Ellen Burstyn, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, Luca Guadagnino, Alex Gibney, and Francesco Carrozzini among the films and protagonists of the second week at the Lido.
From September 7 to 10, the Venice Film Festival enters its second week with new films in competition, documentaries, awards, and international protagonists. Ellen Burstyn receives the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem return to the screen together, Luca Guadagnino tells the story of Bernardo Bertolucci, Alex Gibney tackles the figure of Elon Musk, and on Thursday Naza arrives, a documentary added later to the official selection.
In the new Caffè con Venezia da Vivere, Pietro Gallina selects the most interesting films, protagonists, and stories to see at the Lido.
Monday, September 7, 2026
Ellen Burstyn receives the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement
The second week of the Film Festival opens with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement awarded to Ellen Burstyn, a protagonist of over seventy years of American cinema. An Academy Award winner for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore by Martin Scorsese, the actress has worked with directors such as Peter Bogdanovich, Paul Schrader, Darren Aronofsky, Christopher Nolan, and William Friedkin, who directed her in The Exorcist.
Following the ceremony, Ellen Burstyn is also among the performers in Flesh Impact by Maggie Gyllenhaal, alongside Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi. The short film pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth.
Boatbuilders tells the story of boat builders’ work
With a focus on Venetian artisans and the water-related production culture, we highlight Boatbuilders by American director Luke Lorentzen. The documentary follows the work, effort, and human stories surrounding the construction of traditional boats in a small community tied to the sea.
Other films on Monday
In competition, Look Back by Hirokazu Koreeda will be presented in the Sala Grande at 5:00 PM, and L’estranea by Paolo Strippoli with Jasmine Trinca, Adriano Giannini, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi at 7:30 PM.
For the Orizzonti section, the schedule includes Yak Mai (The Burning Giants) by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng in the Sala Darsena at 2:15 PM, and I figli della scimmia by Tommaso Landucci with Riccardo Scamarcio at 5:15 PM. Out of competition, Arrested Memory by Sabu and No Paradise If You Are Killed By A Woman by Halkawt Mustafa.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem together in Bunker
The film in competition Bunker by Florian Zeller brings Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem back to the screen together, with Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger. The thriller tells the story of a couple whose long marriage is tested by the construction of a survival bunker in a world dominated by fears and ethical dilemmas. Bunker is scheduled in the Sala Grande at 7:00 PM.
Nick Nolte returns to Venice with Company
Casey Affleck presents Company, his third feature film as a director, starring Nick Nolte, who returns to the Festival after more than twenty years. The film weaves together stories set in different eras and addresses grief, revenge, fear, and forgiveness. It is scheduled in the Sala Grande at 9:45 PM.
Luca Guadagnino tells the story of Bernardo Bertolucci
Luca Guadagnino receives the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award and brings Joie de Vivre to the Festival, an extensive documentary project dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci. Through testimonies, interviews, and materials about the director, Guadagnino reconstructs his life, his cinema, and the influence he exerted on subsequent generations.
Alex Gibney brings Elon Musk to the Festival
Out of competition comes Musk, the new documentary by Oscar winner Alex Gibney. After chronicling controversial figures of economic, political, and media power, the director tackles Elon Musk, conducting an investigation into power, its representation, and its abuses.
Other films on Tuesday
For Orizzonti, the schedule includes Una storia by Anna Foglietta with Alba Rohrwacher, Guido Caprino, and Elio De Capitani, and A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra by Jacqueline Lentzou.
Other appointments of the day include Weichen (Dust) by Tsai Ming-liang, Juso per ferie by Karen Di Porto, and Il primo della classe by Andrea Ricciotti, winner of the 8th edition of La Realtà Che Non Esiste, featuring a live performance by Tredici Pietro.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Stéphane Brizé returns to competition
Stéphane Brizé returns to the Venice competition for the fourth time with Un bon petit soldat, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Vincent Lindon. The film follows Carla, a professional struggling with the difficult balance between corporate well-being, economic goals, and personal compromises. It is scheduled in the Sala Grande at 7:45 PM.
Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi, and Pamela Anderson in Place To Be
Among the out-of-competition titles is Place To Be by Kornél Mundruczó, starring Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi, and Pamela Anderson. The film is a road movie about friendship and time, built around the journey of an elderly couple across the United States to bring home a lost racing pigeon. It is scheduled in the Sala Giardino at 4:45 PM.
Other films on Wednesday
Other films of the day include: Union Town by Barbara Kopple, Dau by Ilya Khrzhanovsky, and Il fuoco che ti porti dentro by Edoardo De Angelis with Vanessa Scalera, Lino Musella, and Tommaso Ragno. For Orizzonti, La Moula by Jérôme Pierrat and The Color of the Sun by Xavier Tera.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Naza, the documentary on the war in Gaza, enters the competition
Naza by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor is the only documentary in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Added later to the official selection, the film was shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv and investigates the systems used by Israeli intelligence in planning bombings on the Gaza Strip.
The title refers to a military acronym used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike. The documentary stems from revelations published between 2023 and 2025 by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian, and is produced by The Guardian and James Wilson, with Jonathan Glazer as executive producer. Naza will be presented on Thursday, September 10, in the Sala Grande at 5:15 PM.
Francesco Carrozzini tells the story of Renzo Rosso and artificial intelligence
Presented out of competition is Be Brave by Francesco Carrozzini, dedicated to Renzo Rosso, the Venetian entrepreneur and founder of Diesel and the OTB group. The documentary traces his personal and professional history and uses artificial intelligence as part of the production and narrative process, questioning the relationship between human creativity, technology, reality, and fiction. It is scheduled in the Sala Grande at 2:30 PM.
Serena Rossi receives the Campari Passion for Film award
In the Sala Grande, the Campari Passion for Film award will be presented to Serena Rossi. The ceremony precedes the out-of-competition screening of Scherzetto by Mario Martone, starring Serena Rossi and Toni Servillo. The film explores memory, family, and the relationship between generations.
Other films on Thursday
The second film in competition of the day is Un peu avant minuit by Nicolas Pariser with Melvil Poupaud and Chiara Mastroianni, in the Sala Grande at 7:15 PM. For Orizzonti, the schedule includes Cudze Rzeczy (What Belongs to Others) by Grzegorz Dębowski and Do Kraja Dana (Until the Day Ends) by Jelena Maksimović.
Venezia da Vivere and VeneziaCinema follow the 2026 Film Festival from the Lido, covering films, protagonists, and everything happening around the festival.
Javier Bardem alla Mostra del Cinema di Venezia. Foto Rossana Viola
Penélope Cruz e Javier Bardem insieme sul set di Bunker, di Florian Zeller, in concorso. Foto Rossana Viola
Vincent Lindon alla Mostra del Cinema di Venezia. Foto Rossana Viola
Luca Guadagnino alla Mostra del Cinema di Venezia. Foto Marta Formentello / @itsmartaeffe
Films, protagonists and what happens around the festival. Venezia da Vivere and VeneziaCinema follow the 2026 Film Festival from the Lido.
Veneziacinema.com is Pietro Gallina‘s project featuring articles on cinema in Venice, along with the podcast Venezia Cinema in brief: short daily episodes voiced by Danilo Maggi, dedicated to films and events at the Lido, available for free on Spotify.
Article by Pietro Gallina (VeneziaCinema.com), with an introduction by Laura Scarpa.
Photos by Rossana Viola and Marta Formentello.
