The Festival machinery is now ready. The official selection has been finalized, the ticket office is open, and the screening program is available. Venice is thus preparing to welcome a new edition that, once again, brings together cinema as art, industry, cultural language, and a forum for discussion. This, after all, is the Biennale's declared mission: to foster the dissemination of international cinema in all its forms, while preserving creative freedom and dialogue.
And the eve itself already tells a lot about the spirit of this edition
Tuesday, September 1st The exhibition will be preceded by the restored 4K screening of Col cuore in gola, the 1967 film by Tinto Brass, chosen as the opening film and as a tribute to the Venetian director. A meaningful reminder that the future of cinema cannot ignore the memory of its history. The restoration was carried out by the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome with the support of Netflix.
Then, on September 2nd, the official opening will come
The exhibition will be inaugurated by Ink, directed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle and presented as a world premiere in competition in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema. The film, written by James Graham and starring Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy, looks back at 1969 and the birth of a new way of reporting through the story of the British newspaper that would help change the relationship between the press, power, and the public. This choice immediately brings Venice to one of the great issues of our time: the power of the media and the transformation of the way societies construct their own narratives.
It's not just contemporary cinema that is the protagonist
Venice confirms its ability to build a dialogue between generations, languages, and diverse forms once again this year. The official selection includes the Venezia 83 competition, the Out of Competition section, Orizzonti, Venezia Spotlight, Venezia Classici, Venice Immersive, and the Biennale College Cinema. The latter, in particular, represents one of the Festival's most interesting aspects, as it places training, research, and experimentation at its core, supporting the development and production of works by young international teams. This is an element that deserves attention. Because a major film festival lives not only on the stars who walk the red carpet, but also on its ability to question the future. And Venice does so by equating cinematic heritage, new generations of filmmakers, and the immersive technologies that are transforming the relationship between spectator and storytelling. The protagonists chosen to represent this continuity are also particularly significant. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to George Clooney, the actor, director, and producer who has built one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Alongside him, the Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Ellen Burstyn, a performer who has spanned over half a century of American cinema and whom Venice celebrates for a career marked by unforgettable roles and an extraordinary ability to give depth to female characters. The competition jury's choice instead elects Maggie Gyllenhaal, an American director, actress, screenwriter, and producer, as its president. Alongside her, the jury brings together personalities from very diverse cultural and cinematic backgrounds: Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To. This international lineup reflects the very nature of the Festival. And it will be this very jury that will be responsible for awarding the Golden Lion and the other main awards of the Festival, from direction to performances, from screenplay to the Special Jury Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for an emerging young actor.
Cinema is undergoing a profound transformation
Artificial intelligence is transforming image production, platforms have changed distribution models, audiences have become accustomed to consuming content in a completely different way than just a few years ago. Yet the festival continues to exist, and continues to make sense. Perhaps precisely because, in the age of multiplication of images, it becomes even more important to establish which images are worth seeing. The Venice Film Festival is not just a showcase. It is a place where cinema is judged, but also a place where cinema can still be heard. Here, a work is not simply a product destined for the market: it is a vision, an aesthetic choice, a cultural position. This is the historic strength of the Lido. On September 2nd, when the lights in the Sala Grande dim and the 83rd Venice Film Festival officially begins, Venice will once again, for a few days, become one of the places where the world sees itself through a screen. And perhaps this is the very reason why, despite all the transformations in the audiovisual industry, the Venice Film Festival continues to have such a special weight: because it doesn't simply celebrate existing cinema.
