‘Waltzing With Brando’ Set For Torino Premiere With Billy Zane In Tow

Billy Zane is set to make the trek to Italy’s Torino Film Festival which has secured the world premiere of hotly anticipated indie film “Waltzing With Brando” directed by Bill Fishman  in which Zane plays Marlon Brando during the period when he was preparing to star in “The Godfather” and “Last Tango in Paris.”

“Waltzing With Brando,” which is is based on a memoir by the iconic actor’s architect, Bernard Judge, is the tale of how Brando plucked Judge, who was then an idealistic Los Angeles architect, from his stable existence and convinced him that he should build the world’s first ecologically perfect retreat on the tiny uninhabitable Tahitian island of Tetiaroa.

The bulk of the film was shot on Tetiaroa, where Brando and Judge tried to spearhead sustainable architecture and practices.

“Waltzing With Brando” has been set as the closing film of Torino which is also celebrating the centennial of Marlon Brando’s birth with a 24-title retrospective of films featuring the groundbreaking two-time Oscar winner, known for his naturalistic acting style and rebellious streak.

The fest’s upcoming 42nd edition, which will run Nov. 22-30, will be the first under new artistic director Giulio Base who is revamping Italy’s preeminent event for young directors and indie cinema.

Base is understandably proud that Zane, who is renowned for his memorable role as Cal Hockley in “Titanic,” is making the trek with Fishman to present the film. “You won’t believe it: he is possessed by Marlon Brando,” Base tells Variety.

As previously announced, Ron Howard’s survival thriller “Eden,” starring Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney, has been set as the Torino opener with the director in tow, marking the film’s international festival bow following its Toronto launch.

The full Torino lineup will be announced on Nov. 7