From Julia Roberts’ debut to political powder kegs, the 82nd edition is shaping up to be the Lido’s most unforgettable celebration yet
The gleaming white facade of the Palazzo del Cinema has never looked more inviting. As Venice’s iconic red carpet unfurls along the Lido’s sparkling waterfront, anticipation crackles through the Mediterranean air. The 82nd Venice Film Festival, launching August 27 through September 6, isn’t just promising another prestigious cinema celebration – it’s delivering what could be the most star-powered, politically charged, and cinematically significant edition in recent memory.
A Constellation of A-List Debuts and Returns
This year’s festival reads like a Hollywood agent’s fever dream. Julia Roberts, making her Venice debut, will grace the Lido alongside Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri for Luca Guadagnino’s provocative #MeToo drama After the Hunt. The film promises to be one of the festival’s most talked-about entries, tackling contemporary social issues with Guadagnino’s signature artistic flair.
George Clooney returns to Venice with a twist – literally playing a movie star in crisis in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly. Joined by the unexpectedly dramatic Adam Sandler, this collaboration promises to blur the lines between reality and performance in ways that only Venice audiences will witness first.
Emma Stone continues her artistic evolution with Bugonia, her latest mind-bending collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos. After their Oscar-winning success with Poor Things, expectations couldn’t be higher for what surreal delights await.
Action Heroes Meet Arthouse Ambition
In a fascinating genre blend, Dwayne Johnson trades his usual blockbuster theatrics for Benny Safdie’s gritty The Smashing Machine. Playing two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr opposite Emily Blunt as his wife Dawn, Johnson’s dramatic pivot could be one of Venice’s biggest surprises.
Meanwhile, Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac bring literary horror to life in Guillermo del Toro’s reimagined Frankenstein. Isaac doubles down with Julian Schnabel’s time-traveling thriller In The Hand of Dante, proving that Venice remains the playground for cinema’s most ambitious projects.
Netflix’s Venice Invasion
The streaming giant isn’t just attending Venice – it’s conquering it. With three major competition entries including Jay Kelly, Frankenstein, and Kathryn Bigelow’s explosive political thriller A House of Dynamite, Netflix is making its strongest Lido statement yet. Bigelow’s fictional national security crisis at the White House arrives at a moment when political tensions couldn’t be more relevant.
The Controversy That Won’t Be There
One notable absence casting shadows over the festivities: Gal Gadot won’t be attending the premiere of In The Hand of Dante. While festival organizers remain diplomatically silent, her absence comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding Disney’s Snow White and pro-Palestinian protests that followed the film’s promotion. Al Pacino, despite his smaller role in the film, will also miss the premiere.
Politics Take Center Stage
Venice 2025 isn’t shying away from contemporary conflicts. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are planned for August 30, while the September 3 screening of Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab – about a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza – promises to be one of the festival’s most emotionally charged moments.
Russian politics get the Venice treatment too, with Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin featuring Jude Law in heavy prosthetics as Vladimir Putin. Adding to the geopolitical tension, Alexander Rodnyansky’s documentary Notes of a True Criminal chronicles his own sentencing in absentia by a Moscow court for anti-war statements.
Perfect Weather for Perfect Cinema
Unlike last year’s sweltering 90-degree nightmare that turned the Lido into a Mediterranean sauna, 2025 promises much more comfortable conditions. With highs in the mid-70s and only occasional rain forecasted, attendees can focus on the films rather than surviving the heat.
The Verdict: Venice’s Most Ambitious Edition Yet
From Roberts’ long-awaited Venice debut to del Toro’s monster masterpiece, from Bigelow’s political thriller to deeply personal documentaries about war and conflict, the 82nd Venice Film Festival promises to be a cinematic experience that transcends mere entertainment.
This isn’t just another film festival – it’s shaping up to be a cultural moment that will define conversations about cinema, politics, and storytelling for months to come. The only question left: who will emerge as Venice 2025’s biggest winner?
