The Venice Film Festival has appointed the International Jury for its 83rd session.
Joining jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal in selecting this year’s Golden Lion winner are Tunisian director Kawthar Ben Hania, Hong Kong film director Johnny To, French director Xavier Giannulli, Afghan director Shahrabano Sadat, British composer Daniel Bloomberg, and film researcher Francesco Cassetti.
Gyllenhaal was announced as head judge in April. The actress-turned-director made her debut in Venice with Missing daughter In 2021, it won the Best Screenplay Award at the festival.
Ben Hania returns to Venice after winning the Silver Lion of the Jury last year for his film Hind Rajab’s voiceWhich was also nominated for an Oscar.
Bloomberg won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA for his music for Brady Corbett’s film Brutalwhich premiered at the Lido in 2024, won Best Director on its way to 10 Academy Award nominations and three wins. Blomberg also composed music for Pompeii: Under the clouds and Anne Lee’s testimony.
Sadat, who has lived in Hamburg since leaving Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021, opened the Berlin Film Festival this year with her feature film. There are no good men. She is currently developing a five-film cycle based on the writings of long-time collaborator Anwar Al Hashemi.
To return to the Lido after nearly two decades of service on the Venice jury in 2008. Four of his films – Throw down, In exile, Crazy detective and Life without principle – It was shown for the first time in Venice.
Giannulli had three advantages competing in Venice: star (2012), Margaret (2015), and Lost illusions (2021). Its latest features, The rayons and the ombreshad premiered the previous year.
Cassetti is professor of humanities and film and media studies at Yale University and the author of numerous books on film and media theory, including Lumiere Galaxy and Screening concerns: on protective media.
The 2026 jury will award the festival’s main competition prizes, including the Golden Lion for Best Film, the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, the Silver Lion for Best Director, the Coppa Volpi Awards for Best Actress and Actor, the Special Jury Prize, Best Screenplay, and the Marcello Mastroianni Prize for Best Performance.
