The 81st Venice Film Festival is set to captivate cinephiles worldwide with a spectacular lineup of distinguished films and star-studded casts. Unveiled by artistic director Alberto Barbera and the new president of the Venice Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, this year’s festival promises an exhilarating blend of genres, well-established directors, and potential breakthrough talents.
At the forefront of the festival is Todd Phillips’ highly anticipated Joker 2: Folie à Deux, a musical sequel to the acclaimed 2019 film Joker. Featuring powerhouse performances from Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, the film is expected to be a strong contender for the coveted top prize. Another significant entry is Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, an adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novel, starring Daniel Craig as a heroin-addicted American expatriate in Mexico. The addition of Drew Starkey in a pivotal role heightens the film’s intrigue.
A touch of nostalgia graces the event with the opening feature, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Reuniting iconic characters, the sequel boasts an impressive cast including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Monica Bellucci. Additionally, the out-of-competition segment showcases a diverse array of films, from Jon Watts’ action comedy Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, to Harmony Korine’s gripping thriller Baby Invasion.
Pedro Almodóvar makes his much-anticipated English-language debut with The Room Next Door, featuring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. The film seeks to build on Almodóvar’s previous success with Parallel Mothers, which secured the Best Actress award at Venice for Penélope Cruz. Fans of biographical drama will be eagerly awaiting Pablo Larraín’s Maria, a compelling portrayal of opera legend Maria Callas with Angelina Jolie in the lead role. Known for his nuanced depictions of historical figures, Larraín has previously left his mark at Venice with Spencer and Jackie.
Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist offers a poignant exploration of the life of Holocaust survivor and architect László Tóth, with Adrien Brody headlining a cast including Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, and Guy Pearce. Corbet has previously impressed Venice audiences with The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux.
Further adding to the variety, Justin Kurzel’s The Order delves into the chilling world of a white supremacist organization in the 1980s, starring Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. The festival’s themes of diversity and bold storytelling continue with Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, described as an erotic thriller, featuring Nicole Kidman, Antonio Banderas, and Harris Dickinson in significant roles.
The festival also pays homage to the small screen with notable TV offerings such as Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ series Disclaimer, starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, as well as Joe Wright’s M. Son of the Century, which delves into the fascist era of Benito Mussolini.
Esteemed French actress Isabelle Huppert will lead the international jury this year, accompanied by distinguished jurors including filmmakers James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, Julia von Heinz, and the celebrated Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.
Below is the full lineup for this year’s riveting event:
**COMPETITION**
– The Room Next Door, Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)
– Campo di Battaglia, Gianni Amelio (Italy)
– Leurs Enfants Après Eux, Ludovic Boukherma, Zoran Boukherma (France)
– The Brutalist, Brady Corbet (U.K.)
– The Quiet Son, Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin (France)
– Vermiglio, Maura Delpero (Italy, France, Belgium)
– Sicilian Letters, Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza (Italy, France)
– Queer, Luca Guadagnino (Italy, U.S.)
– Love, Dag Johan Haugerud (Norway)
– April, Dea Kulumbegashvili (Georgia, France, Italy)
– The Order, Justin Kurzel (Canada)
– Maria, Pablo Larraín (Italy, Germany)
– Trois Amies, Emmanuel Mouret (France)
– Kill the Jockey, Luis Ortega (Argentina, Spain)
– Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips (U.S.)
– Babygirl, Halina Reijn (U.S.)
– I’m Still Here, Walter Salles (Brazil, France)
– Diva Futura, Giulia Louise Steigerwalt (Italy)
– Harvest, Athina Rachel Tsangari (U.K., Germany, Greece, France, U.S.)
– Youth – Homecoming, Wang Bing (France, Luxembourg, Netherlands)
– Stranger Eyes, Yeo Siew Hua (Singapore, Taipei, France, U.S.
.)
**OUT OF COMPETITION — FICTION**
– Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton (U.S., U.K.) – Opening Film
– L’Orto Americano, Pupi Avati (Italy) — Closing Film
– Il Tempo Che Ci Vuole, Francesca Comencini (Italy, France)
– Phantosmia, Lav Diaz (Philippines)
– Maldoror, Fabrice Du Welz (Belgium, France)
– Broken Rage, Takeshi Kitano (Japan)
– Baby Invasion, Harmony Korine (U.S.)
