Venice 83 awards the Golden Lion today among twenty-one films in competition
The Venice Film Festival closes on September 12 with the verdict of the jury chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The two Honorary Golden Lions had already gone to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn.
The 83rd International Film Festival closes today at the Lido di Venezia. The event began on September 2, 2026 under the artistic direction of Alberto Barbera, with twenty-one films in competition and an international jury chaired by U.S. director and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. The program is the one published on the official Biennale website, reported by Wondernet Magazine and by the communication of the Municipality of Venice.
Today’s expected verdict does not concern only the Golden Lion. Also to be awarded are the Silver Lion-Grand Jury Prize, the Best Director award, the two Volpi Cups for acting, the Special Jury Prize, the Best Screenplay award and the Marcello Mastroianni Award.
The opening film, in competition, was “Ink” by Danny Boyle, presented in world premiere.
The two Lions already awarded
The career achievement honors of the edition are two, and they do not go through the jury: they were decided by the Biennale’s Board of Directors, adopting the artistic director’s proposal. They went to U.S. actor, director and producer George Clooney — honored on September 2, 2026 at the opening ceremony — and to U.S. actress Ellen Burstyn.
Clooney commented: “The Mostra is without doubt my favorite festival,” according to the Biennale’s statement, also reported by Mediatime.
Before the official opening, the pre-opening screening in Sala Darsena was “Col cuore in gola” (1967) by Tinto Brass, included in the Venice Classics section: a choice that places the archival recovery on the same inaugural day as the competition.
Tomorrow the city
The Mostra does not end with the ceremony. On Sunday, September 13, the decentralized program in the city closes with the screening of the Golden Lion-winning title and with “Dio ride” by Giovanni Veronesi, out of competition. This is the mechanism that brings the awarded film out of the Lido, into the city’s cinemas, the day after the verdict.
| Element | Data |
|---|---|
| Edition and venue | 83rd Mostra, Lido di Venezia |
| Dates | September 2-12, 2026 |
| Films in competition | 21 |
| Jury president | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
| Artistic director | Alberto Barbera |
| Honorary Golden Lions | George Clooney, Ellen Burstyn |
| City closing | September 13 |
What we don’t know
The dossier available today does not contain the list of the twenty-one films in competition beyond the opening title, does not contain the names of the other members of the international jury, does not contain the time of the award ceremony nor predictions attributed to identified sources — which in any case this newspaper would not publish as news.
Above all, it does not contain the verdict: at the time this piece is written the awards have not been announced, and every name circulating is a prediction, not a fact. When the honors are awarded, the reference source will be the Biennale’s statement.
One calendar detail, however, can be fixed from now: those who are not at the Lido will be able to see the Golden Lion-winning film in the city’s cinemas on Sunday, September 13.
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