Venice Film Festival 2025 (August 27 – September 6, 2025), Italy
The official poster for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, opening August 27, has been revealed. Created by Manuele Fior, it depicts Venice’s rooftops and chimneys floating in a fantastical setting, inspired by Fior’s desire to “lift the horizon upward above the rooftops…to an imaginary country visible to anyone walking the Venetian calli.”
Set against a Tiepolo-like cloud, three young figures evoke the spirit of the French New Wave: one frames a scene with their fingers, another mimics a film clap, and the third begins to act. This image captures both the playful essence and forward-looking optimism of cinema.
As the festival prepares to welcome filmmakers, stars, and cinephiles from around the world, artistic director Alberto Barbera has emphasized the enduring role of Venice as a cultural compass. “In a time of profound global instability,” Barbera notes, “the Venice Film Festival remains a vital certainty.” Addressing the challenges facing the film industry, he adds, “The current confusion is the result of ongoing processes of innovation and transformation that are continuously reshaping the entire system of film production and distribution.”
Barbera’s remarks underscore the festival’s commitment to embracing change while honoring tradition. This year’s edition promises to reflect the dynamic tension between past and future — between the classics and the radical, the experimental and the mainstream.
Italy is well represented in the Competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, with several new films that showcase the richness and variety of contemporary Italian cinema. Paolo Sorrentino opens the festival with La Grazia, a highly anticipated return featuring Toni Servillo in the lead role. Other Italian entries include Elisa by Leonardo Di Costanzo, a co-production with Switzerland starring Barbara Ronchi and Valeria Golino, and Duse by Pietro Marcello, a tribute to the iconic actress Eleonora Duse with Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in the title role. The lineup is rounded out by two documentaries: Un film fatto per bene by Franco Maresco, which promises the Palermo-based director’s signature biting irony, and Sotto le nuvole by Gianfranco Rosi, who returns to the Lido with his deeply poetic gaze on reality. This selection highlights the strength of contemporary Italian cinema, capable of spanning auteur storytelling, historical inquiry, and the language of documentary.
Additionally, Venice 82 will mark the Italian launch of the highly anticipated series Portobello, on HBO Max, based on the life of Enzo Tortora and directed by Marco Bellocchio. The six-episode series, starring Fabrizio Gifuni as the renowned television host, is set to premiere in Italy on HBO Max in 2026. The world premiere of the first episodes will take place during the festival, with the series already announced as the first Italian original production of Max (formerly HBO Max), ahead of its platform debut next year.
On the international front, a new version of Frankenstein directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Jacob Elordi as the doctor’s monstrous creation will compete for the Golden Lion (available in Fall worldwide on Netflix). The lineup also includes The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier Assayas, exploring Vladimir Putin’s rise to power with Jude Law in the role of the future Russian president, and The Smashing Machine by Benny Safdie, featuring Dwayne Johnson as a mixed martial arts fighter. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, who won the Golden Lion two years ago with Poor Things, returns to Venice with Bugonia, an Irish dark comedy about two men who kidnap a CEO (Emma Stone), convinced she is an alien out to destroy the planet. The film is a remake of the cult South Korean film Save the Green Planet! and is scheduled for release in the U.S. on October 24 and internationally on October 31.
A jury chaired by Alexander Payne, the director of The Holdovers and Sideways, will decide the Golden Lion winner. The jury also includes Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Fernanda Torres, and Zhao Tao. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to Kim Novak.
Visti the official wesbite
Share:
LA Shorts International Film Festival (July 16-28)
Emmy Awards 2025: The 77th Edition Live on September 14 – Nominations, Trends, and How to Watch the CeremonyRelated Posts
The official poster for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, opening August 27, has been revealed. Created by Manuele Fior, it depicts Venice’s rooftops and chimneys floating in a fantastical setting, inspired by Fior’s desire to “lift the horizon upward above the rooftops…to an imaginary country visible to anyone walking the Venetian calli.”
Set against a Tiepolo-like cloud, three young figures evoke the spirit of the French New Wave: one frames a scene with their fingers, another mimics a film clap, and the third begins to act. This image captures both the playful essence and forward-looking optimism of cinema.
As the festival prepares to welcome filmmakers, stars, and cinephiles from around the world, artistic director Alberto Barbera has emphasized the enduring role of Venice as a cultural compass. “In a time of profound global instability,” Barbera notes, “the Venice Film Festival remains a vital certainty.” Addressing the challenges facing the film industry, he adds, “The current confusion is the result of ongoing processes of innovation and transformation that are continuously reshaping the entire system of film production and distribution.”
Barbera’s remarks underscore the festival’s commitment to embracing change while honoring tradition. This year’s edition promises to reflect the dynamic tension between past and future — between the classics and the radical, the experimental and the mainstream.
Italy is well represented in the Competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, with several new films that showcase the richness and variety of contemporary Italian cinema. Paolo Sorrentino opens the festival with La Grazia, a highly anticipated return featuring Toni Servillo in the lead role. Other Italian entries include Elisa by Leonardo Di Costanzo, a co-production with Switzerland starring Barbara Ronchi and Valeria Golino, and Duse by Pietro Marcello, a tribute to the iconic actress Eleonora Duse with Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in the title role. The lineup is rounded out by two documentaries: Un film fatto per bene by Franco Maresco, which promises the Palermo-based director’s signature biting irony, and Sotto le nuvole by Gianfranco Rosi, who returns to the Lido with his deeply poetic gaze on reality. This selection highlights the strength of contemporary Italian cinema, capable of spanning auteur storytelling, historical inquiry, and the language of documentary.
Additionally, Venice 82 will mark the Italian launch of the highly anticipated series Portobello, on HBO Max, based on the life of Enzo Tortora and directed by Marco Bellocchio. The six-episode series, starring Fabrizio Gifuni as the renowned television host, is set to premiere in Italy on HBO Max in 2026. The world premiere of the first episodes will take place during the festival, with the series already announced as the first Italian original production of Max (formerly HBO Max), ahead of its platform debut next year.
On the international front, a new version of Frankenstein directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Jacob Elordi as the doctor’s monstrous creation will compete for the Golden Lion (available in Fall worldwide on Netflix). The lineup also includes The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier Assayas, exploring Vladimir Putin’s rise to power with Jude Law in the role of the future Russian president, and The Smashing Machine by Benny Safdie, featuring Dwayne Johnson as a mixed martial arts fighter. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, who won the Golden Lion two years ago with Poor Things, returns to Venice with Bugonia, an Irish dark comedy about two men who kidnap a CEO (Emma Stone), convinced she is an alien out to destroy the planet. The film is a remake of the cult South Korean film Save the Green Planet! and is scheduled for release in the U.S. on October 24 and internationally on October 31.
A jury chaired by Alexander Payne, the director of The Holdovers and Sideways, will decide the Golden Lion winner. The jury also includes Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Fernanda Torres, and Zhao Tao. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to Kim Novak.
Visti the official wesbite
Share:
LA Shorts International Film Festival (July 16-28)Emmy Awards 2025: The 77th Edition Live on September 14 – Nominations, Trends, and How to Watch the Ceremony
