Musk documentary by Alex Gibney premieres at Venice Film Festival

The new documentary ‘Musk’, directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, premiered at the Venice Film Festival to significant attention, including a four-minute standing ovation. The nearly four-hour film provides an investigative portrait of Elon Musk, tracing his trajectory from early tech ambitions to his current status as a highly polarizing global figure.

Gibney describes the film as an attempt to deconstruct the billionaire’s carefully cultivated mythology, exploring the intersection of his technological achievements at SpaceX and Tesla with his controversial political influence and personal life. The documentary utilizes an AI-generated avatar of Musk to simulate interviews based on his public statements, a choice intended to highlight the tension between his narrative and reality.

Key contributors to the film include individuals from Musk’s inner circle, such as his first wife Justine Musk and Ashley St. Clair, a mother of one of his children. St. Clair testified at the premiere that she had previously refused a $40 million non-disclosure agreement to speak about her experiences. The film also addresses Musk’s acquisition of X (formerly Twitter) and his impact on global political discourse.