumbach:

Image: Getty. 

And give Jodie Turner-Smith praise for being an absolute ICON at every single event:

Image: Getty. 

Colin Farrell wins the standing ovation Olympics.

Once upon a time, standing ovations at film festivals were reserved for the best of the best. These days, everyone gets one. Which, if you think too long and hard about it (guilty), means no one really gets one, ya know?

But do you know who DID get one? A REAL ONE?

Colin effing Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and director Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin, which has already emerged as a major Oscars contender.

The film is a comedy-drama of two best buddies (Farrell and Gleeson) who suddenly end their lifelong friendship, with alarming consequences for both of them and the community of their small Irish island home.

‘The Banshees of Inishirin’ is the breakout darling of #Venice79 landing a 13-minute standing ovation for Colin Farrell and Martin McDonagh, the longest of the festival so far. pic.twitter.com/dyNCKzBPw5

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 5, 2022

Following its premiere at the festival, it received a 13-minute standing ovation, only exacerbated by an excited Farrell running around the theatre taking selfies and playing up for the crowd.

I simply cannot imagine clapping that long for anything.

And can I just say.... this sentence, from a Variety recap of the celebration, is so funny, given everything outlined above: "The love for The Banshees of Inisherin was so intense, with the crowd leaping to its feet with such passion, that the film's big moment started to bleed into the red carpet debut of Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling."

The Oscar frontrunners have emerged.

Cannes and Venice are perhaps the most prestigious, famous precursory events to the Academy Awards — often predicting the following year's Oscar winners.

It's in the numbers: eight of the last 10 best director Oscars have gone to films that premiered at Venice, including this year's winner Jane Campion for Power of the Dog.

So, in an effort to balance the spit-related drama with prestige, let's talk the Academy Awards.

Along with Farrell and the rest of The Banshees of Inisherin team, there are already whispers and bets being made about who else could score a nomination in January.

Also making buzz is Tár, starring Cate Blanchett as a renowned classical conductor and composer, Fraser for The Whale, Director Luca Guadagnino and Chalamet for cannibal romance film (really) Bones & All, and Baumbach's White Noise.

There's still plenty to come too: we still have Netflix's Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, starring Ana de Armas, to look forward to.

One person who hasn't been spotted on the Oscar predictions lists is... Harry Styles. Sorry, everyone. I'm sure he'll be fine.

The Venice Film Festival continues until September 10, so here's hoping more mess is only a water taxi ride away.

Chelsea McLaughlin is Mamamia's Senior Entertainment Writer and co-host of The Spill. For more pop culture takes, recommendations and sarcasm, you can follow her on Instagram. 

Feature image: Twitter.