Venice Film Festival 2025: lots of stars
In the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, 21 international films will compete for what is arguably the most important trophy in European cinema: the Golden Lion , starting on August 27.
This year, numerous stars are traveling to the festival to present their films in the best possible way: Julia Roberts will be visiting the Lido for the first time to present Luca Guadagnino's " After the Hunt, " a thriller inspired by the #MeToo movement . The Hollywood icon plays a Yale philosophy professor who finds herself in a difficult situation when her doctoral student (Ayo Edebiri from "The Bear") accuses Alma's colleague and friend (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault.
Another newcomer to Venice is former professional wrestler and current action superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who, for once, appears in a serious film. He plays former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr in indie darling Benny Safdie's "The Smashing Machine." Emily Blunt plays Kerr's wife, Dawn Staples.
Hollywood conquers the red carpet in VeniceRed carpet regulars include George Clooney, who stars in Noah Baumbach's "Jay Kelly," about a famous actor traveling through Europe with his longtime manager (played by Adam Sandler) as the two reflect on their legacy and life choices.
Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver, also regular Venice guests, return this year with "Father Mother Sister Brother," the highly anticipated new film from independent film pioneer Jim Jarmusch. Consisting of three contemporary character studies set in the US, Dublin, and Paris, the film explores the relationships between adult children (including Blanchett and Driver) and their somewhat distant parents, played by Tom Waits and Charlotte Rampling.
Fans of Korean film will get their money's worth with "No Other Choice," the new thriller from master director Park Chan-wook ("Oldboy," "The Pickpocket"). Lee Byung-hun plays a man who has been fired from a long-term job and now tries to get his job back through unscrupulous means.
Emma Stone has reunited with director Giorgos Lanthimos for "Bugonia," the English-language remake of the completely insane and absolutely brilliant 2003 South Korean science fiction film "Save the Green Planet." Lanthimos won the 2023 Golden Lion for "Poor Things." Last year, Pedro Almodóvar won with "The Room Next Door."
Jacob Elordi is also in town to present Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein, which also stars Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz .
After a hiatus last year, Netflix is returning to the Lido with a vengeance. Alongside Del Toro's "Frankenstein" and Baumbach's "Jay Kelly," the streaming provider is rolling out the red carpet for "A House of Dynamite," the first feature film from action director Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") in eight years.
The thriller, told in real time, revolves around a group of White House officials - played by Idris Elba , Rebecca Ferguson, Greta Lee and Jared Harris, among others - who are confronted with an impending nuclear missile attack on the USA.
Venice is the unofficial kickoff of the awards season, and this year's program seems particularly Oscar-worthy. Director Paolo Sorrentino , Oscar winner for "La Grande Bellezza," opens the festival with "La Grazia," starring his longtime muse Toni Servillo.
Mona Fastvold, co-writer and producer of the three-time Oscar winner "The Brutalist" , comes to Venice with "The Testament of Ann Lee", a historical drama musical starring Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee, the founder of the 18th-century Shaker religious sect.
Artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel returns to Venice with his award-winning historical film "In the Hand of Dante," a thriller about a handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. The film features several stars: Oscar Isaac plays a dual role, and Jason Momoa, Gerard Butler, Gal Gadot, Martin Scorsese , and Al Pacino are also in the cast.
Award for Werner HerzogThis year, Venice also features several documentaries that could land on awards and best-of lists. Legendary German director Werner Herzog, who will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the festival's opening ceremony on Wednesday evening, presents the unconventional nature documentary "Ghost Elephants." The film follows indigenous Khoisan trackers in Angola on their search for a legendary—possibly mythical—herd of elephants.
Laura Poitras, Oscar-winning for her Edward Snowden documentary "Citizenfour ," collaborated with Mark Obenhaus on "Cover-Up," a portrait of Seymour Hersh. The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist uncovered scandals in the U.S. military during the Vietnam and Iraq Wars.
Current conflicts on the big screen...Venice isn't usually known for its political content. But this year, the festival is screening several films that address current geopolitical issues.
"The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania is based on the harrowing true story of a six-year-old girl during the Israeli invasion of Gaza—including her desperate final phone call to Red Crescent rescue workers. Alberto Barbera, artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, could barely hold back his tears as he spoke about the film at a press conference.
Russian politics is the subject of Olivier Assayas' "The Wizard of the Kremlin," starring Jude Law as Vladimir Putin and Paul Dano as an influential behind-the-scenes Kremlin puppet master.
Iran is the focus of two films shown in the film festival's supporting program: Ali Asgari's "Divine Comedy" is a dark satire about an Iranian filmmaker struggling with censorship, and Amir Azizi's "Inside Amir" follows a young Iranian who is about to leave the country.
... and in front of the cinemaBut politics isn't just on screen at the moment in Venice: On August 23, hundreds of filmmakers and cultural figures signed an open letter under the banner "Venice4Palestine," calling on the festival to take a clear stance on the war in Gaza, condemn Israeli actions, and give more space to Palestinian voices.
The Italian artist collective Artisti #NoBavaglio has called for a mass demonstration on August 30, warning that the festival risks becoming a "sad, empty showcase" if it ignores the war.
Adapted from English: Katharina Abel
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