As summer approaches its end, the 2023 Venice Film Festival is set to make its return soon.
The annual film festival, with its main headquarters at the Lido de Venezia, is considered by some as the preliminary event to awards season, often showcasing the films that go on to earn Academy Award nominations.
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The list of scheduled films include those by A-list directors Bradley Cooper, Ava DuVernay and Sofia Coppola.
Here, WWD rounds up everything else to know about the 80th annual Venice Film Festival.
What is the schedule for the Venice Film Festival?
The Venice Film Festival will be held from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9.
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Who is in this year’s jury?
Earlier this month, the Venice Film Festival revealed the members of this year’s jury, who will award official prizes to the feature-length films competing.
Heading this year’s jury is director Damien Chazelle, who was recently revealed as the international jury president. Chazelle’s résumé includes “Whiplash (2014),” “Babylon (2023)” and “La La Land,” which opened the 2016 Venice Film Festival.
Other jury members include actor Saleh Bakri; filmmaker Jane Campion; director Mia Hansen-Løve; director Gabriele Mainetti; playwright Martin McDonagh; director Santiago Mitre; director Laura Poitras, and actress Shu Qi.
What films are premiering at the festival?
“Origin,” “Memory,” “Ferrari,” “Maestro” and “Priscilla” are among the highly anticipated titles scheduled to premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The films lead the 21 feature films in the competitive category.
Directed by Sofia Coppola, “Priscilla” tells the story of Priscilla Presley’s life, based on her 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me.” “Origin” is “When They See Us” director Ava DuVernay’s latest film, based on the book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson. The movie stars Aunjanue Ellis, Vera Farmiga and Niecy Nash-Betts.
Who is being honored at the 2023 Venice Film Festival?
Among those being honored is Italian director Liliana Cavani and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who will each receive lifetime achievement Golden Lion awards at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Golden Lion awards are the most prestigious honors to receive at the annual festival. Last year, Catherine Deneuve and Paul Schrader won the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award.
Has the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike affected the festival red carpet?
Amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, the 2023 Venice Film Festival had to make some changes to its film rollout schedule.
“Challengers” will no longer open the 2023 Venice Film Festival and has since been pushed back to premiere sometime in 2024. The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino sees Zendaya as a tennis star who is caught in a tangled love triangle.
In addition, the strike doesn’t allow actors in the guild to promote their films, which will likely affect the red carpet appearances at the upcoming festival.
Who can attend the Venice Film Festival?
Tickets to the 2023 Venice Film Festival are available for purchase at labiennale.org. There, people can find more information about prices.
However, Venice Film Festival red carpet events aren’t open to the public.