The Venice Film Festival today unveils the official programme for its 81st edition. You can follow the announcement live on the website festival websiteOr on Youtube, Facebook Or X.
Alberto Barbera, the festival’s long-time director who recently extended his contract until 2026, presents the Biennale’s programme alongside Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, who was appointed last year after the election of far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Venice opens on August 28 with the world premiere of Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceTim Burton’s highly anticipated sequel to his 1988 horror-comedy smash hit, screening out of competition. The film, which reunites the original Beetlejuice The film, starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, will be released internationally through Warner Bros. on September 4 and in North America on September 6.
Venice has selected four TV series for its small screen selection: Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ series DisclaimerJoe Wright Mr. Son of the Centurythe danish dystopian series Families like ours by director Thomas Vinterberg (Another round), and the Latin American limited series New Years.
Israeli director Dani Rosenberg (Missing Soldier) will screen his new feature film, Dogs and Menin the Venice Horizons section. The drama, shot shortly after the October 7 attacks, follows a 16-year-old woman who returns to her kibbutz in search of her lost dog amid a wave of terror, navigating the horrors while encountering the disaster unfolding beyond the fence in Gaza.
Alex Ross Perry, famous music video director and His smell filmmaker, brings Sidewalksa documentary about American indie band Pavement, at Horizons. Other highlights of Horizons include Familiar touchAmerican experimental director Sarah Friedland’s Indian crime drama Deepak Rauniyar Pooja, sirAnd Make a wish upon a starthe latest film by Czech filmmaker Peter Kerekes (107 mothers).
In the Horizons Extra section, satire of the Egyptian media Seeking refuge for Mr. Rambothe first feature film by acclaimed short film director Khaled Mansour, will have its world premiere, as will King Ivory by American director John Swab, with Ben Foster.
From Darkness to Lighta documentary by directors Michael Lurie and Eric Friedler about Jerry Lewis’s unreleased Holocaust film The day the clown criedwhich features never-before-seen footage from the legendary lost film, will be screened in the Venice Classics section dedicated to documentaries about cinema.
French star Isabelle Huppert (She, The piano teacher) will chair this year’s Venice competition jury as president and choose the 2024 Golden Lion winner alongside other jury members including directors James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore and Julia von Heinz; and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.
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