– Cloud, Kurosawa Kiyoshi (Japan)
– Finalement, Claude Lelouch (France)
– Wolfs, Jon Watts (U.S.)
– Se Posso Permettermi Capitolo II, Marco Bellocchio (Italy)
– Allégorie Citadine, Alice Rohrwacher, JR (France)
**OUT OF COMPETITION – SERIES**
– Disclaimer, Alfonso Cuaron (U.K., U.S.)
– The New Years, Rodrigo Sorogoyen Del Amo, Sandra Romero, David Martín De Los Santos (Spain)
– Families Like Ours, Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark, France, Sweden, Czech Republic, Norway, Germany)
– M: Son of the Century, Joe Wright (Italy, France)
**OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION**
– Apocalypse in the Tropics, Petra Costa (Brazil)
– Bestiari, Erbari, Lapidari, Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti (Italy, Switzerland)
– Why War, Amos Gitai (Israel, France)
– 2073, Asif Kapadia (U.K.)
– One to One: John & Yoko, Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice Edwards (U.K.)
– Separated, Errol Morris (U.S., Mexico)
– Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989, Göran Hugo Olsson (Sweden, Finland, Denmark)
– Russians at War, Anastasia Trofimova (France, Canada)
– Twst/Things We Said Today, Andrei Ujica (France, Romania)
– Songs of Slow Burning Earth, Olha Zhurba (Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden)
– Riefenstahl, Andres Veiel (Germany)
**OUT OF COMPETITION — SPECIAL SCREENINGS**
– Leopardi. Il Poeta Dell’Infinito (Parts 1 and 2), Sergio Rubini (Italy)
– Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Peter Weir (U.S.)
– Beauty Is Not a Sin, Nicolas Winding Refn (Italy, Denmark)
**HORIZONS**
– Nonostante, Valerio Mastandrea (Italy) – Opening Film
– Quiet Life, Alexandros Avranas (France, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Estonia, Finland)
– Mon Inséparable, Anne-Sophie Bailly (France)
– Aïcha, Mehdi Barsaoui (Tunisia, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)
– Happy Holidays, Scandar Copti (Germany, Italy, Qatar)
– Familia, Francesco Costabile (Italy)
– One of Those Days When Hemme Dies, Murat Firatoglu (Turkey)
– Familiar Touch, Sarah Friedland (U.S.)
– Marco, Jon Garraño, Aitor Arregi (Spain)
– Carissa, Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar (South Africa)
– Wishing on a Star, Péter Kerekes – Documentary – (Italy, Croatia, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic)
– Mistress Dispeller – Documentary – Elizabeth Lo (China)
– The New Year That Never Came, Bogdan Muresanu (Romania, Serbia)
– Pooja, Sir, Deepak Rauniyar (Nepal, U.S., Norway)
– Of Dogs and Men, Dani Rosenberg (Israel, Italy)
– Pavements, Alex Ross Perry (U.S.)
– Happyend, Neo Sora (Japan, U.S.)
– L’Attachement, Carine Tardieu (France, Belgium)
– Diciannove, Giovanni Tortorici (Italy, U.K.)
**HORIZONS EXTRA**
– September 5, Tim Fehlbaum (Germany)
– Vittoria, Alessandro Cassignoli, Casey Kauffman (Italy)
– Le Mohican, Frédéric Farrucci (France)
– Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo, Khaled Mansour (Egypt, Saudi Arabia)
– La Storia Del Frank e Della Nina, Paola Randi (Italy, Switzerland)
– The Witness, Nader Saeivar (Germany, Austria)
– After Party, Vojtech Strakaty (Czech Republic)
– Edge of Night, Türker Süer (Germany, Turkey)
– King Ivory, John Swab (U.S.)
The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival runs from August 28 to September 7, promising ten days packed with unforgettable cinematic experiences.
