Venice Film Festival 2026: Red Carpet Schedule, Tickets & Key Events

Venice Film Festival 2026 returns to the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido for its 83rd edition, from September 2 to 12. Across 11 days, the Biennale Cinema 2026 unveils a rich slate of world premieres and a stellar lineup of global names, including Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Orlando Bloom, Robert Pattinson, Alicia Vikander, Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Parker Posey.

On September 2, Danny Boyle’s INK launches the official competition with Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy. The following days bring some of this edition’s strongest premieres. Werner Herzog directs Rooney Mara, Kate Mara and Orlando Bloom in Bucking Fastard. Martin McDonagh assembles John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey for Wild Horse Nine. Later in the week, Florian Zeller reunites Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in Bunker, alongside Stephen Graham and Paul Dano. At the helm of Venezia 83, Maggie Gyllenhaal presides over this year’s international jury.

Venice in September rarely stays inside the Palazzo del Cinema. The premieres spill into dinners, parties, and palazzos across the city. Art Biennale is still in full swing, while the Regata Storica takes over the Grand Canal on September 6.

This is your guide to the Venice Film Festival 2026 red carpet schedule, events and parties, and the stars expected on the Lido. For tickets, bookings and hospitality packages, our concierge team is happy to assist at concierge@babble-up.com.

Venice Film Festival 2026 Jury and Golden Lions

Maggie Gyllenhaal takes the helm of the Venezia 83 international jury this year. The American actress, writer and director is joined by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, British composer Daniel Blumberg, Italian film scholar Francesco Casetti, French director Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong director Johnnie To.

Together, the seven-member jury will decide the Festival’s main prizes, led by the coveted Golden Lion for Best Film. The Awards also include the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress and Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Special Jury Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for an emerging actor or actress.

Two Hollywood heavyweights will receive a Golden Lion of their own this year. George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn have been named the 2026 recipients of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Burstyn will receive hers alongside the Sala Grande presentation of Gyllenhaal’s Flesh Impact, where she stars opposite Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.

Venice Biennale Cinema Sections

Venice Film Festival divides its official selection into seven sections. For red-carpet watchers, three matter most.

Venezia 83 is the main competition and the heart of the Festival. Up to 21 feature films make their world premiere in Venice and compete for the Golden Lion, alongside the Festival’s main acting and directing prizes. This is where many of the biggest premieres on our schedule sit, from Danny Boyle’s INK to Florian Zeller’s Bunker.

Venice Open – Out of Competition steps outside the race for the Golden Lion without stepping away from the spotlight. The section brings together new works by established directors, non-narrative films, series and miniseries. Some still take over the Sala Grande with a full premiere and red carpet, so “Out of Competition” certainly does not mean out of sight.

Orizzonti, or “Horizons,” looks toward the new guard. Its international competition focuses on emerging filmmakers, independent cinema and new aesthetic directions, with its own jury and awards.

Elsewhere, Venezia Spotlight selects up to eight films for their creative originality and relationship with audiences. Venice Classics turns to restorations and cinema heritage, while Venice Immersive explores VR, AR and other forms of extended reality. Finally, Biennale College Cinema develops and produces micro-budget projects by filmmakers from around the world.

Venice Film Festival 2026 Red Carpet Schedule

The red carpet rolls out several times a day at the Sala Grande, the Festival’s main premiere venue at the Palazzo del Cinema. Here is the day-by-day schedule of the Red Carpet Premieres to watch:

September 2 — Opening Night

Opening Ceremony: 83rd Venice International Film Festival — Sala Grande

19:00: INK — UK — by Danny Boyle. Starring: Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy — Competition

September 3

14:00: Everest: The Other Side — USA, China, Nepal — by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. Starring: Hilaree Nelson, Jim Morrison — Out of Competition

17:00: Bucking Fastard — UK, Ireland — by Werner Herzog. Starring: Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Orlando Bloom, Domhnall Gleeson — Competition

19:30: Wild Horse Nine — UK, USA, Chile — by Martin McDonagh. Starring: Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, John Malkovich, Parker Posey, Tom Waits — Competition

22:00: Nessun dolore — Italy — by Gianni Amelio. Starring: Alessandro Borghi, Valeria Golino, Valerio Mastandrea — Out of Competition

September 4

17:00: 15/18 (A Place to Heal) — France — by Cédric Kahn. Starring: Zoé Monpart, Malou Khebizi, Kenji Peyran, Patience Munchenbach, Sophie Guillemin — Competition

19:15: Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? — Japan — by Shinya Tsukamoto. Starring: Rodney Hicks, Geoffrey Rush, Mark Merphy — Competition

