Overview

• The 82nd Venice Film Festival rolled into its first days with high-profile world premieres including Bugonia, Jay Kelly, Frankenstein, After the Hunt and The Smashing Machine, with screenings continuing into early September.
• Variety hailed Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia as a scaldingly topical kidnap thriller led by Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, with the film playing in competition.
• Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly screened to notices calling it lightly diverting, featuring George Clooney as a version of himself and Adam Sandler as his agent.
• A‑list arrivals dominated the red carpet on the Lido, with Emma Stone, George and Amal Clooney, Adam Sandler, Greta Gerwig, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton fueling extensive fashion coverage.
• Festival reporting cited a six‑minute standing ovation for Bugonia, while Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia opened the event with Toni Servillo in a restrained presidential drama.