With the Venice Film Festival, world cinema meets in Venice. The International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art, directed by Alberto Barbera, takes place at the Lido from September 2 to 12, 2026.
The Venice Film Festival is a complete production system. Works enter the international circuit, projects seek funding and co-productions, books meet cinema, and technologies open new narrative spaces. With Venice Immersive, the section dedicated to virtual reality works and digital worlds, the Biennale is the global benchmark for new forms of creation and creative expression. For eleven days, in addition to the months of work by the Biennale’s organizational machine, Venice participates in building the cinema of the future.
The program includes 20 films in competition at Venezia 83, five of which are Italian, 19 feature films and 15 short films in Orizzonti, eight titles in Venezia Spotlight, and 41 works in Venice Open – Out of Competition. These are joined by 19 restorations in Venezia Classici, four films from Biennale College Cinema, and 68 Venice Immersive projects.
Robert Pattinson, Russell Crowe, and the Gallagher brothers are expected at the Lido. Key highlights include Luca Guadagnino’s seven-hour work dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci, Wim Wenders’ documentary on Peter Zumthor, and Be Brave, the film about Renzo Rosso created almost entirely through artificial intelligence, as well as the return of Nanni Moretti after 37 years.
George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, while Maggie Gyllenhaal will chair the International Jury. The poster for the 83rd Festival is designed by Manuele Fior.
Venice, where cinema meets the world
“It would be enough for skeptics to step into a movie theater where Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is being screened these days to realize not only that cinema is not dying, but that it is capable of constantly regenerating itself, continuing to produce epiphanies and miracles of vision”
Alberto Barbera today introduced the official selection of the 2026 Venice Film Festival: Venezia 83, Orizzonti, Venezia Spotlight, Open – Out of Competition, Venezia Classici, Venice Immersive, and Biennale College Cinema.
Among the edition’s novelties, Orizzonti Extra makes way for Venezia Spotlight, a section consisting of eight works chosen for their creative originality and relationship with the audience. The Out of Competition section, presented by Barbera as Venice Open, takes the name Open – Out of Competition on the official website.
From September 3 to 9, the Venice Production Bridge brings together producers, platforms, publishers, funds, distributors, and film commissions. Here, projects in development are presented, funding is sought, adaptation rights are discussed, and collaborations between different industries and cinematographies are built.
At the Festival, films find partners, distribution, and development opportunities: the Venice Gap-Financing Market will present 66 projects from various countries, selected from over 370 applications.
Venice Immersive, a unique event in the world
The same ability to anticipate the future is found in Venice Immersive, which celebrates ten years of activity in 2026. The official section of the festival entirely dedicated to immersive media and extended reality (XR), includes virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, 360° videos, installations, and digital worlds, and is one of the most surprising spaces at the Festival.
After the first VR Theater in 2016, the Biennale launched the first competition for virtual reality works within an international film festival on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio in 2017. Projects include Bowie: Unseen Unheard, an installation by Denis O’Regan and Nick Ryan dedicated to David Bowie. Barbera says:
“Since its very first editions, the section has established itself on the scene as a unique event, the most significant annual manifestation dedicated to immersive arts and media”
Venice welcomes emerging languages, connects artists, businesses, and technologies, and offers them an international space for experimentation: the 2026 edition brings 68 projects from 26 countries to the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio: 30 works in competition, 35 out of competition, and three projects developed by Biennale College Cinema – Immersive.
Biennale College Cinema and New Authors
Biennale College Cinema is the Biennale’s international laboratory dedicated to emerging filmmakers. It selects teams composed of a director and a producer and supports them in the development and realization of micro-budget feature films.
Pietrangelo Buttafuoco described it as “something unique” and noted that since 2012 it has produced 49 feature films by young directors and 12 immersive works. The Festival participates directly in the production of the films: it identifies new authors, trains them, finances the works, and offers them an international premiere in Venice.
Each film receives a grant of 200,000 euros from the Biennale. The teams have one year to complete the entire process, from development to production, through to the presentation of the work at the Venice Film Festival.
The four films selected for 2026 are Demetra in esilio by Maria Giovanna Cicciari, Tijuana, todavía by Gabriel Gutierrez Morales, Gu shi by Amie Song, and Moonfish by Daniel Zvereff.
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem together on the set of Bunker, by Florian Zeller, in competition. Photo by Rossana Viola
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem together on the set of Bunker, by Florian Zeller, in competition. Photo by Rossana Viola
Peter Sarsgaard ph. Rossana Viola
Alicia Vikander and Paul Dano together with Jude Law for "Le Mage du Kremlin" in 2025. Photo by Rossana Viola
The Return of Nanni Moretti and Films in Competition
Opening the Festival will be Ink by Danny Boyle, starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy. The film tells the story of the rise of the British newspaper The Sun after its acquisition by Rupert Murdoch.
Among the most anticipated international titles is Bunker by Florian Zeller, a political thriller starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, with Stephen Graham, Paul Dano, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Werner Herzog brings Bucking Fastard to the competition, starring Kate Mara, Rooney Mara, and Orlando Bloom.
One of the most awaited moments will be the return of Nanni Moretti with Succederà questa notte, starring Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca, Hippolyte Girardot, Angela Finocchiaro, and Moretti himself. The director has been absent from the Venice competition since 1989, the year of Palombella rossa.
Martin McDonagh directs the black comedy Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey.
Iranian director Ali Asgari participates in Venezia 83 with Kami Nour, confirming the Lido’s strong link with contemporary Iranian authors.
Casey Affleck returns to directing with Company, starring Nick Nolte; Primetime by Lance Oppenheim tells the true story of journalist Chris Hansen, starring Robert Pattinson; Look Back by Hirokazu Kore-eda; and Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? by Shinya Tsukamoto.