21:45: The Basics of Philosophy — USA — by Paul Schrader. Starring: Jack Huston, Sofia Boutella, Daniel Zovatto, Bill Pullman, Dana Delany, Karl Glusman — Out of Competition

September 5

15:00: The Road to Jericho — Israel — by Amos Gitai — Out of Competition

17:00: Primetime — USA — by Lance Oppenheim. Starring: Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo, Anna Faris — Competition

19:15: Succederà questa notte — Italy — by Nanni Moretti. Starring:

Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca, Angela Finocchiaro — Competition

21:30: Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger — UK — by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. Starring: Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher — Out of Competition

23:50: Father Joe — France — by Barthélémy Grossmann. Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Ever Anderson, Al Pacino — Out of Competition.

September 6

14:00: From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor — by Wim Wenders — Out of Competition

16:30: Possible Love — South Korea — by Lee Chang-dong. Starring: Jeon Do-yeon, Cho Yeo-jeong — Competition

19:45: The Echo Chamber — Italy, Belgium — by Andrea Pallaoro. Starring: Luca Marinelli, Alicia Vikander, Susan Sarandon — Competition

22:15: Kvinde Ukendt (Woman Unknown) — Denmark— by May el-Toukhy. Starring: Mathilde Arcel, Carsten Bjørnlund, Thorbjørn Hedegaard, Marina Bouras, Mia Plantin, Sofia Nolsøe, Flora Sanders — Competition

September 7

14:30: Flesh Impact, Halayon (Wild Asparagus), They’re Here — Three Short Films — Out of Competition - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement presented to Ellen Burstyn.

17:00: Look Back — Japan — by Hirokazu Koreeda. Starring: Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Furi Nanase — Competition.

19:30: L’estranea — Italy— by Paolo Strippoli. Starring: Jasmine Trinca, Romana Maggiora Vergano — Competition

22:00: Arrested Memory — Taipei, Japan — by Sabu. Starring: Ethan Juan, Hsieh Ying Xuan — Out of Competition.

23:50: No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman — Norway, Iraq — by Halkawt Mustafa. Starring: Avan Jamal, Thorbjørn Harr — Out of Competition

September 8

19:00: Bunker — France, Spain — by Florian Zeller. Starring: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Stephen Graham — Competition

21:45: Company — USA — by Casey Affleck. Starring: Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Nick Nolte, Emily Alyn Lind, Adelaide Clemens — Competition

September 9

13:30: Union Town — USA — by Barbara Kopple. Featuring: Saad Kassis-Mohamed — Out of Competition.

15:45: Dau — Germany — by Ilya Khrzhanovsky. Starring: Teodor Currentzis, Radmila Shchogolieva — Competition.

19:45: Un bon petit soldat — France — by Stéphane Brizé. Starring: Alba Rohrwacher, Vincent Lindon — Competition.

22:00: Il fuoco che ti porti dentro — Italy — by Edoardo De Angelis. Starring: Vanessa Scalera, Lino Musella — Competition.

September 10

14:30: Be Brave — Italy — by Francesco Carrozzini. Featuring: Renzo Rosso — Out of Competition

19:15: Un peu avant minuit — France — by Mario Martone. Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Chiara Mastroianni — Competition

21:45: Scherzetto — Italy — by Mario Martone. Starring: Toni Servillo, Serena Rossi — Out of Competition

September 11

14:45: Nino – Un film su Nino Rota — Italy — by Walter Fasano — Out of Competition

17:15: Kami nour (A Bit of Light) — Iran — by Ali Asgari. Starring: Misagh Zareh, Sadaf Asgari — Competition

19:15: Ritorno a Buenos Aires — Italy — by Marco Bechis. Starring: Adriano Giannini, Ana Celentano— Competition

21:45: L’Avocat — France — by Tristan Séguéla. Starring: Laurent Lafitte, Vincent Cassel — Out of Competition

September 12 — Closing Night

Closing & Awards Ceremony: 83rd Venice International Film Festival — Sala Grande

21:30: Dio ride — Italy — by Giovanni Veronesi. Starring: Pierfrancesco Favino, Silvio Orlando — Out of Competition.

Venice Film Festival 2026 Parties, Galas & VIP Events

Venice Film Festival 2026 Red Carpet & Hospitality Packages

Heading to Venice for the Mostra? Babble-Up’s Venice Film Festival hospitality packages take care of the experience from arrival to the last gala, with premiere access, private events, red-carpet glam, photoshoot appointments and reservations across Venice.

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