The 82nd Venice International Film Festival will feature the world premieres of notable films including Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, and Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite. These titles were revealed during a press conference held on Tuesday morning in Venice by Alberto Barbera, Director of the Cinema Department, along with Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of La Biennale di Venezia.
Highlights of the Competition Selection
The festival‘s main competition lineup includes works from acclaimed directors such as Luca Guadagnino with After the Hunt, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, Laszlo Nemes’ Orphan, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, and Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine. These films represent a diverse array of storytelling styles and international filmmaking voices.
Out of Competition Screenings and Special Guests
Among the out-of-competition films is Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, which will mark Julia Roberts’ first appearance at the festival. The selection will also feature Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire and Julian Schnabel’s In the Hands of Dante, adding star power and directorial prestige to the event’s roster.
Festival Jury Composition and Lifetime Achievement Honor
Alexander Payne will lead the international jury responsible for awarding the coveted Golden Lion and various other honors. Jury members include Fernanda Torres, Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Zhao Tao. The festival previously announced that Werner Herzog will be honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, recognizing his outstanding contributions to cinema.
Venice’s Role in the Global Festival Circuit
The Venice Film Festival, running from August 27 to September 6, 2025, kicks off a closely spaced trio of major fall film festivals, followed by the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Venice is often regarded as a launching platform for many films that go on to contend in major awards seasons throughout the year.
Noteworthy Past Premieres Demonstrate Venice’s Prestige
In recent years, Venice has premiered an impressive selection of films that have received critical acclaim and awards attention, including The Brutalist, I’m Still Here, Maestro, Poor Things, The Banshees of Inisherin, Tar, The Whale, The Power of the Dog, Dune, Joker, Marriage Story, Roma, The Favourite, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Oscar Best Picture winners Nomadland and The Shape of Water.
Competition and Out of Competition Lineups Detailed
The competition includes a wide range of films such as La Grazia by Paolo Sorrentino, The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier Assayas, The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania, and Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein also joins the diverse competitive selections alongside Pietro Marcello’s Duse, Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee, and Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother.
The out-of-competition section features Cedric Jimenez’s closing film Chien 51, Hilal Baydarov’s Sermon to the Void, and works like Mamoru Hosoda’s Hateshinaki Scarlet and Anders Thomas Jensen’s The Last Viking. Documentary and nonfiction films such as Werner Herzog’s Ghost Elephants and Roberto Ando’s Ferdinando Scianna – Il Fotografo Dell’Ombra are also part of the festival’s expansive offerings.
Diverse Focus Includes Series, Documentaries, and Music Films
Venice Spotlight will highlight films such as Shahad Ameen’s Hijra and Daniel Hendler’s Un Cabo Suelto, among others. The festival also presents a series section with productions like Marco Bellocchio’s Portobello and Stefano Sollima’s Il Mostro. Documentary programs, including Daniel Raim’s The Ozu Diaries, add further depth to the cinematic experience offered at the event.
Festival Anticipation and Its Significance in Cinema
The 2025 Venice Film Festival remains a critical platform for filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro to showcase their work, providing early exposure to industry professionals and audiences alike. Its timing at the start of the fall festival circuit positions it at the forefront of films vying for major international recognition, shaping the cultural conversation around cinema for the year ahead.
“The Sun Rises on Us All,”
—Cai Shangjun
“Ferdinando Scianna – Il Fotografo Dell’Ombra,”
—Roberto Ando
“I Diari di Angela – Noi Due Cineasti. Capoitolo Terzo,”
—Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi
“Newport and the Great Folk Dream,”
—Robert Gordon
