Overview
- The 82nd edition runs Aug. 27–Sept. 6, opening with Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia and featuring 21 films in competition, with Alexander Payne’s jury set to award the Golden Lion on Sept. 6.
- Netflix returns after a year away with three competition titles — Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite and Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly — underscoring a strong streaming presence.
- Red carpets are expected to feature Julia Roberts in her Venice debut for After the Hunt, George Clooney and Adam Sandler for Jay Kelly, Emma Stone for Bugonia, and Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for The Smashing Machine, while Gal Gadot is not attending.
- Geopolitics are prominent on screen with Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab about Gaza and Olivier Assayas’s The Wizard of the Kremlin with Jude Law portraying Vladimir Putin.
- Venice4Palestine’s open letter urging a stance on Gaza has gathered hundreds of signatures, with a news conference planned on opening day and a Saturday march, as festival director Alberto Barbera says the event will not boycott artists and welcomes debate.