The Venice Lido today becomes the new world capital of cinema as proceedings begin for the 82nd edition of the Venice International Film Festival.
Directed by Alberto Barbera, the event, which continues until September 6, 2025, offers hundreds of hours of screenings, debates and no doubt some spectacular sights on the red carpet and on the city’s waterways.
A particularly rich programme is promised between established and upcoming talents delivering political stories, social reflections and Hollywood style spectacles, making this year’s lineup one of the most eagerly awaited highlights of the international film season.
Sorrentino opens with La Grazia
Officially opening the competition will be La Grazia, the new film by Paolo Sorrentino, which will have its world premiere in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema. The movie, starring Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti, brings the Oscar-winning director back to Venice after the success of The Hand of God (È stato la mano di Dio), Silver Lion in 2021.
“I am happy that it is Sorrentino’s new film that will open the Festival,” said Artistic Director Alberto Barbera. “The bond between the author and Venice is deep, from his debut feature L’uomo in più (One Man Up) to The Young Pope and the international success of recent years. With La Grazia we are in front of a film of strong originality, able to dialogue with current events and destined to leave a mark.”
The film is produced by Fremantle through The Apartment with Numero 10 and PiperFilm, which will handle Italian distribution.
The ceremony and the first tributes
The opening evening will be hosted by actress Emanuela Fanelli, two David di Donatello awards to her credit, and will end with a tribute to Werner Herzog, Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 2025, who will present the documentary Ghost Elephants out of competition.
In parallel, the Horizons section opens with Mother by Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska, a portrait of Mother Teresa starring Noomi Rapace.
Stars shine on the red carpet
The galaxy of stars invited is record-breaking. Thursday 28 August will likely be dominated by George Clooney, starring in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, alongside Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Greta Gerwig and Alba Rohrwacher.
Also on Thursday, Yorgos Lanthimos presents the dark comedy Bugonia, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, while Laszlo Nemes brings the historical drama Orphan to the competition.
Friday 29 August marks the arrival another Hollywood titan with Julia Roberts, who’s making her first appearance on the Lido. She stars in Luca Guadagnino‘s psychological drama After The Hunt, alongside Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri and Chloë Sevigny.
The festival will showcase a succession of high-profile titles including Guillermo del Toro‘s Frankenstein starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi to Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin, in which Jude Law plays the role of Vladimir Putin. There will also be features from Jim Jarmusch, Lucrecia Martel, Park Chan-Wook, Kathryn Bigelow, François Ozon, Daniele Vicari, Marco Bellocchio, Gus Van Sant and many others.
Awards and tributes
Alongside the premieres, the Festival will pay tribute to great figures in cinema. In addition to Herzog, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to Kim Novak, who will also be remembered with the documentary Kim Novak’s Vertigo. There will also be tributes to Eleonora Duse, Carmelo Bene and Nino D’Angelo, to whom his son Toni will dedicate Nino. 18 days.
With a programme that weaves together art-house cinema and major international productions, political reflection and spectacle, Venice 82 is looking to cement itself as a creative workshop and global showcase. The eagerly awaited opening with Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia will begin a ten day celebration of film that promise to remain imprinted in the memory of the public and industry insiders alike.