Politics take center stage at Venice Film Festival
With works about Gaza, Ukraine and Elon Musk, political cinema is in the spotlight at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
The Venice Film Festival is known for its red carpet glamour and awards season prestige. However, this year, politics and political cinema are expected to take center stage. The 83rd Venice International Film Festival begins on September 2 with Danny Boyle's drama about Rupert Murdoch's takeover of The Sun, the origins of the Murdoch right-wing media empire.
Over the course of 11 days, the festival will feature films examining various political issues, including the Israel-Gaza conflict, Russia's war in Ukraine, the CIA-backed coup in Chile, and the ICE raids in Minneapolis. Documentary filmmaker Julia Loktev's My Undesirable Friends Part II - Exile offers a look into Russian President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on independent journalism.
Alex Gibney's four-hour documentary on Elon Musk has already been denounced by the world's richest man. Laura Poitras, Oscar-winning director of Citizenfour, will screen a short horror film based on previously undisclosed footage of ICE's deportation surge in Minneapolis. Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera has described this year's Venice edition as the most political ever.
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