Venice Film Festival 2026: Everything you need to know about films, stars and controversies

Venice is once again getting ready for 12 days of films, stars, red carpets and plenty of awards-season speculation.

The 83rd edition of the prestigious festival is set to take over Venice’s Lido from September 2 to 12, bringing together some of the biggest names in international cinema. The festival will open with Danny Boyle’s Ink, while 21 films will compete for the coveted Golden Lion.

But there is more to Venice this year than red carpets and star arrivals. Here is everything worth knowing about the 2026 edition.

When and where is the Venice Film Festival?

The 2026 Venice Film Festival will take place from September 2 to September 12 on the Lido di Venezia, the barrier island where the festival has been held for decades. The awards ceremony will take place on September 12.

While Venice itself is known for landmarks such as Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge, the festival action happens on the Lido, which is roughly a 20-minute vaporetto ride from the main island.

The Lido has its own distinct history. Once a military outpost, it developed into a fashionable seaside resort in the late 19th century and later became closely associated with Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice and Luchino Visconti’s film adaptation.

Why is Venice such a big deal?

Venice is not simply one of the world's most glamorous film festivals. It is also an important stop on the road to the Oscars.

Founded in 1932 by La Biennale di Venezia, the festival is considered the world's oldest film festival. It initially operated as a non-competitive event before becoming an annual fixture in 1935. Over the decades, the festival has hosted films that went on to become major parts of cinema history.

The Golden Lion, Venice's top prize, was introduced in its current form in 1949. Past winners include ‘Rashomon’, ‘Belle de Jour’, ‘Au revoir les enfants’, ‘Brokeback Mountain’, ‘Somewhere’ and ‘Poor Things’. Last year's Golden Lion went to ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’.

Venice has also become a significant Oscar launchpad. The festival's reputation in this regard grew particularly after Gravity premiered there in 2013 and went on to win seven Academy Awards. Since 2014, four Best Picture winners, Birdman, Spotlight, The Shape of Water and Nomadland, have premiered at Venice.

That history explains why a strong showing at Venice can quickly turn a film into an awards-season contender.

What is the opening film?

Danny Boyle's Ink will open this year's festival.

The film explores the early years of Rupert Murdoch, played by Guy Pearce, and his acquisition of the British newspaper The Sun. Jack O'Connell and Claire Foy also star.

With Boyle behind the camera and a high-profile cast in front of it, ‘Ink’ is already one of the festival's major talking points.

Which films are generating Oscar buzz?

The competition slate includes several films that could become important names during the upcoming awards season.

One of the most closely watched titles is Martin McDonagh's ‘Wild Horse Nine’, starring Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich. Set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, the film follows two CIA agents whose trip to Easter Island takes an increasingly complicated turn.

McDonagh has history at Venice. Both ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ premiered at the festival before going on to receive Best Picture Oscar nominations.

Robert Pattinson is another major draw with Primetime, in which he plays ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen. The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim, is based on the 2007 Esquire article ‘Tonight on Dateline, This Man Will Die’.

Other films attracting attention include Florian Zeller's ‘Bunker’, starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem; Werner Herzog's ‘Bucking Fastard’, featuring Rooney and Kate Mara; and Lee Chang-dong's ‘Possible Love’, his first film in eight years.

The 21-film competition also includes work from filmmakers such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nanni Moretti and Casey Affleck.

Which stars are expected in Venice?

The festival remains a major celebrity event, even as the number of big Hollywood premieres has become somewhat smaller this year.

George Clooney is returning to Venice and will receive a lifetime achievement award. Other expected names include Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Robert Pattinson, Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, Pamela Anderson, Louis Garrel, Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Cho Yeo-jeong and Ellen Burstyn, who is also being honoured with a lifetime achievement award. Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher are also expected to make an appearance.

For Clooney, Venice has become something of a regular stop. His presence this year also extends behind the camera, as he is a producer on Furies.

What are the big documentaries?

The documentary line-up has its own share of high-profile titles.

Alex Gibney brings ‘Musk’, a nearly four-hour documentary examining the world of Elon Musk. Julia Loktev continues her portrait of independent Russian journalists with ‘My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile’.

There is also ‘Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger’, which follows Liam and Noel Gallagher around their 2025 reunion tour.

Why is there controversy around ‘DAU’?

Not everything at Venice is about awards and celebrity arrivals.

Ilya Khrzhanovsky's ‘DAU’, which is competing for the Golden Lion, has become one of the festival's most politically contentious selections.

The film draws inspiration from the lives of Soviet physicists involved in the atomic bomb programme. Ukrainian officials, including the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, along with the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy, questioned its inclusion and described it as a project connected to Russian state networks and influence.

Festival director Alberto Barbera has defended the film's selection, arguing that ‘DAU’ is neither a Russian film nor pro-Putin propaganda, but instead a work that examines totalitarianism and its impact on individual freedom.

Khrzhanovsky has also rejected what he described as false associations surrounding the project. He has said he opposes Russia's war against Ukraine and the political system that enabled it. He has renounced his Russian citizenship and is now a citizen of Germany, the UK and Israel.

Venice and the Israel-Palestine debate

Political tensions have also extended beyond DAU.

The group Venice4Palestine, which organised a large protest during last year's festival, has called on the festival to suspend agreements with institutions linked to the Israeli government. It has also asked for the Palestinian flag to be flown throughout the event.

Two Palestinian films are part of the official selection: Ahmed Hassouna's ‘Al Mowaten Osama’ and Muayad Alayan's ‘Hiwar ma' albahr’.

The issue comes after geopolitical tensions also affected this year's Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition.

How diverse is the competition?

One of the criticisms surrounding this year's festival is the gender imbalance in the main competition.

Of the 21 films competing for the Golden Lion, only one, May el-Toukhy's ‘Woman Unknown’, is directed by a woman.

That has renewed questions about Venice's previous commitment to improving gender representation. In 2018, when the competition also had only one woman director, the festival pledged to have at least half of its competition films directed by women by 2020. That target has not been reached.

Who is on the Venice jury?

The main competition jury will be headed by actor and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal.

She will be joined by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, British composer and artist Daniel Blumberg, Italian film scholar Francesco Casetti, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.

The jury will decide the Golden Lion along with awards including the Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, the Special Jury Prize, Best Screenplay and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for a young performer.

Where do the stars stay?

Venice's hotels are part of the festival spectacle.

The Hotel Excelsior, which dates back to 1908, is the only five-star hotel on the Lido and is one of the main places to spot festival guests. Stars staying elsewhere often arrive at the Excelsior docks by private water taxi for press events and premieres.

Away from the Lido, luxury options include the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca, the Gritti Palace, the St. Regis, Aman Venice and the historic Hotel Danieli, which has reopened as a Four Seasons property.

Aman Venice also has a particularly famous Hollywood connection: it was where George and Amal Clooney were married.

Unlike Venice's main island, the Lido allows motorised vehicles, so celebrities can sometimes travel from the Excelsior docks to the red carpet by car. Many festivalgoers, however, simply choose to cycle around the island.

When will the winners be announced?

The 2026 Venice Film Festival will conclude on September 12, when the Golden Lion and the other major awards are handed out.

With a competition featuring established filmmakers, several potential Oscar contenders, major stars and a number of politically charged films, this year's festival promises to be about considerably more than who takes home the Golden Lion.

For the film industry, Venice is also where the long awards-season conversation begins in earnest.