Overview

• Julia Roberts makes her Venice debut with Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, which screens out of competition by the filmmaker’s and Amazon’s choice, according to festival director Alberto Barbera.
• Dwayne Johnson headlines Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine about MMA fighter Mark Kerr, with early chatter suggesting potential awards buzz for his dramatic turn alongside Emily Blunt.
• Olivier Assayas presents The Wizard of the Kremlin, with Jude Law portraying Vladimir Putin and Paul Dano as a fictional adviser inspired by Vladislav Surkov, adapted from the novel of the same name.
• Kathryn Bigelow’s White House–set thriller A House of Dynamite competes for the Golden Lion with Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, as six films by women join 15 by men in the main competition.
• The festival runs August 27 to September 6, with the Golden Lion as the top prize and lifetime honors going to Werner Herzog and Kim Novak.