The must-see films at Venice 83 Many Italian entries, comic mockumentaries and great auteur cinema, but few female directors in competition
The 83rd edition of the Venice International Film Festival has officially begun, running from today, September 2nd, through the 12th. There are several films worth keeping an eye on, from major Italian returns such as Nanni Moretti, absent from the festival for more than thirty years, to international filmmakers who skipped Cannes, like Werner Herzog. A few surprises and established masters. Some notable pop absences include Digger with Tom Cruise and Artificial by Luca Guadagnino (who is nonetheless present with the seven-hour documentary Joie de Vivre about Bernardo Bertolucci), as well as scant representation of female directors in competition (just one, May el-Toukhy, with her Woman Unknown). Which are the must-see works on the Venice 83 programme?
The Echo Chamber by Andrea Pallaoro
Many Italian directors will be passing through the next edition of the festival. Among them is Andrea Pallaoro, with an internationally flavoured production bringing together Luca Marinelli, Alicia Vikander and Susan Sarandon in the cast. The Echo Chamber is based on an unfinished screenplay by Bernardo Bertolucci, completed by Ludovica Rampoldi and Ilaria Bernardini, and centres on an extramarital affair.
Bucking Fastard by Werner Herzog
Bucking Fastard, the new film by Werner Herzog, had been invited to participate in the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, but not in competition. Its director and screenwriter therefore declined the offer, which made it possible for the film to participate in the competitive section of Venice 83. The film stars Rooney Mara and Kate Mara as two sisters who attempt to dig a tunnel through a mountain range in search of an imaginary land where true love exists.
Wild Horse Nine by Martin McDonagh
Every time Martin McDonagh arrives in competition at Venice, we hope to find ourselves before yet another great film from the Irish filmmaker. For the 83rd edition, it is the turn of Wild Horse Nine, set in 1973 shortly before the Chilean coup d'état. The story centres on CIA agents sent from Santiago to Easter Island, and when one of the two befriends a group of rebellious students, their mission risks failure.
La città dei vivi by Edoardo Gabbriellini
Edoardo Gabbriellini returns to directing and lands a spot in the Orizzonti section of Venice 83. La città dei vivi is the film loosely inspired by the eponymous literary work by writer Nicola Lagioia, and features Valerio Mastandrea, Emanuele Maria Di Stefano, Gaia Merlonghi, Simona Senzacqua and Roberta Mattei in the cast. The story retraces the tragic events that befell Luca Varani, the twenty-three-year-old murdered in Rome on the night of March 4th to 5th, 2016.
Bunker by Florian Zeller
After The Father and The Son, Florian Zeller will not be bringing The Mother to cinemas for the time being — the title that would complete his family trilogy straddling theatre and the big screen, even though it was the first to be created for the stage. His new film, Bunker, nonetheless revisits the theme of personal relationships, focusing on the dynamic between a wife and husband played by the real-life couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, with tensions between them escalating due to a mysterious construction project — a bunker commissioned by a powerful tech mogul.
It Will Happen Tonight by Nanni Moretti
Forty-five years after the Silver Lion for Sweet Dreams, It Will Happen Tonight by Nanni Moretti could be participating in the Venice Film Festival. The filmmaker is a regular at Cannes, which makes his participation here all the more unique, as does the cast he has assembled for the film. Jasmine Trinca stars alongside Louis Garrel, with Angela Finocchiaro, Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi and Hippolyte Girardot also in the cast. The film draws inspiration from the collection Bonds by Eshkol Nevo, an author Moretti had previously adapted for Three Floors, and explores the human emotions of contemporary life.
Ink by Danny Boyle
While Danny Boyle has allowed the 28 Years Later saga to continue by handing the direction of the second instalment to Nia DaCosta, the director and screenwriter has turned his attention to his new film Ink, an adaptation of the stage play by James Graham about the rise of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Primetime by Lance Oppenheim
Robert Pattinson leads one of the upcoming titles of the season, namely Primetime, written by Ajon Singh and directed by Lance Oppenheim. An investigative journalist may change the way television news is made through a sensationalist exposé. Appearing alongside him are Anna Faris, Skyler Gisondo and singer Phoebe Bridgers.
