American actor George Clooney will walk the red carpet on Wednesday, September 2, to receive a lifetime achievement Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. His appearance precedes one of the most high-profile segments of the gathering, as stars including Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and musicians Liam and Noel Gallagher prepare to attend.
The 83rd edition of the festival and its parallel sections will host prominent names from cinema and music, appearing both in person and on the big screen, through to its closing day on September 12. Held annually on the island of Lido di Venezia, the Venice Film Festival was established in 1932 and is recognized as the world's oldest film festival.
Actress Laura Dern is confirmed to pay tribute to Clooney during the official presentation of his honorary Golden Lion award. Clooney, an Oscar winner for acting and producing, is also widely recognized as a film director and humanitarian activist. The Golden Lion, named after the traditional symbol of the city of Venice, is considered one of the highest honors in international cinema.
Musicians Liam and Noel Gallagher feature out of competition in the documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger, which details their return to the stage. Festival director Alberto Barbera said when announcing the film that the brothers had promised to attend the gathering, though predicting their public behavior remains difficult. The Gallagher brothers defined 1990s Britpop with their Manchester rock group Oasis before splitting up in 2009.
Several other high-profile musicians feature across the lineup and could capture headline festival images if they attend their respective presentations. Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin appears in Hombre al agua, which marks the third feature film directed by Mexican actor Gael García Bernal. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits makes a brief appearance in Wild Horse Nine, while musician Phoebe Bridgers presents her work in Primetime.
Stars in competition and top screenings
Spanish actors Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem are confirmed to arrive at the Lido with Bunker, a new film by French director Florian Zeller. The production also features performances by Paul Dano, Stephen Graham, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Both Cruz and Bardem are previous Academy Award winners and remain two of Spain's most celebrated performers, while Zeller previously won an Oscar for adapting his drama The Father.
The main official competition lineup showcases prominent figures from European cinema. French actor Vincent Lindon stars in Un bon petit soldat, while actress Chiara Mastroianni appears in Un peu avant minuit. Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti presents Succederà questa notte, featuring Louis Garrel, while actress Valeria Bruni Tedeschi stars in L'Estranea. Moretti is a veteran Italian auteur known for winning top honors at European festivals.
British filmmaker Danny Boyle will officially launch the main competition on Wednesday with his film Ink, which chronicles the acquisition of The Sun newspaper by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The drama stars Guy Pearce, Claire Foy, and Jack O'Connell in central roles. Boyle previously directed Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, while Murdoch purchased the British tabloid publication in 1969 as part of building his global media empire.
Hollywood stars on the Lido
Hollywood talent maintains a heavy presence across the festival program. Actors John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, and Parker Posey are all competing in Wild Horse Nine. Meanwhile, Casey Affleck leads the cast of Company, arriving alongside veteran actor Nick Nolte as the film's most prominent performer.
Veteran German director Werner Herzog offers his latest film, Bucking Fastard, which marks the first on-screen collaboration between acting sisters Kate Mara and Rooney Mara. The film also features British actor Orlando Bloom. Herzog is recognized as a pioneer of New German Cinema, while Rooney Mara gained global fame in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Kate Mara starred in House of Cards.
British actor Robert Pattinson will attend the festival alongside director Lance Oppenheim for their film Primetime. Meanwhile, Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro brings together Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and Swedish actress Alicia Vikander in his drama The Echo Chamber.
Out-of-competition selections feature several prominent international names. Actor Al Pacino stars in Father Joe, directed by Barthélémy Grossmann, though Pacino will not travel to Venice for the presentation. Pamela Anderson and director-actor Taika Waititi star in Place to Be, a road movie depicting an unexpected friendship between an older woman and a middle-aged man traveling from Chicago to New York.
Directorial debuts and parallel sections
Several high-profile celebrities are taking on roles behind the camera or appearing in short-form works. Actress Dakota Johnson transforms into Marilyn Monroe in the short film Flesh Impact, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, which also stars Gyllenhaal's partner Peter Sarsgaard. Gyllenhaal previously earned critical acclaim for her feature directorial debut The Lost Daughter, while Monroe remains an iconic figure in American popular culture.
Four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan makes her directorial debut at the festival with the short film Paper Plane. Meanwhile, Australian actor Russell Crowe steps behind the lens to direct What Love Builds, a project documenting his creative process as both an actor and a musician.
Photographers will also focus on personalities participating in parallel festival sections. Australian actress Mia Wasikowska portrays a writer in Agata the Writer within the Venice Days sidebar, known officially as Jornadas de los Autores. Founded in 2004 as an independent section alongside the main festival, Venice Days also features Catherine Deneuve, widely regarded as the grand dame of French cinema, starring in Peau d'homme.
Fashion will remain a central theme throughout the eleven-day festival. A highlighted out-of-competition screening is Be Brave, a documentary directed by Francesco Carrozzini. The film portraits Renzo Rosso, the founder of Italian denim brand Diesel, and includes testimony from fashion designer John Galliano and Anna Wintour, who served as editor-in-chief of Vogue in the United States from 1988 to 2025. Wintour led the magazine for nearly four decades, becoming one of the most influential figures in fashion journalism.
