Venice Film Festival 2026 Lineup Unveils Major Directors In A Stacked Awards Race

The Venice Film Festival 2026 lineup has officially been unveiled, promising one of the strongest editions in recent years with acclaimed filmmakers from across the world returning to compete for the Golden Lion. Casey Affleck, Hirokazu Koreeda, Lee Chang-Dong, Martin McDonagh and Werner Herzog headline a packed programme, while the festival also features major documentaries, debut features and long-awaited returns from celebrated directors. Studio-backed films, however, remain largely absent, continuing a trend seen earlier this year at Cannes.

Venice Film Festival 2026 competition lineup revealed

This year's competition includes Casey Affleck's gothic horror film Company, Lee Chang-Dong's Possible Love, marking his first feature since Burning (2018), and Hirokazu Koreeda's Look Back, arriving months after his Cannes title Sheep in the Box. Martin McDonagh also returns with Wild Horse Nine, his first feature since The Banshees of Inisherin.

Veteran filmmaker Nanni Moretti returns to Venice for the first time since 1989 with Succederà Questa Notte, while Lance Oppenheim premieres his first fiction feature Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as journalist Chris Hansen during the making of To Catch a Predator.

Out of competition highlights and special screenings

Outside the competition, Paul Schrader will present The Basics of Philosophy, while Luca Guadagnino brings his seven-hour Bernardo Bertolucci documentary Joie De Vivre. Wim Wenders, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace also join the line-up with new documentaries. Laura Poitras will debut the short film They're Here, featuring previously unseen footage from protests in Minnesota.

The festival will open with Danny Boyle's Ink, starring Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy. It was stated by festival director Alberto Barbera that the film chronicles Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of The Sun and its transformation into Britain's biggest tabloid under editor Larry Lamb.

Giovanni Veronesi's Dio ride will close the festival out of competition. George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn will receive this year's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, while Maggie Gyllenhaal will preside over the main competition jury. The Venice Film Festival festival runs from September 2 to September 12.