A Good Little Soldier by Stéphane Brizé
Alba Rohrwacher returns to work with Stéphane Brizé, and after A Few Hours of Spring they are once again together at the Venice festival with A Good Little Soldier, in which the actress plays a manager in a corporate environment where vulnerability is not considered an asset. Brizé regular Vincent Lindon also appears in the cast.
Serpenti by Roberto De Paolis Maino
Leonardo Lidi, Alessandro Borghi, Pietro Castellitto and Valeria Golino are the leads of Serpenti, a film written by director Roberto De Paolis Maino together with brothers Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo. Paolo Marra has killed his wife and, consumed by guilt, decides to turn himself in. However, between distracted police officers and complicated bureaucratic red tape, the man is not taken seriously — a tragicomedy described as "Kafkaesque" about whether or not one can redeem oneself in the society we live in.
The Basics of Philosophy by Paul Schrader
Jack Huston joins the roster of tormented characters created by director and screenwriter Paul Schrader, who returns to Venice with The Basics of Philosophy, a story centred on the protagonist's guilt over a past decision that resurfaces in the present. Bill Pullman and Sofia Boutella also appear in the cast.
L'estranea by Paolo Strippoli
After presenting La valle dei sorrisi at a midnight screening, Paolo Strippoli returns to the Lido with his new film L'estranea, featuring Jasmine Trinca, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Adriano Giannini and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in the cast. One evening, Anna (Trinca) arrives at her daughter Alice's (Vergano) home and confesses a secret she has kept hidden for years — one that could permanently shatter their family.
15/18 - A Place to Heal by Cédric Kahn
From France comes A Place to Heal by Cédric Kahn, the story of teenager Lucia who is brought back to the psychiatric ward where she is under observation, and where any semblance of equilibrium could suddenly collapse. The cast includes Zoé Monpart, Malou Khebizi, and Kenji Peyran.
Scherzetto by Mario Martone
Mario Martone reunites with Tony Servillo to make Scherzetto, a film based on the eponymous book by Domenico Starnone and adapted together with his co-screenwriter and partner Ippolita Di Majo. Servillo plays an elderly illustrator whose routine is upended when he is left to look after his four-year-old grandson, setting the stage for a battle of wills between grandfather and grandchild.
Look Back by Hirokazu Kore-eda
The tireless Hirokazu Kore-eda arrives at the Venice Film Festival having already been at Cannes this year with Sheep in the Box. This time it is the turn of the live-action film Look Back, an adaptation of the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto — a coming-of-age story about two young girls who dream of becoming manga artists.
Possible Love by Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong returns to exploring human relationships with Possible Love, the story of two very different married couples whose lives collide, exposing cracks that could destroy their everyday existence.
Il fuoco che ti porti dentro by Edoardo De Angelis
The main reason to look forward to Il fuoco che ti porti dentro by Edoardo De Angelis is Vanessa Scalera. An actress who has steadily made her mark on the Italian landscape in recent years, dividing her time between cinema and television. The film is built around its lead — a Southern Italian mother who decides to visit her son, who has moved to Milan and seems determined to stay.
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace
Conceived by Steven Knight and directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger lands at Venice 83. The event documentary film chronicles the reunion tour of Noel and Liam Gallagher and its cultural impact, including exclusive joint interviews.
Peccato by Emanuela Fanelli
To close our list, the only series coming to the Lido, before making its way to HBO Max Italia. Peccato is the episodic mockumentary by Emanuela Fanelli, an actress and comedian who has won over audiences in recent years with her wit, and who stars in a "what if"-style comedy show. A series set in the future that retraces Fanelli's career — now sixty-three years old and living in seclusion in the Aosta Valley — and the reason for her retirement from the spotlight. The cast is exceptional: Alessandro Borghi, Sabrina Ferilli, Ferzan Ozpetek, Valerio Mastandrea, Anna Bonaiuto, Geppi Cucciari, Massimo De Lorenzo, Francesca Archibugi, Paolo Virzì, Paolo Genovese, Malcom Pagani and Paola Cortellesi.
