The 83rd Venice International Film Festival reveals its official film lineup today.
Venice Artistic Director Alberto Barbera and Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of the Venice Biennale, will confirm the films in competition and the main side sections.
You can follow their performances starting at 11 am local time at the La Biennale Historical Archive Library in Venice, on the festival’s website or on its social media channels on YouTube, X, TikTok and Facebook.
The Venice Film Festival, along with Cannes, is considered the world’s most prestigious film festival and a predictor of major awards season.
Buttafuoco, who usually avoids making political statements regarding the Venice festival, made an exception this time. In his official statements that opened the press conference, he strongly criticized the European Commission, which this week withdrew a grant worth two million euros ($2.8 million) allocated to the Venice Biennale Foundation. The European Commission has taken a step to sanction the Venice Art Biennale for allowing Russia to return to the event this year, for the first time since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Comparing the European Commission to a “wolf” and a gun to a “lamb,” Buttafuoco said that Brussels “is abandoning us… because of a political decision, not a legal decision, and certainly not a cultural decision.”
Barbara started with the Venice Spotlight lineup, including Conversation with the sea From the Palestinian director Moayad Alyan, and Hombre al agua From Mexican star Gael Garcia Bernal. The Spotlight lineup feels particularly political this year, including other highlights Flo groundr from Hungarian director Gábor Reis, which Barbara describes as a metaphor for Viktor Orbán’s “dictatorship”; and I am importantdirected by Alina Serban, is the first film by a director from Rome to be screened in the section.
One of the highlights of Venice’s main sidebar is the Orizzonti or Horizons section Lovers in the blue nightThe new film by Indian director Anuparna Roy Songs of forgotten trees He won the Best Director award in this section last year; and Too much sugarthe new documentary from procession Director Robert Green.
One of the highlights of Venice’s main sidebar is the Orizzonti or Horizons section Lovers in the blue nightThe new film by Indian director Anuparna Roy Songs of forgotten trees He won the Best Director award in this section last year; and Too much sugarthe new documentary from procession Director Robert Green.
Another new section, the Venice Open Non Fiction documentary sidebar, will see the world premieres of several of this year’s most anticipated documentaries, including Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk documentary. Musk, My Unwanted Friends Part Two – ExileJulia Loktev’s follow-up to her 2025 film tracking Russia’s crackdown on independent journalists; and Uniontownfrom two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Koppel (Harlan County in the United States, The American dream).
Venice has already confirmed that Danny Boyle inkThe biographical drama starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, about Rupert Murdoch and his British tabloid empire, is scheduled to open this year’s exhibition on September 2. Riding a duetItalian drama film directed by Giovanni Veronese and starring Pierfrancesco Favino (Maria, Hurry up) The festival will conclude on September 12, and will be screened out of competition.
Legendary German director Werner Herzog, author of the documentary Ghosts of elephants It was shown out of competition in Venice last year, and makes it to the main selection this year Baking Fastard. Herzog has reportedly turned down an out-of-competition offer at Cannes for his new film, which stars siblings Rooney and Kate Mara in their first on-screen collaboration. Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson co-star. Hanway movies sell Baking Fastard All over the world and still looking for a local distributor.
Danish director Mai Al-Toukhi (Queen of hearts) will make her Venice debut with Unknown woman. The historical drama stars Mathilde Arcel as Marie, a young governess and housemaid set to marry her wealthy widower boss Christian (Karsten Bjornlund). But Marie’s past – her shameful affair with a German soldier during the occupation – threatens to catch up with her. TrustNordisk handles global sales.
Among the titles that were screened out of competition A place to be Directed by Hungarian Kornel Mundróczó (Pieces of a woman) with Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi and Pamela Anderson; Let us through, dear ancestorsthe latest from Filipino author Love Diaz (Devil’s season); paul schrader new movie, Basics of philosophy; The crime thriller is produced by Luc Besson Father JoeDirected by Barthelemy Grossman and starring Kiefer Sutherland and Al Pacino.
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Lost daughter, bride!) will preside over this year’s Venice Competition jury as President, and select the winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film. George Clooney, one of Lido’s perennial regulars, will receive an honorary Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
Last year’s Biennale included several high-profile debuts, although many of them – such as Benny Safdie’s Crushing machineNoah Baumbach Jay KellyKathryn Bigelow Dynamite house -She was floundering during awards season.
The only 2025 shotgun title recorded at the Oscars was that of Guillermo del Toro Frankensteinwhich received 9 Academy Award nominations, winning three of them for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling. Bugoniafrom Yorgos Lanthimos, had its world premiere in Venice, received three Academy Award nominations but did not win any. Kawthar bin Haniyeh Hind Rajab’s voiceWhich won the Silver Lion in Venice last year, and was nominated for Best International Film but lost to Joachim Trier. Emotional value.
