All the films in selection at the 2026 Venice Film Festival

Martin McDonagh, Florian Zeller, Danny Boyle, Werner Herzog, Nanni Moretti, Kore-eda… The 83rd edition of the Italian festival is very promising.

Artistic director Alberto Barbera has lifted the veil on the official selection of the 83rd Venice Film Festival, which will take place from September 2 to 12, 2026.

A program dominated by the big names in international auteur cinema, from Martin McDonagh to Florian Zeller, including Danny Boyle and Werner Herzog, as well as Nanni Moretti and Hirokazu Kore-eda. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal will chair the jury this year.

Barbera insisted on a selection that “confirms cinema as a formidable tool for understanding the contemporary world“, believing that “the biggest issues of our time find an echo in the films presented“.

Films in official competition

The competition will open with Inkthe new film by Danny Boyle, dedicated to the tycoon Rupert Murdoch, played by Guy Pearce.

Among the favorites of this edition is Wild Horse Ninethe new black comedy from Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards, Good Kisses from Bruges) which will be released in November in France and will bring together John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell.

The Official Competition of this Mostra 2026 will be marked by a strong French presence. Are selected A Good Little Soldier by Stéphane Brizé, with Alba Rohrwacher and Vincent Lindon; a dive into a child psychiatry service entitled 15/18 produced by Cédric Kahn, as well as A Little Before Midnight by Nicolas Pariser, with Melvil Poupaud and Chiara Mastroianni.

We will also see the new Florian Zeller (The Father). The Oscar-winning French filmmaker will come with Bunkerpsychological thriller bringing together Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.

On the American side, Casey Affleck will come to defend Companya gothic thriller starring Nick Nolte.

Also in the running is the Japanese Hirokazu Kore-eda who will present Look Backlive action adaptation of the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Italian legend Nanni Moretti will also compete with Hungry Heartsworn by Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca.

All films in competition:

Official competition

• Ink by Danny Boyle (opening film)
• Company by Casey Affleck
• Kami Nour by Ali Asgari
• Ritorno in Buenos Aires by Marco Bechis
• A Good Little Soldier by Stéphane Brizé
• Il Fuoco Che Ti Porti Dentro by Edoardo DeAngelis
• Kvinde Ukendt by May El-Toukhy
• Bucking Fastard by Werner Herzog
• 15/18 by Cédric Kahn
• Dau by Ilya Khrzhanovsky
• Look Back by Hirokazu Kore-eda
• Ga-Neung-Han Sa-Rang by Lee Chang-dong
• Wild Horse Nine by Martin McDonagh
• Hungry Hearts by Nanni Moretti
• Primetime by Lance Oppenheim
• The Echo Chamber by Andrea Pallaoro
• A Little Before Midnight by Nicolas Pariser
• L’Estranea by Paolo Strippoli
• Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? by Shinya Tsukamoto
• Bunker by Florian Zeller

Films out of competition

Among the out-of-competition sessions are notably What Love Buildsdocumentary directed by Russell Crowe around his music group.

Paul Schrader will reveal The Basics of Philosophywith Jack Huston.

The thriller Father Joewritten and produced by Luc Besson, will also be presented, with Kiefer Sutherland opposite Al Pacino.

Finally, Gael García Bernal will present his third feature film as director, Hombre Al Aguain the Spotlight section.

Out of competition – Fiction

• Dio Ride by Giovanni Veronesi (closing film)
• Nessun Dolore by Gianni Amelio
• Makikiraan Po by Lav Diaz
• Father Joe by Barthélémy Grossmann
• Scherzetto by Mario Martone
• Place to Be by Kornél Mundruczó
• No Paradise if You Are Killed by a Woman by Halkawat Mustafa
• Arrested Memory by Sabu
• The Basics of Philosophy by Paul Schrader
• A Good Lawyer by Tristan Séguéla
• Jupiter by Alexander Smia

Out of competition – Documentaries

• Be Brave by Francesco Carrozzini
• What Love Builds by Russell Crowe
• Burgundy by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
• Musk by Alex Gibney
• The Road to Jericho by Amos Gitai
• Al Mowaten Osama by Ahmed Hassaouna
• Union Town by Barbara Kopple
• Holy Wood Dust by Victor Kossakovsky
• Listy by Andrei Kutsila
• Biography of Jorge Luis Borges by Mariano Llinás
• My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile by Julia Loktev
• Boatbuilders by Luke Lorentzen
• Imperius by Sergei Loznitsa
• Shumei – The Living Legacy of Kabuki by Takashi Miike
• Queer Edward II by Theo Rollason
• Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace
• Dust by Tsai Ming-liang
• Everest: The Other Side by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
• From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor by Wim Wenders

Film on Film

• Juso Per Ferie by Karen Di Porto
• Nino – A Su Nino Rota Film by Walter Fasano
• The Pervert’s Guide to Utopias by Sophie Fiennes
• Joy of life by Luca Guadagnino
• Twist and Shoot Mister Suzuki by Yves Montmayeur
• Intermission by Yonfan

Out of competition – Short films

• Flesh Impact by Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Halayon by Avi Mograbi
• They’re Here by Laura Poitras and Rachel Mueller

Out of competition – Series

• Peccato by Valerio Vestos Section Orizzonti
• La Ragazza Con La Leica by Alina Marazzi (opening film)
• Yak Mai (The Burning Giants) by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
• Cudze Rzeczy (What Belongs to Others) by Grzegorz Dębowski
• A Story by Anna Foglietta
• The City of Vivi by Edoardo Gabriellini
• Moragheb by Mohsen Gharaei
• Too Much Sugar by Robert Greene
• The Difficult Bride by Rubaiyat Hossain
• The House of Wind by Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
• I Figli della Scimmia by Tommaso Landucci
• Mia Mera Sti Zoi Tis Tzo: Kefalaio Faidra by Jaqueline Lentzou
• Oasis by Jannis Lenz
• Do Kraja Dana by Jelena Maksimovic
• La Moula by Jérôme Pierrat
• Lovers in the Blue Night by Anuparna Roy
• A Detour by Diane by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni
• The Color of the Sun by Xavier Tera
• Eklipsis by Manuel Wetscher
• Huangyan Shenghuo by Michelle Zhou

Venice Spotlight Section

• Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing by Erik Shirai
• Hiwar Ma’ Albahr by Muayad Alayan
• Hombre Al Agua by Gael Garcia Bernal
• Serpenti by Roberto De Paolis
• Furies by Rami Kodeih
• Guria by Levan Koguashvili
• Földszint by Gabor Reisz
• Had Tell by Alina Șerban