The 2025 Venice Film Festival is here; what should you watch? Our recommendations of 25 movies to watch at Venezia 82, from the biggest premieres to anticipated hidden gems!
The 2025 Venice Film Festival announced its very promising lineup, and it’s time to start planning. What are the movies to watch at the festival this year? Quite a lot of films should be on your list, and we made a list of 25 recommendations to help you pick! This year’s festival will take place at Venice Lido on August 27 – September 6, 2025. As always, the calendar will be out around August 10-15, and the list of films that will be screened is already up on the Biennale’s site. This year, there will be 21 movies in competition, on top of the usual strands: Out of Competition, Orizzonti, Venice Classics, and Venice Immersive. For the first time this year, we’ll have a new strand called Venezia Spotlight, dedicated to works that demonstrate creativity and originality in their approach to their target audience.
Our list includes movies from all these strands, on top of Venice Days and Critics’ Week. The films are recommended by our writers Clotilde Chinnici, Jack Walters, and Serena Seghedoni, who’ll be at the Lido this year. We’ve included a good mix of big, anticipated premieres and lesser known hidden gems. Keep scrolling to read our list of 25 movies to watch at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, in alphabetical order! See you in Venice!
1. After the Hunt
Out of Competition
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield
Countries: Italy, USA
One of the most anticipated films of the whole festival may very well be Luca Guadagnino’s latest directorial endeavour, After the Hunt. Julia Roberts stars as Alma, a respected college professor who must confront her past when her protegée Maggie (Ayo Edebiri) accuses Hank (Andrew Garfield), one of Alma’s colleagues, of assault. If the names attached to this film were not enough to intrigue you, Guadagnino has praised Edebiri’s acting and said Roberts is giving the best performance of her career, making the film gain even more attention than before. Film enthusiasts will also be happy to find out that this movie was shot on 35mm by cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed. (Clotilde Chinnici)
2. Bugonia
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone
Countries: Ireland, South Korea, USA
Bugonia reunites Academy Award winner Emma Stone with her longtime collaborator and previous Golden Lion winner Yorgos Lanthimos in the director’s newest project: Bugonia. The cast also features Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone, Jesse Plemons, who previously worked with both Stone and Lanthimos in Kinds of Kindness. The movie is described as a science fiction black comedy that will follow two conspiracy-obsessed young men who decide to kidnap a powerful CEO because they suspect her of being an alien who is intent on destroying planet Earth. The film has been in development since 2020, and it will be very exciting to finally see it in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival. (Clotilde Chinnici)
3. Calle Malaga
Venice Spotlight
Writer & Director: Maryam Touzani
Cast: Carmen Maura, Marta Etura, Ahmed Boulane, María Alfonsa Rosso, La Imèn
Countries: Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium
Maryam Touzani, director of acclaimed gem The Blue Caftan (Morocco’s entry at the 2023 Academy Awards and winner of the Fipresci Award in Cannes), brings her third feature to Venice. This time, she tells the story of a Spanish woman (Carmen Maura, of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) in Tangier who fights back when her daughter decides to sell her home. Calle Malaga is a comedy, and knowing Touzani’s previous work, we are sure that some surprises are in store for us too. (Serena Seghedoni)
4. Cover-Up
Out of Competition – Documentary
Directors: Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus
Country: USA
If you’re familiar with Laura Poitras‘ previous work – from the Oscar-winning Citizenfour (2014) to 2022’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, you already know why you should be looking forward to Cover-Up. This time, the filmmaker is co-director with Mark Obenhaus (Steep) of a documentary about an investigative journalist. We can’t wait to find out more. (Serena Seghedoni)
5. Daroon-E-Amir (Inside Amir)
Authors’ Days
Director: Amir Azizi
Cast: Amirhossein Hosseini, Nader Pourmahin, Nariman Farrokhi
Country: Iran
At film festivals, the most fascinating films often end up being those from lesser-known directors and from countries many of us may not be familiar with. This is the case with Daroon-E-Amir by Iranian director Amir Azizi. It is a film about choices and, perhaps more interestingly, about the impossibility of choices. Set in Tehran, the movie follows a young man who is on the verge of emigrating: will he stay in his home country, or will he decide to leave and reunite with his girlfriend in Italy? (Clotilde Chinnici)
6. Dead Man’s Wire
Out of Competition
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Cary Elwes, Myha’la
Country: USA
An all-star cast including Al Pacino, Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo and Dacre Montgomery, the director of Good Will Hunting, and a high-stakes story involving a hostage; need we say more? Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire takes us back to February 8, 1977, when Indianapolis resident Tony Kiritsis kidnapped the president of a mortgage company that scammed him. It’s a tense thriller that seems perfect for this cast, and the fact that it’s going to TIFF next has us even more excited about this Venice World Premiere. (Serena Seghedoni)
7. Dog 51 (Chien 51)
Out of Competition – Closing Film
Director: Cédric Jimenez
Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Louis Garrel, Romain Duris, Gilles Lellouche, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Artus, Stéphane Bak, Thomas Bangalter
Country: France
Cédric Jimenez’s latest, which will have its World Premiere in Venice ahead of its release in French cinemas on October 15, is a dystopian movie. Dog 51 (Chien 51) takes place in a future Paris, where everyone’s place in society is determined by class. An AI named Alma enforces these rules, but when Alma’s creator dies, everything changes. Police officers Salia and Zem, who have always been against this kind of society, set out to uncover the mystery behind it all. The cast includes Adèle Exarchopoulos (Passages), Louis Garrel (Scarlet), Romain Duris (The Animal Kingdom), and more, and we couldn’t be more excited. (Serena Seghedoni)
8. Father Mother Sister Brother
Venezia 82: In Competition
Writer & Director: Jim Jarmusch
Cast: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Sarah Greene, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat, Françoise Lebrun
Countries: USA, Ireland, France
Jim Jarmusch’s (Coffee and Cigarettes, Paterson, Only Lovers Left Alive) first film since 2019’s The Dead Don’t Die is here, and it’ll be one of the most anticipated movies at the Lido. There was genuine excitement in Artistic Director Alberto Barbera’s voice as he introduced the story at the festival’s press conference last week, telling us to expect “Jarmusch’s usual irony and tenderness.” Father Mother Sister Brother is a story told in three episodes that all tackle strained familiar relationships. With Jarmusch at the helm, a fantastic cast, and such a promising premise, our expectations are high. (Serena Seghedoni)
9. Frankenstein
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz
Country: USA
Guillermo Del Toro has been among the leading voices in horror cinema for many decades now, and his upcoming Frankenstein adaptation has been described as the director’s long-time passion project. Adapted from Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic novel of the same name, the story follows an ambitious scientist who creates a monstrous creature that develops a mind of its own.
