September 8, 2026, 7:44 pm
Elon Musk may have been nowhere near the Venice Film Festival, but his larger-than-life presence dominated the world premiere of Musk, the new documentary from Oscar winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.
The nearly four-hour film received a roughly five minute standing ovation Tuesday night at the Sala Grande, where the audience responded enthusiastically to Gibney’s probing examination of one of the world’s most powerful and controversial technology figures.
A few audience members could also be heard shouting “thank you” as the screening came to an end.
Yet the reaction was not entirely uncomplicated. While the documentary received a largely positive response, its 225-minute running time including a 10 minute intermission appeared to test the endurance of some viewers. The film’s often disturbing portrayal of Musk’s growing influence also left a visibly unsettled impression.
Rather than offering a conventional cradle-to-present biography, Gibney approaches Musk as a case study in the accumulation of extraordinary personal power.
Over the course of the film, the director examines Musk’s influence through his major business ventures, including Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink and X, while also exploring his increasingly prominent role in American politics and his relationship with Donald Trump’s political movement.
The project began in late 2022 and was initially expected to become a much shorter film. Gibney believed he had essentially completed a roughly two-hour version toward the end of 2024. But Musk’s expanding involvement in global and U.S. politics prompted the filmmaker to continue revising and enlarging the documentary.
The result is a sprawling investigation into the mythology surrounding Musk and the immense power that has accumulated around him.
Gibney has said the film seeks to look beyond the public image and technological hype surrounding Musk, focusing instead on what he considers the potentially dangerous consequences of concentrated and largely unchecked power.
Musk has publicly criticized the documentary since news of the project emerged.
After Gibney’s intentions became known in 2023, Musk described the film on X as a “hit-piece.” Gibney responded by questioning how Musk could know the film’s content before seeing it.
The dispute continued online, with Musk later referring to Gibney as a “douche.” The filmmaker responded with the single word: “Douché.”
The exchange has added another layer of controversy to a film already attracting considerable attention ahead of its release.
Musk fits comfortably within Gibney’s body of work, which has frequently focused on powerful individuals, corporations and institutions.
Gibney won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Taxi to the Dark Side, his investigation into U.S. military torture. He had previously received an Oscar nomination for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.
His other prominent documentaries include Going Clear, which examined Scientology; We Steal Secrets, about WikiLeaks; and The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, which focused on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
After its Venice premiere, Musk will continue its festival and awards-season journey, with the Toronto International Film Festival among its next major stops.
The documentary was produced by Gibney, Jessie Deeter and Erin Edeiken for Jigsaw Productions, alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent. Black Bear is handling international sales.
In the United States, Bleecker Street will release the film in select theaters on October 16, followed by a nationwide expansion on October 23.
Musk is screening in Venice out of competition and therefore is not eligible for the festival’s prestigious Golden Lion. Nevertheless, the documentary has emerged as one of the most closely watched titles in an unusually strong nonfiction lineup at this year’s festival, which runs through September 12.
