Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga: Highlights from the 2024 Venice Film Festival

Venice is a magical city, and every year it captivates with its diverse cultural events. One of the most prestigious and oldest of these is the Venice International Film Festival.

First organized in 1932 under the aegis of the Biennale president Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, sculptor Antonio Maraini, and Luciano De Feo, the festival quickly gained popularity and became an annual event in 1935.

What films are being showcased at the Venice Film Festival? And who is on the jury?

The festival’s opening saw stars like Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton, Jude Law, Julianne Moore, Kevin Costner, and Joaquin Phoenix gracing the red carpet.

The opening film was the comedic fantasy “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” directed by Tim Burton.

Twenty-one films are competing for the Golden Lion award in the main competition.

Among them are “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “Maria,” “Babygirl,” “Queer,” and “The Room Next Door.”

 The main competition jury is chaired by French actress Isabelle Huppert. Other jury members include James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, Julia von Heinz, and Zhang Ziyi.

 In recent years, the Venice Film Festival has become a significant launchpad for the Oscars. Since 2014, four films shown at the festival have gone on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, with 19 others receiving nominations.

 Films like “Wolves” (starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney), “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2,” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” are among the major productions being showcased out of competition.

 Which films are standing out at the festival?

 “Joker: Folie à Deux”: A musical thriller directed by Todd Phillips, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

 “Maria”: A biographical film directed by Pablo Larraín, with Angelina Jolie portraying Maria Callas.

 “The Room Next Door”: Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language film, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.

“The Room Next Door”: Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language film, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.

 “The Brutalist”: An epic historical drama spanning 30 years, directed by Brady Corbet, starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

 “Harvest”: A historical drama set in medieval England, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari, based on Jim Crace’s novel.

Distinctive features of the 81st Venice Film Festival

In his opening remarks, Alberto Barbera spoke about the transformation of cinematic form. One of the competition films, "The Brutalist" by American actor and director Brady Corbet, is a full-length film with a runtime of over three and a half hours. As such, the festival's program includes a series of films directed by the filmmakers themselves. For Wright and Vinterberg, this marks their first experience working in the genre of serialized films.

Today, the Venice Film Festival is a prestigious event that annually presents a selection of world-class films, gathering many successful directors and actors on the red carpet in Lido di Venezia.

The festival’s goal is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms—art, entertainment, and industry—while fostering a spirit of freedom and dialogue. One section of the festival is dedicated to the restoration of classic films, contributing to a better understanding of cinema history.

 Films are screened in their original languages with Italian and English subtitles.