Everything you need to know about the 2026 Venice Film Festival

Venice, Italy (AP) — Hollywood's biggest stars are set to arrive in Venice, Italy for the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival, which begins on Wednesday. The festival, one of the world's most prestigious film events, will run until September 12th, awarding the Golden Lion at the close of the event.

The festival, established in 1932, has a long history of attracting big names in cinema. Its opening night film this year is Danny Boyle's "Ink", an adaptation of the stage play about Rupert Murdoch's early days. Jack O'Connell and Claire Foy also star.

George Clooney, a frequent attendee, will make a return to the festival as a recipient of its lifetime achievement award. He's also a producer on "Furies". Other notable attendees include Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis, Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Robert Pattinson, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Pamela Anderson, Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, Louis Garrel, Cho Yeo-jeong and Ellen Burstyn.

Among the anticipated awards, Martin McDonagh's dark comedy "Wild Horse Nine" is of particular interest. The film stars Robert Rockwell and John Malkovich as CIA agents before the 1973 Chilean coup. Other films generating excitement include Pattinson's role in "Primetime", Cruz and Bardem co-starring in Florian Zeller's "Bunker", and Lee Chang-dong's first film in eight years, "Possible Love".

The documentary category features Alex Gibney's investigation into Elon Musk, "Musk", and Julia Loktev's portrait of independent Russian journalists, "My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile". "Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger" documents the Gallagher brothers' 2025 reunion tour.

Documentary "DAU" by Ilya Khrzhanovsky, inspired by Soviet physicists working on the atomic bomb, has sparked controversy. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Culture and the Embassy of Ukraine in Italy protested its inclusion, calling it linked to the Russian state. Festival director Alberto Barbera defended Khrzhanovsky's selection, asserting that the film "denounces totalitarian regimes and their intrusion into citizens' lives to restrict their freedom".