Italy

'The Testament of Ann Lee': Seyfried Embodies a Feminist Prophet in Fastvold’s Poetic Tribute

With The Testament of Ann Lee, a movie about the founder of the 18th-century Shaker religious movement screening at the Venice Film Festival, director Mona Fastvold sought to honor a figure "on the verge of being erased from memory". Lee, played by Amanda Seyfried in the film that premiered at Venice this week, was "one of the very first American ...

Venice Film Festival Debuts New Adaptation of Camus’s 'The Stranger'

The premiere of The Stranger at this year's Venice Film Festival brings to the screen one of the world's most read novels, penned by French author Albert Camus, a star in his day and now. Winner of the Nobel prize three years before his tragic death in 1960 at the age of 46, Camus has found new admirers in younger generations who love to quote ...

Kathryn Bigelow Ignites Venice with Explosive White House Thriller

The first woman to win the Academy Award for best director, Kathryn Bigelow, is back at the Venice Film Festival Tuesday with a new White House thriller that Netflix hopes will find Oscar glory. The highly anticipated A House of Dynamite from the American director is one of 21 films competing for the top Golden Lion prize for best film on Saturday ...

The Rock Stuns Venice With Heartfelt Turn In 'The Smashing Machine'

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said Monday he had turned his heavily muscled back on action movie roles to be able to express himself as an actor in his latest film The Smashing Machine, which premiered in Venice. The 53-year-old was the day's star attraction at the Venice Film Festival — his first appearance at a European festival — where he mixed ...

Donnarumma Set for Move to Manchester City

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is set to move to Manchester City on transfer deadline day on Monday after the Premier League side reportedly agreed a 35-million-euro ($41 million) deal with Paris Saint-Germain. The 26-year-old Italian international has been looking for a new club since PSG decided he was surplus to requirements despite his ...

Star Power and Legacy Shine at Venice: "The Rock" and Kim Novak Share Spotlight

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was set to thunder into the Venice Film Festival on Monday, with the wrestler-actor appearing in a tailor-made role in Benny Safdie's latest movie The Smashing Machine. The 53-year-old will be the star attraction at one of Europe's most prestigious film festivals, which promotes independent arthouse movies alongside a ...

Fashion Takes the Spotlight at Venice Film Festival

Julia Roberts in a floor-length Versace gown, Alba Rohrwacher in a Victorian-inspired Dior dress… The red carpet at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival is offering a first glimpse of this fall's fashion scene, driven by the rise of new creative directors. Making her debut on the Lido, the Pretty Woman star delighted photographers in a ...

Argentine Cinema Shines at Venice Amidst Budget Cuts and Uncertainty

Although Argentina has been underrepresented at recent international festivals due to government cuts to the sector, five Argentine films are on show at the Venice Film Festival, including Lucrecia Martel's documentary Nuestra Tierra (Our Land). Since President Javier Milei came to power in December 2023, his austerity measures have had a major ...

Park Chan-Wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ Unveiled at Venice: A Dark Look at Capitalism”

It took 20 years for South Korean director Park Chan-wook to return to the Venice Film Festival and the same length of time for the veteran cineaste to make his latest film. The director of Old Boy, which thrust him into the international spotlight in 2004 after winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, will premiere his latest feature, No Other Choice ...

Julia Roberts Shakes Up Venice with Campus Drama After the Hunt

Julia Roberts hopes to "stir it all up" for viewers of her new film about a university professor grappling with fraught US campus politics, as the Hollywood star made her debut at the Venice Film Festival on Friday. The Pretty Woman star was attending the city's festival for the first time in her career for After the Hunt, a cancel-culture ...

Werner Herzog Honored with Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice Film Festival

Globetrotting filmmaker Werner Herzog, an eclectic risk-taker whose monumental works often explore humankind's conflict with nature, was honored with a special award on Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival. The 82-year-old arthouse giant, who helped launch New German Cinema in the 1960s, received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ahead of ...

Venice Film Festival 2025: 21 Films Compete for the Golden Lion

As the leading international cinema event of the fall, the Venice Film Festival welcomes a flurry of stars and a strong selection of films, many with a distinctly political tone. 21 Films Competing for the Golden Lion Among the 21 films vying for the Golden Lion, the most anticipated include: Le mage du Kremlin, by Olivier Assayas An ...