The Venice Film Festival will open its 83rd edition on 2 September with Danny Boyle's 'Ink', a drama about Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of the British tabloid The Sun in 1969. Australian actor Guy Pearce portrays the newspaper tycoon, with a script by Olivier Award-winning playwright James Graham, known for 'Dear England' and 'Brexit: The Uncivil War'. The film is set to critique the media mogul's impact on British public life.
Documentary on Elon Musk premieres out of competition
Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney presents a four-hour documentary titled 'Musk', profiling the world's wealthiest person, right-wing agitator, and owner of social network X. The film will screen out of competition, adding to the festival's focus on media power figures.
Star-studded lineup includes McDonagh, Herzog, and Moretti
British-Irish director Martin McDonagh returns with 'Wild Horse Nine', starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as unlikely CIA agents in Chile on the eve of the 1973 coup led by Augusto Pinochet. The cast also includes Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey.
Robert Pattinson leads A24's 'Primetime', a psychological thriller inspired by the US reality TV show 'To Catch a Predator', directed by Lance Oppenheim.
Real-life spouses Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem star in Florian Zeller's 'Bunker', about a publisher-architect couple moving to London and tasked by a millionaire to design a nuclear-bomb-proof building.
Werner Herzog presents 'Bucking Fastard', his first dramatic feature in seven years, starring real-life sisters Kate and Roanna Mara. Originally a biopic of twins Freda and Greta Chaplin, the film now centers on a mission to dig a tunnel through a mountain range in search of an imaginary land.
Nanni Moretti, known for 'Caro Diario' and 'The Son's Room', returns to Venice for the first time since 1989 with 'Succederà Questa Notte' (It Will Happen Tonight), competing for the Golden Lion.
Notable documentaries and serious fare
Liam and Noel Gallagher are confirmed to attend the premiere of 'Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger', a reunion documentary by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. Russell Crowe will attend a screening of 'What Love Builds', a documentary about his band Indoor Garden Party.
Ilya Khrzhanovsky's 'Dau' project continues with a new film from his Dar project, likened to a Stalinist Truman Show. Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa presents 'Imperium', about a film commissioned by the Italian Communist party that revealed Soviet contradictions. Laura Poitras and Rachel Mueller's 'They're Here' dives into ICE's intervention in Minneapolis and the killing of Renée Good, featuring previously undisclosed footage.
Gender disparity in competition
After six female directors competed in 2025, this year's main competition includes only one female-directed film among 20 titles: Danish-Egyptian director May El-Toukhy's drama 'Woman Unknown'. Artistic director Alberto Barbera noted the drop, but emphasized the quality of the selection.
The full competition lineup includes films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Lee Chang-dong, Shinya Tsukamoto, and others. The Orizzonti section opens with Alina Marazzi's 'La Ragazza con la Leica', and the Venice Open section features fiction, nonfiction, and films on film.
