The world’s oldest film festival has officially come into focus according to forbes.com, bringing a sprawling schedule of feature films, documentaries, shorts, and immersive experiences to the Lido. Running from September 2 to September 12, with industry and media previews on September 1, the 83rd Venice International Film Festival features prominent global filmmakers and potential awards-season contenders. Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera announced the lineup on July 23, describing the selection as being the most political one in recent years according to northeasttimes.com.
Venice Film Festival Unveils Lineup Featuring Wim Wenders Documentary
Wim Wenders Premieres Peter Zumthor Documentary
German filmmaker Wim Wenders is set to present his new documentary, From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor, at the festival according to archdaily.com. Running for 114 minutes, the film uses 3D cinematography to examine the architectural approach and work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor through the perspectives of visitors, inhabitants, craftspeople, and users. The documentary will have its world premiere in September 2026 as part of the Venice Open – Out of Competition program according to archdaily.com.
Written and directed by Wenders and spoken in English, German, and Swiss German, the film takes its starting point from Zumthor’s statement, We all come from houses…
according to archdaily.com. Wenders’ approach focuses on how spaces are encountered and used over time, exploring the relationship between buildings and their occupants through material, atmosphere, and sensory qualities. Wenders is joined in the documentary section by high-profile filmmakers including Alex Gibney, Barbara Kopple, Julia Loktev, and Russell Crowe according to forbes.com.
Competition Slate and Notable In-Competition Projects
Out of the 20 films competing for the Golden Lion and other festival awards, 12 are debuting solely in Venice, while another eight will also appear at the Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from September 5 to September 15 according to forbes.com. The competition includes projects directed by Danny Boyle, Martin McDonagh, Werner Herzog, Ali Asgar, and Florian Zeller according to forbes.com.
Alberto Barbera highlighted a film directed by and starring Italian comedian Nanni Moretti titled It Will Happen Tonight
(Succedera Questa Notte
), marking Moretti’s first Venice appearance in 37 years according to forbes.com. Other prominent competition titles include:
- Wild Horse Nine: Written and directed by Oscar winner Martin McDonagh, set in the days before the 1973 CIA-assisted coup ousting Chilean leader Salvador Allende, starring Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey according to forbes.com.
- Zeller’s Project: Florian Zeller’s latest film features real-life couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem about an architect building a survivalist bunker for a billionaire and his wife according to forbes.com.
- Bucking Fastard: Directed by Werner Herzog, featuring Rooney and Kate Mara as sisters who speak in unison and share each other’s dreams according to forbes.com.
Political Tensions and Out-of-Competition Highlights
The festival arrives amid a backdrop of political chargedness and governance friction. In April, the European Commission pulled $2.3 million in funding from the Biennale art exhibition—run by the same foundation that oversees the film festival—following criticism over pavilions mounted by Russia and Israel according to northeasttimes.com. Alberto Barbera supported the festival’s stance, stating that if they had received a good submission from Russia, the only criteria they would have applied was the quality of the film according to northeasttimes.com. Barbera noted that the selection reflects major contemporary issues including wars, Palestine, immigration, climate change, social tensions, and shrinking spaces of freedom according to northeasttimes.com.
The opening night film is Danny Boyle’s Ink,
which chronicles how British tabloid The Sun propelled Rupert Murdoch’s rise to a right-wing media mogul according to northeasttimes.com. Additional out-of-competition features include Oscar winner Paul Schrader’s directing project The Basics of Philosophy,
which explores his recurring themes of guilt and repression involving older male protagonists according to forbes.com. Laura Poitras’ documentary short They’re Here,
covering Minnesota protests against ICE raids, is also featured according to northeasttimes.com. Finally, intersecting with the Biennale Arte, a separate festival section will showcase approximately 20 boundary-pushing immersive and spatial-video projects alongside a retrospective Best Of set of older projects according to forbes.com.