Five Italian Films in Competition
There are five Italian films selected for Venezia 83:
- The Echo Chamber by Andrea Pallaoro;
- Succederà questa notte by Nanni Moretti;
- Il fuoco che ti porti dentro by Edoardo De Angelis;
- L’estranea by Paolo Strippoli;
- Ritorno a Buenos Aires by Marco Bechis.
The Echo Chamber is based on the final screenplay written by Bernardo Bertolucci. The cast includes Luca Marinelli, Alicia Vikander, and Susan Sarandon.
Marco Bechis returns to the themes of the Argentine dictatorship with Ritorno a Buenos Aires. Edoardo De Angelis brings Antonio Franchini’s book Il fuoco che ti porti dentro to the screen, starring Vanessa Scalera and Lino Musella. Paolo Strippoli presents L’estranea, with Jasmine Trinca, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Adriano Giannini, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.
Confirmed and Expected Stars
George Clooney will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The actor, director, and producer has called Venice his favorite festival. The Biennale announced the award on July 6.
Ellen Burstyn will also be at the Lido to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The actress will also star in Flesh Impact, a short film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. The cast also includes Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi.
Burstyn also stars in Place to Be by Kornél Mundruczó with Taika Waititi and Pamela Anderson.
Maggie Gyllenhaal will chair the International Jury, which also includes Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To.
One of the confirmed attendees is Robert Pattinson, star of Primetime by Lance Oppenheim. We discussed this among journalists and photographers at Venezia da Vivere: both in 2015 with The Childhood of a Leader and in 2019 with The King and Waiting for the Barbarians, the actor canceled his appearance in Venice, so this will be Pattinson’s first time at the Venice Film Festival.
Barbera also announced the presence of Russell Crowe, director and star of the music documentary What Love Builds, and Liam and Noel Gallagher, for Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, the documentary by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace about the brothers’ reconciliation and the return of Oasis.
Other possible attendees include Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, together on the set of Bunker by Florian Zeller, in competition, with Stephen Graham, Paul Dano, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Martin McDonagh will present the film Wild Horse Nine at Venezia 83, set on Easter Island, starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey. Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, and Orlando Bloom may walk the Red Carpet for Bucking Fastard, while Alicia Vikander, Susan Sarandon, and Luca Marinelli will accompany director Andrea Pallaoro for the love story The Echo Chamber. We truly hope to have the chance to photograph Kiefer Sutherland as Father Joe, with Al Pacino, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy, and director Barthélémy Grossmann (the film is written and produced by Luc Besson).
Saoirse Ronan might also arrive at the Lido as a director. Her short film Paper Plane has been selected for the Orizzonti International Short Film Competition. Gael García Bernal is present as the director of Hombre al agua, selected for Venezia Spotlight.
Werner Herzog returns to Venice with Bucking Fastard, in competition
Casey Affleck is the director of Company, in competition at Biennale Cinema 2026
Martin McDonagh is at Venezia 83 with Wild Horse Nine, set on Easter Island
Toni Servillo is in Venice as the star of the film Scherzetto by Mario Martone, out of competition
Music Runs Through the Festival
Russell Crowe appears in a lesser-known role. In What Love Builds, the concert film alternates with an autobiographical confession dedicated to his career as an actor and musician.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger follows the reconciliation of Liam and Noel Gallagher, the group’s return, and the tour’s impact on fans.
Nino – A Film about Nino Rota by Walter Fasano reconstructs the figure of the composer and his relationship with Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, and Francis Ford Coppola.
David Bowie is present in the Venice Immersive selection with Bowie: Unseen Unheard, an immersive audiovisual work created by Denis O’Regan and Nick Ryan.
Documentaries, from Elon Musk to Peter Zumthor
Among the documentaries in Venice Open, Wim Wenders presents From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor. Barbera described Zumthor as “the greatest living architect,” followed by Wenders during the long development of the new wing of LACMA in Los Angeles.
Alex Gibney dedicates nearly four hours to Elon Musk in Musk. Francesco Carrozzini directs Be Brave, the first documentary dedicated to Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel and Only The Brave.
Barbera introduced it as “the first Italian feature-length documentary almost entirely processed with artificial intelligence.” Even many live-action sequences were digitally reworked. The production worked for over a year to build its own image generation process, maintaining creative control over the result.
Among the Films on Films, Luca Guadagnino presents Joie de vivre, a 435-minute documentary, totaling seven hours and fifteen minutes, dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci.
Italian Cinema in Orizzonti and Venice Open
Four Italian films are participating in Orizzonti:
- La ragazza con la Leica by Alina Marazzi;
- Una storia by Anna Foglietta;
- I figli della scimmia by Tommaso Landucci;
- La città dei vivi by Edoardo Gabbriellini.
In Venice Open – Out of Competition are Nessun dolore by Gianni Amelio, starring Alessandro Borghi, Valeria Golino, and Valerio Mastandrea; Scherzetto by Mario Martone, starring Toni Servillo and Serena Rossi; and Dio ride by Giovanni Veronesi, the Festival’s closing film.
The only series presented this year is Peccato, a Max Original mockumentary directed by Valerio Vestoso and starring Emanuela Fanelli.
Practical Information
The 83rd International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art takes place at the Venice Lido from September 2 to 12, 2026. The screening schedule and ticket sales will be available in August.
Venice Immersive will be open to accredited visitors from September 2 to 12 on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio.
- Official Program of the 2026 Venice Film Festival
- Biennale Cinema 2026
- Venice Immersive Program
- Information and Tickets
Article by Laura Scarpa. Images by Rossana Viola, Marta Formentello, Igor Serdyukov for Venezia da Vivere.
