All articles tagged with #venice film festival
As Hollywood scales back amid an industry crisis, Venice leans into politics with a documentary- and issue-driven lineup addressing Gaza/Ukraine, immigration, and climate change, while showcasing star power and new works from directors like Boyle, McDonagh, Zeller and Herzog; the festival opens with Boyle’s Ink and features honors for Clooney and Burstyn.
Venice Film Festival reversed its decision and reinstated its jury press conference after Deadline Hollywood’s reporting and backlash over its cancellation due to scheduling conflicts; the jury, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal and including Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat and Johnnie To, will now meet the press as the festival runs Sept. 2–12, 2026, with a more relaxed welcome event planned for reporters.
The Venice Film Festival is weighing the cancellation of its traditional opening jury press conference due to a scheduling conflict, replacing it with a welcome cocktail hour for journalists. The festival, kicking off Sept. 2 with Danny Boyle’s Ink, has faced political pressure around Palestine this year as its lineup is described as highly political; the jury is led by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The Venice Film Festival has scrapped its international jury press conference for this year, citing a scheduling conflict. The jury is headed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and includes Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To. The change comes as festivals face politically charged questions at press events, and Venice will run September 2–12, 2026.
An open letter organized by Venice4Palestine, signed by notable artists including Roger Waters, calls on the Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival to take concrete action in support of Palestine—demanding transparency, suspension of ties with Israeli-government-linked bodies, safeguards for professionals who dissociate, and the flying of the Palestinian flag during the festival.
Prominent artists including Roger Waters and Annie Ernaux sign an open letter from the Venice4Palestine coalition, urging the Venice Biennale and Venice Film Festival to take concrete action for Palestine, including displaying the Palestinian flag, pursuing a cultural boycott of Israeli-linked entities, and demanding transparency across the film industry’s supply chain; the letter also announces a September 8 panel and broader solidarity efforts with PACBI, BDS, and related groups.
An open letter issued by the Venice4Palestine coalition—signed by Roger Waters, Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux and other filmmakers—urges the Venice Film Festival to take concrete action in support of Palestine, including flying the Palestinian flag, withdrawing invitations to Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler, and spotlighting Palestinian cinema such as Citizen Osama and Conversation with the Sea; the letter is part of ongoing festival activism as Venice prepares its Sept. 2–12 program and related events like the And Yet Gaza Continues to Burn panel.
Berlin and Cannes have been roiled by political debates—from Wim Wenders’ controversial remarks to funding backlash and AI discourse—setting Venice up for a notably political edition. The lineup threads Gaza, Russia, Iran, and AI themes, features AI-made Be Brave and documentaries like Musk, and probes how film as a global cultural space navigates geopolitics and technology.
Jack O’Connell stars as tabloid editor Larry Lamb in Danny Boyle’s Ink, Netflix’s Murdoch-origin drama debuting at Venice, which delves into how Fleet Street’s sensationalism helped shape modern media and the public’s appetite for scandal, anchored by a provocative performance and Boyle’s sharp direction.
A Gaza-focused documentary titled NAZA, created by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by Britain's Guardian with Jonathan Glazer as executive producer, was added to Venice Film Festival’s main competition, marking a second Gaza-related entry among the festival’s lineup; NAZA will premiere in Venice on September 10 alongside other high-profile works.
Venice Film Festival added Naza, a documentary by No Other Land directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, to its competition lineup. Shot at night on Tel Aviv rooftops, the film purports to reveal the systems behind Israel’s actions in Gaza, per its official synopsis. Produced by The Guardian and JW Films with Jonathan Glazer as executive producer, Naza is Venice’s sole documentary in competition and will screen Sept. 10 in Sala Grande with the directors and delegation in attendance; it marks Abraham and Szor’s Venice competition debut as the 83rd edition runs Sept. 2–12.
NAZA, a Guardian-produced Gaza documentary directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (with producer Jim Wilson and executive producer Jonathan Glazer), will world-premiere in Venice’s Golden Lion competition as the festival’s sole documentary entry, drawing on investigative reporting from +972, Local Call, and the Guardian and following the Oscar-winning No Other Land.
The Venice Film Festival has added the competition documentary NAZA from No Other Land directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, produced with Guardian and JW Films and executive-produced by Jonathan Glazer, which examines 'systems' behind Israel’s mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza; it will screen Sept. 10 in the Sala Grande with the directors, Guardian journalists and an official delegation in attendance.
Danny Boyle’s Rupert Murdoch–focused drama Ink will open in theaters on December 11 before streaming on Netflix on January 8, 2027 (U.S. and Latin America). Jack O’Connell stars as editor Larry Lamb opposite Guy Pearce’s Murdoch, with Claire Foy in the cast. The film, adapting James Graham’s play, centers on Murdoch hiring Lamb to run The Sun. Ink will world premiere as the Venice Film Festival opener (Sept. 2) and also screens at TIFF; producers include StudioCanal, Media Res and House Productions.
Netflix has dated its U.S. release for Ink, Danny Boyle’s tabloid-drama about Rupert Murdoch, with Guy Pearce in the lead. The film, adapted from James Graham’s play, will hit select theaters on Dec. 11 and stream on Netflix in the U.S. and Latin America on Jan. 8. A first look shows Pearce as Murdoch; the project also stars Jack O’Connell and Claire Foy and is Venice’s opening-night competition title, followed by TIFF. Studiocanal financed and handles worldwide sales, with an international rollout starting Jan. 6–8 in several European markets as Netflix leans into an Oscar-season campaign.