Venice 83 opens on September 2 with «Ink» by Danny Boyle

With the closing of Locarno, the calendar of European festivals enters its Venetian phase. The 83rd International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art will take place at the Venice Lido from September 2 to 12, 2026, still under the direction of Alberto Barbera, according to the Biennale’s announcements and the official selection announced.

The opening is set for September 2 in the Sala Grande with the world premiere of «Ink» by Danny Boyle, starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy. The choice has a particular feature: the opening film is also in competition, and not out of competition as often happens with inaugural evenings. This means the jury will evaluate the title that opened the event, and that the media attention of the first day falls on a film in the running.

The closing, on September 12 and out of competition, will be entrusted to «Dio ride» by Giovanni Veronesi. September 1 will instead see a pre-opening with the 4K restoration of «Col cuore in gola» (1967) by Tinto Brass, in the Venice Classics section: the formula, recurring in recent years, opens the event with an archival recovery even before the competition begins.

The Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement for this edition were awarded to George Clooney and American actress Ellen Burstyn. Online ticket sales opened at 3pm on Tuesday, August 11, according to the official programme gathered by Visit Lido.

What arrives in Venice from Locarno

The Swiss festival closed its 79th edition with an award list that shifts the center of gravity toward Eastern Europe and Latin America. The Golden Leopard went to «Nu e locul tau aici» («You Don’t Belong Here») by Romanian director Florin Șerban, who returned to feature filmmaking after eight years, as reported by RSI and the Hollywood Reporter.

The Special Jury Prize went to «A Margem do Rio» («The Riverbank») by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho, a Brazil-Germany co-production. The Leopard for Best Direction was awarded to South Korean director Hong Sangsoo for «Nun Dul Dega Eomne» («Nowhere to Lay My Eyes»); the two Leopards for acting went to Kim Minhee, star of the same film, and to Monica Bellucci for «Ketticè» by Giovanni Tortorici. In the Filmmakers of the Present competition, the Golden Leopard and the Swatch First Feature Award both went to «The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer» by Alessandra Sanguinetti.

Two models compared

Locarno and Venice occupy different positions within the same season. The Swiss festival functions as a place of discovery: a Romanian director absent for eight years, a jury prize for a Brazilian co-production, a South Korean author who continues to make films outside industrial circuits. Venice, which opens at the beginning of September, is instead the first major appointment of the international awards season, and its selection is read as an early indication of what will circulate in the following months.

Three dates remain to be marked: September 1 for the Venetian pre-opening with the Brass restoration, September 2 for «Ink», September 12 for the closing. For Locarno, the 80th edition is already set for August 4 to 14, 2027.