Venice 2025 Lineup: Del Toro’s Frankenstein, Lanthimos’ Bugonia, Safdie’s Smashing Machine, and More
'Father Mother Sister Brother' MUBI - Courtesy Venice Film Festival
The 82nd Venice Film Festival unveils a globe-spanning lineup led by bold auteurs, Oscar contenders, and major stars—setting the tone for the fall awards season.
The 82nd Venice Film Festival is pulling out all the stops. Festival director Alberto Barbera unveiled a sweeping 2025 lineup that features the biggest names in global cinema—Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Benny Safdie, Luca Guadagnino, Kathryn Bigelow, Noah Baumbach, and Park Chan-wook among them—with bold new films vying for the prestigious Golden Lion.
Among the most buzzed-about entries: Frankenstein from del Toro, a lavish Netflix original starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth; Bugonia, reuniting Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone; and The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie’s A24 drama starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr. All three films are in competition.
Out-of-competition highlights include Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts in her Venice debut alongside Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri; In the Hand of Dante, Julian Schnabel’s ensemble crime mystery; and Dead Man’s Wire, a hostage thriller from Gus Van Sant featuring Bill Skarsgård and Al Pacino.
Dead Man’s Wire - Courtesy Venice Film Festival
Netflix is bringing a trio of major films to the Lido, including Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, set in a fictional White House crisis; and Jay Kelly, a comedy-drama from Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, starring George Clooney as an actor in the midst of an identity crisis.
On the international front, Cannes favorite Park Chan-wook returns with No Other Choice, while Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania premieres The Voice of Hind Rajab, a politically charged film based on the tragic death of a Palestinian girl in Gaza. Other standouts include Shu Qi’s directorial debut Girl, Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee, and Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, featuring Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver.
MUBI will open the festival with Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia and also back Jim Jarmusch and Park’s new films, further cementing its influence as a prestige distributor.
Meanwhile, Italy boasts a strong presence across all sections, including Duse by Pietro Marcello, Laura Samani’s A Year of School, and The Kidnapping of Arabella starring Chris Pine and Benedetta Porcaroli.
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On the TV side, Venice will host premieres of Portobello by Marco Bellocchio and Netflix’s The Monster of Florence. Also premiering are A Prophet, Etty, and Il Mostro, further blurring the line between cinematic and serialized storytelling.
The 82nd Venice Film Festival runs from August 27 to September 6. With a dense lineup of heavyweight auteurs and breakout newcomers, this year’s edition looks to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne will preside over the main jury.
The 82nd edition of Venice will run Aug. 27-Sept. 6.
the full lineup
COMPETITION
“Bugonia,” Yorgos Lanthimos - Courtesy Venice Film Festival
“La Grazia,” Paolo Sorrentino (opening film)
“The Wizard of the Kremlin,” Olivier Assayas
“Jay Kelly,” Noah Baumbach
“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Kaouther Ben Hania
“A House of Dynamite,” Kathryn Bigelow
“Ri Gua Zhong Tian” (“The Sun Rises on Us All”), Cai Shangjun
“Frankenstein,” Guillermo del Toro
“Elisa,” Leonardo di Costanzo
“À Pied d’Oeuvre,” Valérie Donzelli
“Silent Friend,” Ildikó Enyedi
“The Testament of Ann Lee,” Mona Fastvold
