The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the "Big Five" International film festivals worldwide, which include the Big Three European Film Festivals, alongside the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada and the Sundance Film Festival in the United States. These festivals are internationally renowned for giving creators the artistic freedom to express themselves through film. In 1951, FIAPF formally accredited the festival.
The Venice Biennale is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy, by the Biennale Foundation. It focuses on contemporary art, and includes events for art, contemporary dance, architecture, cinema, and theatre. Two main components of the festival are known as the Art Biennale and the Architecture Biennale, which are held in alternating years. The others – Biennale Musica, Biennale Teatro, Venice Film Festival, and Venice Dance Biennale – are held annually. The main exhibition held in Castello alternates between art and architecture, and there are around 30 permanent pavilions built by different countries.
The Golden Lion is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a second Golden Lion was introduced; this is an honorary award for people who have made an important contribution to cinema.
Stefano Lelio Beniamino Accorsi is an Italian actor.
Danielle Arbid is a French filmmaker of Lebanese origin who has been directing films since 1997.
Emily Jacir is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker.
The Grand Jury Prize is an award given at the Venice Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition slate since 1951. It is considered the second place award next to the main award, the Golden Lion.
The Volpi Cup for Best Actress is an award presented by the Venice Film Festival. It is given by the festival jury in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance from the films in the competition slate. It is named in honor of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the founder of the festival. The 1st ceremony was held in 1932, when Helen Hayes received the Volpi Cup for the title role in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)—this was the only time that the award was chosen by public voting. From 1942 to 1945, the festival was suspended because of World War II. The student protests in May 1968 opened a period of institutional changes, with no prizes were awarded from 1969 to 1979.
Luca Guadagnino is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. Guadagnino has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alongside nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards.
The 70th annual Venice International Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy from 28 August to 7 September 2013. American film director William Friedkin was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci was the president of the jury. He was previously the president of the jury at the 40th edition in 1983. Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, was the opening film of the festival. Italian actress Eva Riccobono hosted the opening and closing nights of the festival.
Stefano Casertano is a film director and producer.
Damien Sayre Chazelle is a French-American filmmaker. He directed the psychological drama Whiplash (2014), the musical romantic drama La La Land (2016), the biographical drama First Man (2018), and the period film Babylon (2022).
The Special Jury Prize is an official award given at the Venice Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition slate since 2013. It is considered the third most prestigious prize at the festival, the runner-up to both the main award Golden Lion and the second place award Grand Jury Prize.
Lyna Khoudri is an Algerian-French actress. In 2017, she won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actress at the 74th Venice International Film Festival for The Blessed. In 2020, she won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her performance in Papicha. In 2021, she portrayed a student activist in Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch. In 2023, Khoudri portrayed Constance Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady. Khoudri has been a brand ambassador for the French fashion house Chanel since 2022.
The 77th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 2 to 12 September 2020, albeit in a "more restrained format" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hand of God is a 2021 Italian semi-autobiographical drama film written, directed and produced by Paolo Sorrentino. Set in Naples, the film delves into Sorrentino's own youth. Its cast features Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Marlon Joubert, Luisa Ranieri, Renato Carpentieri, Massimiliano Gallo, Betti Pedrazzi, Enzo Decaro, Sofya Gershevich, Lino Musella and Biagio Manna.
The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 1 to 11 September 2021.
La Soledad is a 2016 drama film and the directorial debut of Venezuelan filmmaker Jorge Thielen Armand. It premiered in the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. The production received the financial support of The Venice Biennale College and it is a co-production between Venezuela, Canada and Italy.
Padre Pio is a 2022 biographical film co-written and directed by Abel Ferrara. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Padre Pio, a Capuchin Franciscan priest who received the stigmata. This historical event is shown in the film. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. During its production, as a result of his spiritual experiences, LaBeouf converted to Catholicism.
Valerio Ferrara is an Italian film director, known for his short film A Conspiracy Man (2022). Ferrara won the first prize at La Cinef in 2022.
