The 83rd Venice International Film Festival, running from 2 to 12 September on the Lido, will showcase major auteurs, international stars and a strong Italian presence.
Artistic director Alberto Barbera presented the official programme at a press conference in Rome, stressing that cinema continues to prove itself “a living organism, capable of constantly regenerating”, despite the fall in cinema audiences.
This year around 4,500 films were viewed, up from 4,200 last year, a sign of an ever more vibrant global production. According to Barbera, the programme reflects the major issues of our time – war, the climate crisis, migration, social and family tensions – told through the language of cinema.
Danny Boyle – making his Venice debut – will open the Festival with “Ink” on the evening of 2 September.
Five Italian films competing for the Golden Lion
Italy will take centre stage with five films in competition, entrusted to some of the most important names in national cinema.
The most eagerly awaited return is that of Nanni Moretti, back in the running for the Golden Lion after 37 years with “Succederà questa notte”. Strict secrecy still surrounds the film, but the first teaser has already piqued the interest of fans: the lead is Louis Garrel, alongside Jasmine Trinca, Hippolyte Girardot and Angela Finocchiaro. The images show Garrel in a basketball scene that clearly evokes the celebrated Michele Apicella from Bianca, one of the many nods to Moretti’s own cinema.
Also competing are Edoardo De Angelis with “Il fuoco che ti porti dentro”, starring Vanessa Scalera, Andrea Pallaoro with “The Echo Chamber”, Paolo Strippoli with “L’Estranea” and Marco Bechis with “Ritorno a Buenos Aires”. The five titles range from more established auteur cinema to the new voices of Italian directing, confirming the Festival’s ambition to champion productions capable of portraying the present through different styles and cinematic languages.
The most hotly anticipated from around the world
The international competition brings together some of the most acclaimed directors on the global scene.
Florian Zeller, Oscar winner for The Father, comes to Venice with “Bunker”, a psychological thriller starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
There is great anticipation too for Martin McDonagh, the filmmaker behind The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, who presents “Wild Horse Nine” with Sam Rockwell, his favourite leading man.
Among the most eagerly awaited titles is “Primetime” by Lance Oppenheim, with Robert Pattinson, while Casey Affleck directs “Company”, starring veteran actor Nick Nolte.
German master Werner Herzog returns with “Bucking Fastard”, entrusting the leading roles to sisters Kate and Rooney Mara, while Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the Palme d’Or in 2018 with Shoplifters, brings “Look Back” to the Lido.
Rounding out the international panorama is the new work by Japanese cult director Shinya Tsukamoto, “Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?”, once again underlining the Festival’s vocation for sparking dialogue between major auteur cinema from every corner of the globe.
One of the most heavily represented industries is France, with four films in competition: Stéphane Brizé presents “Un bon petit soldat”, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Vincent Lindon; Cédric Kahn directs “15/18 (A Place to Heal)”; as mentioned, Florian Zeller returns behind the camera with “Bunker”; while Nicolas Pariser brings “Un peu avant minuit” to the Lido.
There is a debut in the main competition for Iranian director Ali Asgari, already acclaimed in the Orizzonti section with Divine Comedy, who this year is vying for the Golden Lion with A Bit of Light.
The only woman in competition is Danish director of Egyptian origin May el-Toukhy, contesting with her second feature, Woman Unknown.
Completing the line-up of international auteurs is Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, who continues his ambitious cinematic project dedicated to Soviet physicist Lev Landau with the new chapter in the Dau saga, developed over more than twenty years.
Out of competition: Amelio, Martone, Guadagnino and a documentary on Renzo Rosso
The out-of-competition programme is also rich, particularly in the Venice Open section.
Among the Italian titles stands out “Nessun Dolore” by Gianni Amelio, starring Alessandro Borghi, Valeria Golino and Valerio Mastandrea.
Another hugely anticipated film is “Scherzetto” by Mario Martone, based on Domenico Starnone’s novel of the same name, with Toni Servillo in the lead role of Daniele Mallarico. The film follows the relationship between an elderly widowed illustrator and his lively five-year-old grandson, in a story that moves between irony, memory and reflections on the passing of time. The cast also includes Serena Rossi, Leonardo Lidi, Lorenzo Perrotta and Gianluca Di Gennaro.
Among the special events, a highlight is “Joie de vivre”, Luca Guadagnino’s monumental documentary dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci. The work, which runs for around seven hours, offers a journey through the filmography of the director from Parma, blending analysis, first-hand accounts and reflections on modern cinema. Barbera has described it as “an experience you simply cannot tear your eyes away from”.
There is also curiosity about “Be Brave”, a documentary by Francesco Carrozzini dedicated to entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, the founder of Diesel. It is the first Italian feature-length documentary to be made entirely using artificial intelligence as a creative tool, while still preserving the director’s full artistic control.
Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement and a short film on Marilyn Monroe
One of the most prestigious moments of the 2026 edition will be the presentation of the Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn.
Burstyn has starred in film masterpieces such as The Exorcist (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More (1974), which earned her an Oscar, and Requiem for a Dream (2000). She will receive the honour ahead of the screening of “Flash Impact”, a short film directed by jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal and dedicated to the myth of Marilyn Monroe, marking the centenary of the actress’s birth. The film features Ellen Burstyn and Dakota Johnson, each offering a different interpretation of Marilyn’s figure.
Barbera: “Cinema continues to tell the story of our times”
Presenting the line-up, Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice International Film Festival, rejected gloomy predictions about the future of the seventh art.
“For sceptics, it would be enough to step into a cinema where Christopher Nolan’s Odissea is being shown to realise that cinema is anything but moribund,” the artistic director said.
According to Barbera, cinema remains the privileged place for interpreting contemporary life: not mere reporting, but a medium capable of transforming present-day events into universal stories. With this spirit, the 83rd Venice Film Festival is preparing to turn the spotlight on the Lido, once again confirming its status as one of the world’s leading events devoted to auteur cinema.
