Russell Crowe brought a lifelong passion project to the Venice Film Festival on Friday night, premiering What Love Builds, a self-directed documentary chronicling his lesser-known career as a musician.
The film screened out of competition in the Sala Darsena, drawing an enthusiastic crowd that treated the screening like a concert, clapping and cheering throughout.
As Crowe entered the venue, one fan shouted, “We love you Russell Crowe!” The screening closed with a rowdy ovation that Crowe, visibly emotional and wiping away tears, chose to cut short by exiting the theater.
Assembled from roughly 15 years of work and drawing on footage spanning more than four decades, the documentary interweaves concert performances, archival photographs and interviews in which Crowe reflects on both his film and music careers.
Festival director Alberto Barbera has described it as functioning simultaneously as a concert film and a long autobiographical confession.
The project traces Crowe’s musical journey back to his teenage years in New Zealand, when he performed under the stage name Russ le Roq, through his work in bands including 30 Odd Foot of Grunts and the Ordinary Fear of God, up to his current group, Indoor Garden Party.
Musical collaborators including Alan Doyle, Carl Falk, Scott Grimes and Samantha Barks attended the premiere alongside him.
Speaking to reporters, Crowe addressed a question he says he’s frequently asked, whether he prefers acting or music, insisting the two are inseparable for him.
“As I think the film attempts to explain, the two things are just completely intertwined for me. There is no difference. Everything comes from the same creative source,” he said.
Crowe, 62, rose to international prominence in the late 1990s with roles in L.A. Confidential and The Insider, and won the Best Actor Oscar for Gladiator.
Distribution and release plans for What Love Builds have not yet been announced.
