Venice Premiere: 'Moolah' Offers a Reporter's Inside Look at Drug Trafficking

"Moolah," the directorial debut of crime journalist Jérôme Pierrat, will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival's Horizons section. The fiction film draws on Pierrat's reporting experience, following a struggling reporter who allies with a drug trafficker while awaiting a shipment near Marseille. Two exclusive clips have been released, offering a glimpse of the film's tense atmosphere.

Pierrat's journalism career investigating French organized crime lends unusual authenticity to this fiction debut, which he also stars in alongside a cast including Kader Benchoudar and Jean Ruimi. The 82-minute feature blends documentary-style techniques—direct-to-camera address and handheld footage—with a narrative centered on a reporter's precarious alliance with a cocaine trafficker near Marseille's port. Three production companies, including Iconoclast Films, which handles world sales, backed the project. The Horizons section placement signals Venice's recognition of emerging directorial voices, and the two released clips emphasize the film's gritty, observational tone.