The lineup for the 81st Venice International Film Festival is here. Artistic director Alberto Barbera and Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco are revealing the complete list of titles across sections early on Tuesday, July 23. Follow the live stream here or on YouTube.
This year’s festival runs August 28 to September 7, with a filmmaker-heavy competition jury chaired by Isabelle Huppert alongside directors James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, and Julia von Heinz, and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. Sections announced out of the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday will include the competition, out-of-competition titles in film and TV, documentaries, and the Orizzonti (Horizons) section. Venice has already announced the Immersive lineup for 2024.
Venice news arrives on top of a busy week for festival announcements, as Toronto unveiled its galas and special presentations on Monday. As Venice prioritizes world premieres, the TIFF announcement eliminated some films that could’ve premiered in Italy, including Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl,” Angelina Jolie’s “Without Blood,” and Edward Berger’s Vatican City-set “Conclave” (this will go to Telluride also).
The Golden Lion for Best Film and other awards will be presented during the closing ceremony of the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, September 7 onstage at the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Venice Lido. Sigourney Weaver is set to received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on opening night, where Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” will make its world premiere.
To recap, last year’s Golden Lion went to “Poor Things,” which went on to win four Oscars including Best Actress for Emma Stone. Last year’s was also a Venice (and fall festival season generally speaking) absent of many movie stars and writing talent due to the ongoing strikes. This year should expect to see a surge of Hollywood talent from both sides of the camera back on the Lido, waving to fans from water taxis and introducing their films at screenings and press conferences.
Follow along for the full 2024 Venice International Film Festival lineup below, updating live as the announcement continues.
