The 82nd Venice Film Festival opens Wednesday, welcoming Hollywood icons Julia Roberts and George Clooney alongside a stellar lineup of global filmmakers, while political tensions loom in the backdrop.
A parade of stars including Jude Law and Emma Stone will arrive by water taxi at the Lido, where hundreds of fans are expected to gather. This year’s festival features works from acclaimed directors Werner Herzog, Kathryn Bigelow, Gus Van Sant, Jim Jarmusch, and Park Chan-wook, returning after two decades.
Venice, long a launchpad to Oscar glory, will premiere both major productions—such as Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson—and intimate independent films. Roberts makes her Venice debut Friday in Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, while Clooney headlines Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly for Netflix.
Yet beyond the red carpet, controversy simmers. Italian collective Venice4Palestine has urged the festival to take a stand on the Gaza war and disinvite Gerard Butler and Gal Gadot, citing their support for Israel. The festival defended its role as a platform for debate, pointing to Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, recounting the tragic death of a six-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza.
Other politically charged works include Olivier Assayas’s The Wizard of the Kremlin, with Law portraying Vladimir Putin. The main competition features entries from Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Yorgos Lanthimos (Bugonia), and Bigelow (A House of Dynamite), while Jarmusch debuts Father, Mother, Sister, Brother starring Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver.
Alexander Payne heads this year’s jury, which will announce the Golden Lion winner on September 6.
Despite controversy, Venice once again stands as a dazzling showcase of cinema—balancing glamour, artistry, and urgent global debates.
