Venice 2026, Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement go to Clooney and Burstyn

The Venice Biennale has announced the names of those who will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the next edition of the International Film Festival: George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn. The news currently comes from a single source, the official Biennale statement; no independent confirmation is available.

The 83rd edition will take place at the Venice Lido from September 2 to 12, 2026, under the direction of Alberto Barbera. The online ticket sales service will be active from 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, one month before the event’s opening.

According to the Biennale, Clooney will receive the first of the two announced Lions, as an American actor, director and producer; the second will go to Burstyn, to be awarded during the Festival. The statement does not specify further reasons beyond indicating the professional roles of the two honorees, nor does it anticipate whether they will be present at the Lido to personally collect the award.

The choice to pair two figures from different generations and career paths in the same announcement follows an established pattern under the Barbera direction, which over the years has alternated honorees from European auteur cinema with high-profile performers and directors tied to the American market. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is not competitive: it is decided by the Festival’s artistic direction independently of the selection of films in competition, and its assignment traditionally precedes by several months the construction of the actual program, which the Biennale announces later in the season.

At the time of the announcement, neither the lineup of films in competition nor the jury for the 2026 edition had been disclosed, details the Biennale generally communicates closer to the event. The information that will draw attention in the coming weeks therefore remains open: the composition of the main competition, the possible opening film, and the physical presence of the two honorees at the Lido.

The opening of ticket sales on August 11, 2026 marks, in the absence of other details, the next operational deadline for the Festival’s organizational machine.