The lineups for the Main Competition and Orizzonti Competition sections at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in Italy have been announced; the selected films will compete for the Golden Lion and Silver Lion awards.
According to the report of Mansour Jahani, an independent and international film journalist, Alberto Barbera, Artistic Director of the Venice International Film Festival, announced the official lineup including films selected for the Main Competition, the Orizzonti Competition, and other sections of this prestigious cinematic event during a press conference in Rome. Commenting on the selection, he stated that these works reinforce the concept of cinema as an extraordinary tool for understanding the real world, noting that the films unveiled today reflect or echo the major challenges of contemporary life.
Cinema is a living entity capable of constant reinvention
Barbera went on to emphasize that, despite declining audience numbers, cinema continues to prove itself to be “a living entity capable of constant reinvention”, retaining the ability to create moments of revelation and visual miracles.
The Ever-Growing Dynamism of Global Film Production
Speaking at another point during the press conference, the artistic director of the Venice International Film Festival noted that approximately 4,500 films were reviewed this year an increase over the 4,200 submissions received last year reflecting the ever-growing dynamism of global film production. The festival’s program addresses critical issues of our time, such as war, the climate crisis, migration, and social and familial tensions, all of which are explored through the language of cinema.
Films in the Main Competition
1. “Company”, directed by Casey Affleck a joint production of Canada, Romania, Italy, the USA, and the United Arab Emirates.
2. “A Bit of Light”, directed by Al Asgari a joint production of Iran, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, and Turkey.
3. “Ritorno a Buenos Aires”, directed by Marco Bechis a joint production of Italy and Brazil.
4. “Ink”, directed by Danny Boyle a production of the UK – the Opening Film
5. “Un bon petit soldat” (A Good Little Soldier), directed by Stéphane Brizé a production of France
6. “Il fuoco che ti porti dentro”, directed by Edoardo De Angelis a production of Italy
7. “Kvinde Ukendt” (Woman Unknown), directed by May el-Toukhy a joint production of Denmark and Sweden
8. “Bucking Fastard”, directed by Werner Herzog a joint production of Ireland and USA
9. “15/18: A Place to Heal”, directed by Cédric Kahn a production of France
10. “Dau”, directed by Ilya Khrzhanovsky a joint production of Germany, France and Sweden
11. “Look Back”, directed by Hirozaku Koreeda a production of Japan
12. “Possible Love”, directed by Lee Chang-dong a production of South Korea
13. “Wild Horse Nine”, directed by Martin McDonagh a joint production of the UK, USA and Chile
14. “Succederà questa notte”, directed by Nanni Moretti a joint production of Italy, France and Spain
15. “Primetime”, directed by Lance Oppenheim a production of the USA
16. “The Echo Chamber” (The Echo Chamber), directed by Andrea Pallaoro a joint production of Italy and Belgium
17. “Un peu avant minuit”, directed by Nicolas Pariser a production of France
18. “L’estranea”, directed by Paolo Strippoli a joint production of Italy, France, and Belgium
19. “Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?”, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto a joint production of Japan, USA, Thailand, and Vietnam
20. “Bunker”, directed by Florian Zeller a joint production of France and Spain.
Films in the Orizzonti Competition
1. “The Burning Giants”, directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
2. “What Belongs to Others”, directed by Grzegorz Dębowski
3. “Una Storia”, directed by Anna Foglietta
4. “La Città dei Vivi”, directed by Edoardo Gabbriellini
5. “Falling House”, directed by Mohsen Gharaei a production of the Iran
6. “Too Much Sugar”, directed by Robert Greene
7. “The Difficult Bride”, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain
8. “La maison du vent”, directed by Auguste Bernard and Kouemo Yanghu
9. “I figli della scimmia”, directed by Tommaso Landucci
10. “A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra”, directed by Jacqueline Lentzou
11. “Oasis”, directed by Jannis Lenz
12. “Until the Day Ends”, directed by Jelena Maksimović
13. “La ragazza con la Leica”, directed by Alina Marazzi
14. “La Moula”, directed by Jérôme Pierrat
15. “Lovers in the Blue Night”, directed by Anuparna Roy
16. “Un détour par Diane”, directed by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni
17. “The Color of the Sun”, directed by Xavier Tera
18. “Eklipse”, directed by Manuel Wetscher
19. “Big Little Things”, directed by Michelle Zhou.
Awarding the prestigious Golden Lion award of Venice
The Golden Lion for Best Film and other official awards will be announced at the closing ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on the stage of the grand auditorium of the Palazzo del Cinema on Venice Lido.
On the closing night of the 83rd Venice Film Festival, which will take place on the evening of Saturday, September 12, 2026, the members of the International Competition Jury will present the following official awards to the feature films participating in this prestigious film competition: Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay, and “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.
Presence of Prominent Auteur Filmmakers and International Stars
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival will host prominent auteur filmmakers and international stars, showcasing a strong presence of Italian cinema.
Venice film festival is the oldest film event in the world
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival, as the world’s oldest film event, will be held in Venice, Italy, under the chairmanship of Alberto Barbera, and will feature works by directors from around the world in Competition sections, including the Main Competition, Orizzonti Competition, Critics’ Week Competition, Venezia Spotlight, Immersive Competition, Classic Films Restorations, College Cinema, Best of Experiences, Best of the World, Cinema and Music Special, Critics’ Week Out of competition, and Workshops and Interviews with Cinema Characters from September 2 to 12, 2026, in Venice, Italy.
Credit image Website Venice Film Festival
For more details:
https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2026/venezia-83-competition