“Father Mother Sister Brother,” Jim Jarmusch
“Bugonia,” Yorgos Lanthimos
“Duse,” Pietro Marcello
“Un Film Fatto Per Bene,” Franco Maresco
“Orphan,” László Nemes
“L’Étranger,” François Ozon
“Eojjeol Suga Eopda” (“No Other Choice”), Park Chan-wook
“Sotto Le Nuvole,” Gianfranco Rosi
“The Smashing Machine,” Benny Safdie
“Nühai” (“Girl”), Shu Qi
OUT OF COMPETITION — FICTION
Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in After the Hunt - AMAZON MGM STUDIOS
“Chien 51,” Cédric Jimenez (closing film)
“Boşluğa Xütbə” (“Sermon to the Void”), Hilal Baydarov
“L’Isola di Andrea,” Antonio Capuano
“Il Maestro,” Andrea di Stefano
“After the Hunt,” Luca Guadagnino
“Hateshinaki Scarlet,” Mamoru Hosoda
“Den Sidste Viking” (“The Last Viking”), Anders Thomas Jensen
“In the Hand of Dante,” Julian Schnabel
“La Valle Dei Sorrisi,” Paolo Strippoli
“Dead Man’s Wire,” Gus Van Sant
“Orfeo,” Virgilio Villoresi
OUT OF COMPETITION — SERIES
“Portobello” - Marco Bellocchio: Courtesy Venice Film Festival
“Portobello” (Ep. 1-2), Marco Bellocchio
“Un Prophète” (Ep. 1-8), Enrico Maria Artale
“Etty” (Ep. 1-6), Hagai Levi
“Il Mostro” (Ep. 1-4), Stefano Sollima
OUT OF COMPETITION — NON-FICTION
Sofia Coppola - “Marc by Sofia” Courtesy Venice Film Festival
“Kabul, Between Prayers,” Aboozar Amini
“Ferdinando Scianna – Il Fotografo Dell’Ombra,” Roberto Andò
“Marc by Sofia,” Sofia Coppola
“I Diari di Angela – Noi Due Cineasti. Capitolo Terzo,” Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi
“Ghost Elephants,” Werner Herzog
“Baba Wa Al-Qadhafi” (“My Father and Qaddafi”), Jihan K
“The Tale of Sylian,” Tamara Kotevska
“Nuestra Tierra,” Lucrecia Martel
“Remake,” Ross McElwee
“Kim Novak’s Vertigo,” Alexandre Philippe
“Cover-Up,” Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus
“Broken English,” Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth
“Zapiski Nastoyashego Prestupnika” (“Notes of a True Criminal”), Alexander Rodnyansky and Andriy Alferov
“Director’s Diary,” Aleksander Sokurov
“Hui Jia” (“Back Home”), Tsai Ming-liang
OUT OF COMPETITION — FILM & MUSIC
“Newport and the Great Folk Dream,” Robert Gordon and Joe Lauro - Courtesy Venice Film Festival
“Nino. 18 Giorni,” Toni D’Angelo
“Piero Pelù. Rumore Dentro,” Francesco Fei
“Newport and the Great Folk Dream,” Robert Gordon and Joe Lauro
“Francesco de Gregori Nevergreen,” Stefano Pistolini
OUT OF COMPETITION — SHORTS
“How to Shoot a Ghost,” Charlie Kaufman - Courtesy Venice Film Festival
“Origin,” Yann Arthus-Bertrand
“Boomerang Atomic,” Rachid Bouchareb
“How to Shoot a Ghost,” Charlie Kaufman
HORIZONS
“Human Resource,” Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit - Courtesy Venice Film Festival
“Mother,” Teona Strugar Mitevska
“Komedie Elahi” (“Divine Comedy”), Ali Asgari
“Hiedra,” Ana Cristina Barragan
“Il Rapimento di Arabella,” Carolina Cavalli
“Estrany Riu” (“Strange River”), Jaume Claret Muxart
“Hara Watan” (“Lost Land”), Akio Fujimoto
“Grand Ciel,” Akihiro Hata
“Rose of Nevada,” Mark Jenkin
“Late Fame,” Kent Jones
“Milk Teeth,” Mihai Mincan
“Pin de Fartie,” Alejo Moguillansky
“Otec” (“Father”), Tereza Nvotova
“En El Camino,” David Pablos
“Songs of Forgotten Trees,” Anuparna Roy
“Un Anno di Scuola,” Laura Samani
“The Souffleur,” Gastón Solnicki
“Barrio Triste,” Stillz
“Human Resource,” Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
“Funeral Casino Blues,” Roderick Warich
VENICE SPOTLIGHT
“Motor City,” Potsy Ponciroli - Courtesy of Thomas Whiteside, Matt Winklemeyer, Richard Knapp
“Hijra,” Shahad Ameen
“Un Cabo Suelto,” Daniel Hendler
“Made in EU,” Stephan Komandarev
“Motor City,” Potsy Ponciroli
“La Hija de la Española,” Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás
“À Bras-Le-Corps,” Marie-Elsa Sgualdo
“Calle Malaga,” Maryam Touzani
“Ammazzare Stanca,” Daniele Vicari
The 82nd Venice Film Festival runs from August 27 to September 6
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