Venice Film Festival 2025
Arriving at its 82nd edition, the Venice International Film Festival– more commonly known as Venice Film Festival– is preparing to enchant the world of cinema (and not only) this year as well, from August 27 to September 6, 2025.
This event, born in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, is confirmed as the oldest film festival in the world, a truly prestigious stage that for almost a century has attracted the greatest stars of international cinema.
This year too, the Venice Lido will become a hub of talent, ideas, and new visions, offering film enthusiasts ten days of unmissable screenings, meetings, and events.
Program and films in competition
The 2025 edition of the Venice Film Festival will open with “La grazia”, the new film by Paolo Sorrentino, starring Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti, which will kick off twelve days of great cinema, with a very rich and varied program.
In competition, in fact, among the 21 feature films selected The competition includes works by world-acclaimed directors such as Guillermo del Toro with “Frankenstein,” Yorgos Lanthimos with “Bugonia,” Kathryn Bigelow with “A House of Dynamite,” Jim Jarmusch with “Father Mother Sister Brother,” Olivier Assayas with “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” and Noah Baumbach with “Jay Kelly.” The competition also includes five Italian films: “La grazia” by Paolo Sorrentino, “Elisa” by Leonardo Di Costanzo, “Duse” by Pietro Marcello, “A well-made film” by Franco Maresco and “Sotto le nuvole” by Gianfranco Rosi.
The international jury, chaired by director Alexander Payne, will award the Golden Lion for Best Film, as well as all the other Festival awards. Among the guests expected on the red carpet are Julia Roberts, making her Lido debut in Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt,” and George Clooney, star of “Jay Kelly.”
For film enthusiasts who wish to fully immerse themselves in this event, the Biennale offers numerous tickets for the duration of the entire event, thus making the dream of many of participating in the Venice Film Festival a reality.
Festival Reviews
The Venice Film Festival is divided into several sections, each with its identity and one of its specific purposes.
Official Competition
The Official Competition is the main program of the Festival, in which the most anticipated works of the year are presented. Here, established and emerging directors compete for the most prestigious awards: the Golden Lion, the Silver Lion and the Volpi Cup.
The films in this section are chosen for their artistic quality as well as for their results. Often, these works in fact anticipate the future film trends and become the subject of discussion all over the world.
Out of Competition
The section Out of Competition offers a space for high-profile films that do not participate in the main competition. Here you can find previews of blockbusters, notable documentaries and works by renowned directors, who prefer a display window without the pressure of the race.
This category, in many cases, is a springboard to discover works which may not receive the same visibility under other circumstances.
Horizons
Dedicated to the exploration of new languages and trends in contemporary cinema, Horizons presents a program of feature films and short films that stand out for their innovative narrative and stylistic research.
This section is particularly appreciated by those looking for a less conventional cinema.
Venice Spotlight
Venice Spotlight is a selection of maximum ten works without genre constraints which are characterized by their creative originality for innovative approaches to the relationship with the public.
This category is a real film experimentation laboratory, where emerging and established directors can dare and push the conventional boundaries of cinema.
Venice Classics
Every year, Venice Classics give a journey through time with the projection of masterpieces of the past, restored and brought back to their former glory.
This section offers the opportunity to rediscover films who made the history of cinema, introducing them to a new generation of viewers and allowing the most passionate to see them again in a new guise.
Venice Immersive
This cutting-edge section is entirely dedicated to immersive media, in which the new frontiers of creative expression are explored through virtual reality and increased.
With Venice Immersive find space video a 360°and XR interactive works that challenge the traditional boundaries of cinematic language, offering completely new and immersive experiences.
Biennale College – Cinema
Collage Cinema Biennale is instead an initiative that supports the development and implementation of innovative audiovisual works and the low budget.
This program represents a bridge between the training and the film production, which gives voice to new talents and promotes original creative approaches.
Where does the Festival take place?
As every year, the Film Festival takes place mainly at the Venice Lido, thus transforming this strip of land separating the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea into an international stage for cinema.
Among the main (and most popular) locations of the Festival, we find:
- Cinema Palace
This historic building houses the Sala Grande, where the most important screenings, the opening and closing ceremonies, and the awards ceremony are held. Its façade becomes the iconic backdrop for Italy’s most important red carpet every year.
- Casino Palace
Just steps from the Palazzo del Cinema, this elegant building houses several screening rooms, including the renowned Sala Perla, and numerous press conferences. It’s here that you can often meet directors and actors presenting their work to the international press.
- Darsena Hall
A modern and spacious cinema that hosts some of the festival’s most anticipated screenings. Its strategic location, near the Palazzo del Cinema, makes it an essential stop for film enthusiasts.
- Volpi Hall
Named after Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, founder of the Festival, this smaller room offers an intimate experience for select screenings and press conferences, allowing for more direct contact between the public and the festival’s protagonists.
- Garden Room
Recently renovated, this room overlooks the evocative Biennale Garden, offering a unique atmosphere for screenings and the festival’s collateral events.
- Hotel Excelsior
A historic hotel on Lungomare Marconi, the Excelsior is not only a place for celebrities to stay, but also an important venue for collateral events, business meetings, and exclusive interviews.
A stone’s throw from Camping Ca’Savio
Attending the Venice Film Festival it’s a unique opportunity to experience cinematic art immersed in the unparalleled beauty of Venice. But how can you fully experience this incredible experience without being overwhelmed by the frenzy that inevitably accompanies an event of this magnitude? The answer lies just a few kilometers from the heart of the Festival: theCamping Ca’Savio.
Located in Cavallino, a short distance from the Venice Lido, Ca’Savio offers an ideal baseTo attend the Film Festival without sacrificing contact with nature and relaxation. From Ca’Savio, it’s easy to reach the Venice Lido thanks to the public connections: just go to the Punta Sabbioni pier, a few minutes from the campsite, and from there take one of the frequent vaporetti of line 14which directly connect Punta Sabbioni to the Lido. Once you arrive at the Lido, a local bus service which allows you to easily reach the various Festival venues.
Staying at the campsite, you can also explore the wonders of Venice and the lagoon islands. You can therefore alternate days dedicated to the cinema with excursions to discover the artistic and cultural heritage of this unique region.
The 2025 Venice Film Festival awaits you! Book now the September holidays at Camping Ca’Savio!
