The 2026 Venice Film Festival has unveiled a programme with a stronger focus on independent and auteur-driven cinema, featuring fewer films from major Hollywood studios than in recent years. Despite that, organisers expect another star-studded edition when the festival runs from 2 to 12 September.
Actors including George Clooney, Robert Pattinson, John Malkovich, Penélope Cruz, Rooney Mara and Javier Bardem are expected to attend the festival, while Liam and Noel Gallagher will premiere a documentary about Oasis.
The main competition features new films from acclaimed directors including Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle, Florian Zeller, Werner Herzog and Hirokazu Kore-eda, all competing for the Golden Lion.
The festival will open with Ink, directed by Danny Boyle, starring Guy Pearce as media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Martin McDonagh also returns to Venice with Wild Horse Nine.
Festival director Alberto Barbera said organisers reviewed a record 4,500 submissions, highlighting the continued strength of global filmmaking despite a more limited Hollywood presence.
Major studios and streaming platforms have scaled back their participation at Europe's leading film festivals amid tighter budgets, slower production schedules and concerns about critical reception.
Outside the main competition, the festival will host the world premiere of Don't Look Back in Anger, a documentary exploring the Gallagher brothers' relationship and their 2025 Oasis reunion tour.
Other documentaries include filmmaker Alex Gibney's nearly four-hour film about Elon Musk, Russell Crowe's music documentary What Love Builds, and Be Brave, a film about Diesel founder Renzo Rosso created almost entirely using artificial intelligence.
Among the 20 films competing for the Golden Lion, only one is directed by a woman. Danish filmmaker May El-Toukhy's drama Woman Unknown is the sole female-directed film in competition.
The festival jury will be chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal, while George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn will receive Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Awards.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 23rd of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The United States has bombed Iran for an 11th consecutive night as the Pentagon says the war’s cost reach $37.5 billion. President Donald Trump threatens a heavy strike on the suspected Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. Tehran warns that any attack could trigger a wider regional escalation.
U.S. strikes on Iran entered a 12th consecutive night, while Yemen's Houthis said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, urging President Donald Trump to warn Tehran it would be held responsible for any future Houthi attacks.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have discussed regional developments, transport connectivity, energy cooperation and the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process during talks in Berlin.
The Louvre Museum reopened its Apollo Gallery to visitors on Wednesday, nine months after the theft of crown jewels worth $102 million exposed major security failings. The historic gallery is open again, but its jewels have been moved to a more secure location.
Prosecutors on Tuesday began outlining in graphic detail their murder case against the indie pop vocalist known as D4vd, accused of fatally stabbing and dismembering his 14-year-old girlfriend after she threatened to make their relationship public.
Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress known for her role as Jia in the Godzilla film franchise, has died following a car crash in Maryland at the age of 18.
American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, remains scheduled to perform his first major concert in Kazakhstan on 14 August at Almaty's Central Stadium, despite a dispute over the venue that delayed ticket sales.
Fans of the hit drama series "Outlander" have a chance to own a piece of the landmark television show with costumes, props and set pieces going under the hammer in London.
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