Europe’s other major festivals, Cannes and Berlin, have struggled this year to attract films from major studios, leading to speculation that the majors have gone cold on the festival circuit. Barbera has traditionally proven adept at luring studios and Netflix to premiere their prestige titles on Lido. This year’s lineup will see if he still has the touch.
The full Venice 2026 lineup is below:
Rifle competition
inkmonastery. Danny Boyle (opening film)
a companymonastery. Casey Affleck
A little bit of lightmonastery. Ali Asghari
Retorno in Buenos Airesmonastery. Marco Picci
Un bon petit soldatmonastery. Stefan Breeze
Il fuco che te porte insidemonastery. Eduardo De Angelis
Unknown womanmonastery. May Al-Toukhi
Baking Fastardmonastery. Werner Herzog
A place to healmonastery. Cedric was
Daomonastery. Ilya Krzanovsky
Venice lights
Sumo: The soul weighs nothingmonastery. Eric Shiray (opening film)
Conversation with the seaDeir Muayyid Alyan,
Hombre al aguamonastery. Gael Garcia Bernal
Serpentimonastery. Roberto de Paulis Maino
Angermonastery. Rami Qudayh
Goriamonastery. Levan Kuguashvili
Flo groundp, dir. Gabor Reesz
I am importantmonastery. Alina Serban
Orizzonte Competition
La Ragazza with Leicamonastery. Alina Marazzi (opening film)
Burning Giantsmonastery. Phuttiphong Aroonpheng Thai
othernessmonastery. Grzegorz Deboski
Una Storiamonastery. Anna Foglietta
La Citta di Vevemonastery. Eduardo Gabrielini
Falling housemonastery. Mohsen Qurei
A lot of a To get drunkmonastery. Robert Green
The difficult bridemonastery. Rubaiyat Hussein
La Maison du Ventmonastery. Auguste Bernard Quimo Yango
I am Figli Della Scimiamonastery. Tommaso Landucci
A Day in the Life of Joe: Phaedra Chaptermonastery. Jacqueline Lenzo
oasismonastery. Janice Lenz
Until the day endsmonastery. Yelena Maksimovich
No molamonastery. Jerome Berat
Lovers in the blue nightmonastery. Anuparna Roy
Undetour by Dianemonastery. Anne Sirot, Rafael Balboni
The color of the sunmonastery. Xavier Terra
Open Venice – Films on Film
Goso Bear Ferrymonastery. Karen de Porto
Nino – A movie by Ninomonastery. Walter Fasano
The Pervert’s Guide to Utopiamonastery. Sophie Fiennes
Joie de vivremonastery. Luca Guadagnino
Roll and shoot Mr. Suzukimonastery. Eve Montemayor
breakmonastery. Yunfan
The Open Gun – non-fiction
Be bravemonastery. Francesco Carrozzini
What he likes to buildmonastery. Russell Crowe
Burgundymonastery. Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Muskmonastery. Alex Gibney
The road to Jerichomonastery. Amos Gitai
Citizen Osamamonastery. Ahmed Hassouna
Uniontownmonastery. Barbara Coble
Holy wood dustmonastery. Victor Kosakovsky
Letters from the silent countrymonastery. Andrei Kotsila
Biography of Jorge Luis Borgesmonastery. Mariano Linas
My Unwanted Friends Part Two – Exilemonastery. Julia Loktev
Boat buildersmonastery. Luke Lorentzen
empiremonastery. Sergey Loznitsa
Shomi – the living legacy of Kabukimonastery. Takashi Miike
Strange Edward IImonastery. Theo Rollason
Oasis: Don’t look back in angermonastery. Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace
soilmonastery. Tsai Mingliang
Everest: the other sidemonastery. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chan
From the inside out – Peter Zumthor Architecturemonastery. Wim Wenders
Open gun – fantasy
Riding a duetGiovanni Veronese (final film)
Nesson dolormonastery. Gianni Amelio
Let us through, dear ancestorsmonastery. Love Diaz
Father Joemonastery. Barthelemy Grossmann
Scherzettomonastery. Mario Martone
A place to bemonastery. Cornel Mundrucho
There is no heaven if a woman kills youmonastery. Halkout Mustafa
Imprisoned memorymonastery. Sabo
Basics of philosophymonastery. Paul Schrader
Un bon avocatmonastery. Tristan Siguela
Jupitermonastery. Alexander heard
