The 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival will open on September 2, featuring a slate that spotlights prominent media figures through new cinematic projects. Artistic director Alberto Barbera unveiled the lineup this week, confirming that the festival will host the world premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink, a film dramatizing Rupert Murdoch’s 1969 acquisition of The Sun.
Venice Film Festival Unveils 83rd Edition Lineup
According to Theguardian, Ink features Australian actor Guy Pearce as the newspaper tycoon and is scripted by James Graham.
The festival’s programming also includes a four-hour documentary titled Musk, directed by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney. The film profiles Elon Musk, the owner of the social network X, and is scheduled to be screened out of competition.
Competition Slate and Auteur Features
Beyond the media-focused projects, the main competition includes a diverse array of international and American films. Martin McDonagh is set to showcase Wild Horse Nine, a dark comedy starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents in Chile during the 1973 coup.
Other notable titles in the main competition include:
- Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.
- Bunker, a thriller by Florian Zeller starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem as a couple designing a nuclear-resistant building.
- Bucking Fastard, directed by Werner Herzog, featuring sisters Kate and Rooney Mara as identical twins.
- Succederà Questa Notte (It Will Happen Tonight), marking Nanni Moretti’s first film in the festival’s competition since 1989.
Additional works in competition include Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, Stéphane Brizé’s A Good Little Soldier, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Look Back, and Casey Affleck’s Company.
Gender Representation and Industry Trends
The festival’s competition program faces scrutiny regarding gender representation. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, only one film among the 20 titles in the main competition, May El-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown, is directed by a woman.
Artistic director Alberto Barbera also addressed the reduced presence of Hollywood studio films in this year’s selection. While some industry observers noted a decline in studio participation, Barbera stated that the absence of certain expected titles is a matter of production status rather than a shift in studio strategy. Regarding the Warner Bros. decision to bypass festivals for the Tom Cruise film Digger, Barbera described it as a specific marketing choice.
Out-of-Competition Highlights
The festival’s out-of-competition program features several high-profile documentaries and special presentations. These include:
- Union Town, by Barbara Kopple.
- Everest: The Other Side, by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
- Joie de Vivre, a seven-hour documentary by Luca Guadagnino on Bernardo Bertolucci.
- What Love Builds, a musical concert film featuring Russell Crowe.
- They’re Here, a short film by Laura Poitras regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis.
As noted by AP News, the festival will also honor 93-year-old actor Ellen Burstyn with a lifetime achievement award.
The 83rd edition of the festival serves as a launching point for the fall film season. Barbera emphasized that the selection process remains focused on the availability of completed auteur-driven works, maintaining that the current lineup reflects a “buzzy” collection of talent despite the logistical challenges of the production cycle.
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