August 25, 2025 – Venice Film Festival 2025 Guide
It’s that time of the year again when the Lido di Venezia becomes the cinema’s most glamorous stage. From August 26 to September 6, the 82nd Venice International Film Festival returns as one of the industry’s most stylish and influential launchpads for the awards season — where a warm reception in the Sala Grande can change a film’s destiny, and a freshly varnished vaporetto ride doubles as a photo call. One director lees with the coveted Golden Lion for Best Film.
This year’s edition, curated by Artistic Director Alberto Barbera, blends major premieres with hidden gems carrying strong awards potential. New works from Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro, Noah Baumbach, Mona Fastvold, Luca Guadagnino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Olivier Assayas, Park Chan-wook, Benny Safdie, and other heyweights will make their debut on the Lido. Returning festival regulars such as Noah Baumbach (Jay Kelly), Luca Guadagnino (After the Hunt), Werner Herzog (Ghost Elephants), Lucrecia Martel (Nuestra Tierra), and Paolo Sorrentino (La Grazia) will share the stage with first-time contenders, including Shu Qi (Girl) and Benny Safdie (The Smashing Machine).
Spotlight Global PremieresBig names lead the 2025 program: Dwayne Johnson headlines Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine with Emily Blunt. Emma Stone reunites with Yorgos Lanthimos for Bugonia. Julia Roberts debuts in Venice with Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, joined by Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri.
Netflix arrives with three major competition titles. Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite tackles a tense White House security crisis. Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly features George Clooney as an actor in identity crisis. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein reimagines the classic tale with Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth.
Mubi takes a daring role this year. It opens the Festival with Paolo Sorrentino’s romantic drama La Grazia. Jim Jarmusch presents Father Mother Sister Brother with Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver. Park Chan-wook marks twenty years since Lady Vengeance with No Other Choice.
Asian cinema brings standout premieres. Can Shangjun returns with The Sun Rises on Us All. Taiwanese star Shu Qi directs her first feature, Girl.
Beyond the CompetitionOut-of-competition, Julian Schnabel’s In the Hand of Dante gathers Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, and Martin Scorsese. Gus Van Sant delivers Dead Man’s Wire, a hostage thriller with Bill Skarsgård and Al Pacino. Sofia Coppola honors Marc Jacobs with Marc by Sofia. Werner Herzog explores the wild in Ghost Elephants.
France has a strong presence. Olivier Assayas unveils The Wizard of the Kremlin, starring Jude Law and Paul Dano. François Ozon adapts Camus’ The Stranger in a Venice comeback.
Hungary delivers Orphan by László Nemes and Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi. The Middle East and North Africa bring Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. Saudi director Shahad Ameen returns with Hijra in Venezia Spotlight.
Horizons opens with Mother, starring Noomi Rapace as Mother Teresa. Italy showcases Gianfranco Rosi’s Below the Clouds, Pietro Marcello’s Duse, and Laura Samani’s A Year of School.
Television premieres also feature prominently. Marco Bellocchio debuts Portobello, Stefano Sollima launches The Monster of Florence, and Hagai Levi adapts Etty.
Meet the JuryTwo-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne leads the main competition jury. He is joined by Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Fernanda Torres, and Zhao Tao.
The Orizzonti jury is led by Julia Ducournau, with Yuri Ancarani, Fernando Enrique Juan Lima, Shannon Murphy, and RaMell Ross.
The Luigi De Laurentiis Award jury, for debut films, is chaired by Charlotte Wells, alongside Erige Sehiri and Silvio Soldini.
Tommaso Santambrogio presides over the Venice Classics jury. Eliza McNitt heads the Venice Immersive jury, while Dag Johan Haugerud leads the Giornate degli Autori panel.
Red Carpet Screenings – Day by Day
August 27 – Opening Night
19:00 – La Grazia – Paolo Sorrentino (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
August 28
14:00 – Ghost Elephants – Werner Herzog (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:15 – Orphan – László Nemes (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
19:00 – Bugonia – Yorgos Lanthimos (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
21:45 – Jay Kelly – Noah Baumbach (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
August 29
14:00 – Cover-Up – Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:45 – À pied d’œuvre – Valérie Donzelli (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
18:45 – After the Hunt – Luca Guadagnino (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
21:45 – Eojjeol suga eopda (No Other Choice) – Park Chan-wook (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
00:15 – La valle dei sorrisi – Paolo Strippoli (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
August 30
14:00 – Broken English – Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:15 – Sotto le nuvole – Gianfranco Rosi (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
18:45 – Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
21:45 – The Last Viking (original title Den Sidste Viking) – Anders Thomas Jensen (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
August 31
14:00 – Nuestra tierra – Lucrecia Martel (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:30 – Le mage du Kremlin (The Wizard of the Kremlin) – Olivier Assayas (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
19:30 – Father Mother Sister Brother – Jim Jarmusch (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
22:00 – Il Maestro – Andrea Di Stefano (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
00:15 – Orfeo – Virgilio Villoresi (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
September 1
14:00 – Kim Novak’s Vertigo – Alexandre Philippe (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande16:00 – The Testament of Ann Lee – Mona Fastvold (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande19:00 – The Smashing Machine – Benny Safdie (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande21:45 – Portobello (Episodes 1–2) – Marco Bellocchio (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
September 2
14:00 – Marc by Sofia – Sofia Coppola (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:15 – L’étranger – François Ozon (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
19:00 – A House of Dynamite – Kathryn Bigelow (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
21:30 – Dead Man’s Wire – Gus Van Sant (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
September 3
14:00 – Remake – Ross McElwee (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:30 – The Voice of Hind Rajab – Kaouther Ben Hania (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
18:45 – Duse – Pietro Marcello (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
21:30 – In the Hand of Dante – Julian Schnabel (Out of Competition) – Sala Granded of Dante – Julian Schnabel (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
September 4
14:00 – Ferdinando Scianna – Il fotografo dell’ombra – Roberto Andò (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
16:15 – Nühai (Girl) – Shu Qi (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
19:00 – Elisa – Leonardo Di Costanzo (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
21:30 – Hateshinaki Scarlet (Scarlet) – Mamoru Hosoda (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
September 5
14:00 – Hui jia (Back Home) – Tsai Ming-liang (Out of Competition) – Sala Grande
15:30 – Un film fatto per Bene – Franco Maresco (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
18:00 – Ri gua zhong tian (The Sun Rises on Us All) – Cai Shangjun (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
21:00 – Silent Friend – Ildikó Enyedi (Venezia 82 Competition) – Sala Grande
82nd Venice Film Festival 2025 – Special Events
Festival Double Pre-Opening
Date: August 26 – 18:00 & 21:00 – Sala Darsena
The Festival kicks off early with a special double screening in Sala Darsena (Palazzo del Cinema). At 18:00, the world premiere of Origin (30’) by Yann Arthus-Bertrand—linked to Biennale Architettura 2025’s Natural Intelligence section—will be followed by a conversation with the director, curator Carlo Ratti, and Festival director Alberto Barbera.
