Highlights and Sections of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival
From August 27th to September 6th, the Lido of Venice once again becomes the stage for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica), one of the most prestigious events in the world of cinema. Under the artistic direction of Alberto Barbera, this year’s program is a rich and surprising one, and it’s divided into eight major sections: the Main Competition, where films compete for the highly anticipated Golden Lion Award; the Out of Competition, presenting fiction, non-fiction, tv series and short films; Orizzonti, the section dedicated to new trends in world cinema; Venice Classics, with the restored masterpieces; the innovative Spotlight section; the Biennale College Cinema, dedicated to low budget films of young directors; the interesting proposals of the SIC, the International Critics’ Week, and, lastly, the GDA section (Giornate degli Autori).
Opening Night
The opening ceremony, scheduled for August 27th, will be hosted by Emanuela Fanelli, an Italian actress and comedian distinguished for her multifaceted personality. Afterwards, the evening will include the delivery of the first of the two Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement, awarded to a legendary filmmaker that has contributed to shape the history of the seventh art: Werner Herzog. The dedicated tribute speech will be delivered by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, another great film director. Finally, to set in motion the screenings of the Venice Film Festival 2025, the chosen opening film is one of the competing Italian titles, La Grazia, directed by the great Paolo Sorrentino and featuring among its protagonists the inimitable Toni Servillo.
The poster of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, signed by Manuele Fior
Highlights of the Festival Days
The days will continue with a film program spanning different genres, styles, eras, and themes. With the highly anticipated Frankenstein, Guillermo Del Toro casts new light on a great literary classic, while the Italian film Duse, by Pietro Marcello, rediscovers the story of a remarkable theatrical figure who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries. Yet, the program also includes stories that reflect the complexity of the contemporary world, portrayed in the political intrigues of The Wizard of Kremlin by Olivier Assayas, or in the tragic story of The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania.
The Out of Competition section, encompassing fiction, non-fiction, series, and short films, is also dominated by compelling and original scripts, as demonstrated by the film of independent cinema icon Gus Van Sant, who stages a true story full of action and drama in Dead Man’s Wire. Noteworthy is also the biopic Kim Novak’s Vertigo, directed by Alexandre Philippe, perfectly timed to celebrate the awarding of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to the diva who brought the mysterious character to life in Hitchcock’s film.
The other sections, meanwhile, present themselves as a stimulating laboratory of formal and narrative experimentation, where we can discern the trends that will shape the coming years, from debut works by young filmmakers to second films open to the challenges of the seventh art. A remarkable example can be found in Mother, by Teona Strugar Mitevska, the opening film of the Orizzonti section, which follows seven days in Mother Teresa’s life in Calcutta in 1948, as she faces moral dilemmas while dealing with the challenges posed by her community.
Once again, the festival confirms its ability to reflect the dynamism of contemporary cinema, creating a space for expression both for established directors and emerging stars.
Finally, one must not forget the important work carried out by archives, which each year dedicate themselves to the restoration of cinema’s great pillars, showcased in the Classici section. On the other hand, Venezia Immersive offers an overview of the application of XR language to cinematic art.
A snapshot of the festival’s Red Carpet from the 76th edition in 2019
The main award of the festival, the Golden Lion
Venice Film Festival Juries 2025
Presiding over the international jury of the main Competition is the director Alexander Payne (The Holdovers, 2023), while the juries of the other sections are led by Julia Ducournau (Titane, 2021) for Orizzonti and Charlotte Wells (Aftersun, 2022) for the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film. They will then be joined by special commissions composed of internationally renowned directors, screenwriters, and actors who have distinguished themselves through their talent, ensuring a diverse and dynamic evaluation of the films in competition.
Closing Ceremony
The day of September 6th marks the conclusion of the festival, with the highly anticipated awards ceremony, during which all honors will be presented. The most prestigious, as usual, will be the Golden Lion for Best Film, the Grand Jury Prize, the Silver Lions for direction, the Coppa Volpi for acting, and the Osella awards for technical contributions and screenplay. The honor, and the responsibility, of closing the screenings goes to the science fiction thriller Dog 51 by Cédric Jimenez, marking the end of another unforgettable edition of the Venice International Film Festival 2025.
