82nd Venice International Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival, held since 1932, will host film lovers this year on the island of Lido, Italy, from August 27 to September 6, 2025.
The opening film of the festival will be Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia; the closing film will be Cédric Jimenez’s Chien 51 (Dog 51).
The jury will be chaired by renowned director Alexander Payne. During the festival, Werner Herzog and Kim Novak will be honored with the “Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.” Director Julian Schnabel will receive the special “Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award.” Gus Van Sant will also be celebrated with the “Campari Passion for Film Award.”
Festival Sections and Highlights
1. Venezia 82 – In Competition
Father Mother Sister Brother – Jim Jarmusch
The main competition for the Golden Lion showcases new works from master filmmakers. Among the 21 films in the lineup, highlights include:
A House of Dynamite – Kathryn Bigelow
When an unverified missile attack is reported on the U.S., White House officials race against time to identify its source. A tense, real-time political thriller.
Father Mother Sister Brother – Jim Jarmusch
A slow, character-driven family drama set across three cities—New Jersey, Dublin, Paris—offering rare poetic reflections on family ties.
Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro
Adapted from Mary Shelley’s classic: a brilliant, egocentric scientist and his creature spiral toward a tragic end. Starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.
No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook
A dark corporate survival tale, infused with black humor.
Bugonia – Yorgos Lanthimos
A familiar yet bizarre sci-fi black comedy starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, steeped in alien-paranoia themes.
La Grazia (Grace) – Paolo Sorrentino
The festival’s opening film: a new love story from the Italian master.
Orphan – László Nemes
A Central European drama exploring identity and family.
Jay Kelly – Noah Baumbach
Starring George Clooney, a satirical comedy-drama about self-discovery in Hollywood.
Silent Friend – Ildikó Enyedi
Spanning 1908, 1972, and 2020, this poetic tale explores human conditions through the life of a single tree.
The Smashing Machine – Benny Safdie
Dwayne Johnson stars as MMA legend Mark Kerr in this biographical sports drama.
The Stranger (L’Étranger) – François Ozon
An adaptation of Albert Camus’s classic novel on alienation and humanity.
The Voice of Hind Rajab – Kaouther Ben Hania
Dramatizes the tragic story of a young Palestinian girl in Gaza, inspired by real voice recordings.
The Wizard of the Kremlin – Olivier Assayas
A political drama about Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, tackling dictatorship and the allure of power.
2. Out of Competition
Kim Novak’s Vertigo – Alexandre O. Philippe
This section presents works with unique authorial voices from renowned directors.
Dead Man’s Wire – Gus Van Sant
Inspired by a true 1977 event: a former realtor takes a mortgage banker hostage, demanding $5 million and an apology.
Nuestra Tierra – Lucrecia Martel
A documentary on the ecological disaster of massive landfills in the Dominican Republic, highlighting networks of solidarity from biologists to fishermen and festivals.
Ghost Elephants – Werner Herzog
A striking documentary from the Golden Lion honoree.
After the Hunt – Luca Guadagnino
A university professor confronts a dark past secret in this tense drama, continuing Guadagnino’s passionate exploration of power dynamics.
Kim Novak’s Vertigo – Alexandre O. Philippe
A documentary centered on the 92-year-old cinema icon, going beyond her unforgettable performance in Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Novak reflects on leaving Hollywood behind for a quiet artistic life in Oregon, reconstructing her identity and inner world.
Marc by Sofia – Sofia Coppola
A documentary offering an intimate look into fashion designer Marc Jacobs’s creative universe.
Director’s Diary – Alexandr Sokurov
A five-hour reflection on the personal and creative journey of the master filmmaker.
3. Orizzonti (Horizons)
Komedie Elahi – Ali Asgari
Presided over by jury head Julia Ducournau, this section highlights innovative, experimental works from emerging filmmakers.
This year’s opening film is Mother by Teona Strugar Mitevska. Other highlights include:
Komedie Elahi (Divine Comedy) – Ali Asgari
An absurdist comedy about a filmmaker battling censorship and bureaucracy, secretly screening his Azerbaijani-Turkish film.
The Kidnapping of Arabella – Carolina Cavalli
A melancholic dramedy about Holly, who sees her own childhood in young Arabella and confronts her past.
Mother – Teona Strugar Mitevska
Focuses on the seven days before Mother Teresa arrived in India in 1948.
Father (Otec) – Tereza Nvotová
A moving drama about a forgetful father who accidentally leaves his baby in a car.
The Souffleur – Gastón Solnicki
The story of Lucius, who has worked at a hotel for thirty years and faces upheaval when the hotel is sold and transformed.
Late Fame – Kent Jones
An American drama adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s short story, starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee.
Julia Ducournau jüri başkanı olarak görev yapacağı bölüm yenilikçi, deneysel, genç sinemacıların işlerine yer veriyor.
Bu yılın açılış filmi Mother olacak; filmin yönetmenliğini Teona Strugar Mitevska üstleniyor. Öne çıkan diğer filmler ise su şekilde:
4. Venezia Spotlight
Silent Rebellion – Marie-Elsa Sgualdo
A section dedicated to works with distinctive storytelling that forge special connections with the audience.
5. Venice Classics
Blind Chance – Krzysztof Kieślowski
Restored classics and documentaries about film history.
6. Venice Immersive
A showcase for art/technology experiences in XR, VR, and AR.
7. Biennale College Cinema
Becoming Human – Polen Ly
A development and production workshop for low-budget projects, open to young filmmakers and producers.
From the red carpet to the screening rooms, each day in Venice opens new curtains to surprises, hosting unforgettable moments that will leave their mark on cinema history. The 2025 Venice Film Festival embraces both established masters presenting their new works and young filmmakers pushing innovative narratives. From political thrillers to literary adaptations, poetic family dramas to documentary experiments, the breadth of the lineup proves that the Mostra remains one of the world’s most vibrant laboratories of cinema.
Throughout the festival, we will continue to share notes on films, impressions from premieres, and unexpected discoveries day by day. Stay tuned for a live festival diary from the beating heart of cinema on the Lido.
Nil Birinci