At 21:00, the restored 1929 classic Queen Kelly by Erich von Stroheim screens with newly recovered materials.
Giorgio Armani Cinema ClubDate: August 27 – September 6 · Venice Venice Hotel
Armani Beauty opens the Giorgio Armani Cinema Club as part of its 50-year celebrations and eighth year as official beauty sponsor of the Festival. The Venice Venice Hotel transforms into a gathering space for actors, ambassadors, and guests, with programming that includes an opening-night dinner after Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, a makeup masterclass with Hiromi Ueda, and a “Movie Night” conversation series in partnership with Variety. Highlights also include a gala dinner at Palazzo Ducale and an Armani soirée at the Arsenale tied to the launch of Armani/Archivio.
Venice ImmersiveDate: August 27 – September 6 – Lazzaretto Vecchio Island
The Festival’s XR section returns with 69 projects from 27 countries, including 30 In Competition and 34 Out of Competition, plus works developed through Biennale College Cinema – Immersive. Dedicated to virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, Venice Immersive includes screenings, installations, and guided tours on its own island just minutes from the Lido. This year’s International Jury—Eliza McNitt (President), Gwenael François, and Boris Labbé—will present the Grand Prize, Special Jury Prize, and Achievement Prize.
amfAR Venezia Gala
Date: August 31 – Arsenale
One of the Festival’s most prestigious charity evenings, the amfAR Venezia Gala draws a power-packed guest list of actors, filmmakers, fashion icons, and philanthropists. This year’s black-tie celebration will be hosted by Colman Domingo, with cocktails, a seated dinner, and a high-stakes live auction of contemporary artworks and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Presented by World Gold Council with San Clemente Palace Kempinski as the official hotel partner, the gala raises funds for the Foundation for AIDS Research’s mission to find a cure for HIV. Previous Venice honorees he included Antonio Banderas, Richard Gere, Ava DuVernay, Ferzan Ozpetek, and Mohammed Al Turki.
Gus Van Sant Receives 2025 Campari Passion for Film AwardDate: Tuesday, September 2 – 21:30 – Sala Grande
American director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Elephant) will be honored with the Campari Passion for Film Award at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The accolade celebrates bold artistic vision and the ability to turn passion into a lasting creative force.
The Ceremony will precede the Out of Competition premiere of his new film, Dead Man’s Wire (105’). The film tells the true story of Tony Kiritsis, who in 1977 held a mortgage banker hostage with a “dead man’s switch” shotgun, demanding $5 million and immunity. Starring Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, and Al Pacino, it is produced by Elevated and written by Austin Kolodney.
Julian Schnabel Awarded 2025 Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker
Date: Wednesday, September 3 – 21:30 – Sala Grande
Artist and director Julian Schnabel (At Eternity’s Gate, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Basquiat) will receive the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award, honoring an original contribution to contemporary cinema.
The award ceremony will take place before the Out of Competition premiere of his new film In the Hand of Dante (150’), starring Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, Al Pacino, John Malkovich, Martin Scorsese, Jason Momoa, Louis Cancelmi, and Franco Nero.
Adapted from Nick Tosches’ novel, the story follows a rare handwritten manuscript of Dante’s The Divine Comedy as it trels from Italy to New York, attracting the attention of a mob boss and a writer asked to verify its authenticity.
Tribute to Jane Campion’s A We in the Ocean Film SchoolThe Festival will honor Jane Campion’s pop-up film school A We in the Ocean, founded in 2022 in Wellington, New Zealand. Supported by Netflix, the program mentors emerging filmmakers to create original short films.
Seven shorts by recent graduates will screen on the Lido, alongside Lion Rock (16’) by Nick Mayow and Prisca Bouchet, competing in the Orizzonti Shorts section.
The tribute will be followed by a masterclass from Jane Campion, reflecting on her filmmaking journey and the school’s vision.
Shorts presented in the tribute:
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