Del Toro is certainly no stranger to this unique brand of Gothic horror, with movies like Crimson Peak and Nightmare Alley toying with very similar themes of identity, humanity, and sacrifice. The director previously attended the Venice Film Festival in 2017 with The Shape of Water, where it was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film. (Jack Walters)
10. Girl (Nühai)
Venezia 82: In Competition
Writer & Director: Shu Qi
Cast: Roy Chiu, 9m88, Bai Xiao-Ying
Country: Taiwan
Hong Kong–Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, winner of two Golden Horse awards, is one of the most acclaimed stars in Asian cinema. You might recognize her for her work in Millennium Mambo (2001), The Assassin (2015), and Bi Gan’s Resurrection, which won the Jury Special Prize in Cannes this year. Nühai (Girl) is her directorial debut, set in 1988 in Keelung Harbor, Taiwan. Shu Qi envisages a dark, grey city, where the sky is covered in dust. A girl named Lin Xiaoli has been wanting to escape the darkness all her life; one day, she meets the fearless Li Lili, who teaches her to see the colors of the world. Written by Qi over the course of 10 years, Girl is a generational story about women that you shouldn’t miss. (Serena Seghedoni)
11. Hijra
Venice Spotlight
Director: Shahad Ameen
Cast: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy, Raghad Bokhari, Abdulsalam Alhawiti
Countries: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, United Kingdom
A grandmother and her niece – two generations of Saudi women – take a road trip across the desert to Mecca to look for their missing niece/older sister in Shahad Ameen’s Hijra, one of the most promising movies in the Venice Spotlight strand. This is Shahad Ameen’s second feature after the dystopian Scales (2019), which also premiered in Venice and went on to win multiple awards. We can’t wait to find out more about this timely story. (Serena Seghedoni)
12. A House of Dynamite
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris
Countries: USA
Eight years after her previous directorial feature Detroit, Kathryn Bigelow is back with her new White House thriller, A House of Dynamite. The film centers around a group of US government officials who scramble for control when an incoming missile is detected in American airspace. Much like her work on The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, Bigelow’s latest screenplay appears to be a sharp commentary on American politics and global conflict.
Bigelow previously attended the Venice Film Festival in 2008 with The Hurt Locker, which went on to win Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards in the following year. Zero Dark Thirty also premiered at the festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. (Jack Walters)
13. Jay Kelly
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham, Isla Fisher
Countries: USA, UK
Big streaming companies like Netflix are becoming more and more common at film festivals, and this year, Netflix’s selection includes Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s latest movie. It follows a famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), who travels through Europe with his manager Ron (Adam Sandler), prompting them both to reflect on their life choices, their relationships, and the legacy they will leave. The film will feature many familiar names in the ensemble cast, including Laura Dern, Riley Keough, Greta Gerwig, Isla Fisher, and Louis Partidge. On his first collaboration with Baumbach, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren shot in 35mm film. Overall, the cast and creative team behind the film seem very promising, making Baumbach’s Jay Kelly one of the films to look out for at this year’s Venice Film Festival. (Clotilde Chinnici)
14. Late Fame
Orizzonti
Director: Kent Jones
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Greta Lee, Edmund Donovan
Country: USA
Greta Lee and Willem Dafoe star in Kent Jones’ (Hitchcock/Truffaut)new drama, based on a novella from Arthur Schnitzler and adapted to the screen by Samy Burch, writer of May December. In Late Fame, a group of young artists rediscover the forgotten work of New York poet Ed Saxberger. Inspired by it and helped by a charming actress named Gloria, they create something of their own, and the various works intertwine. We’ll be watching. (Serena Seghedoni)
15. Newport and The Great Folk Dream
Out of Competition – Music
Director: Robert Gordon
Country: USA
Out of the many music-related movies we’ll see at Venezia 82, Robert Gordon’s documentary is one of the most promising. Newport and the Great Folk Dream tells us about an American folk festival in the 1960s, where generations discovered the sound that went to shape their voice. We’ll see many recognizable artists in it, including Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, and Alberto Barbera calls it “extraordinary”. We’re in. (Serena Seghedoni)
16. No Other Choice
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Yeon Hye-ran
Country: South Korea
No Other Choice is the latest feature from acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, best known for his psychological thrillers Oldboy and Decision To Leave. The auteur’s new project centers around a man who falls into desperation after losing his job, deciding that the only way to secure his employment is by eliminating the competition.
The film marks a long-waited return to the Venice Film Festival for Park Chan-wook, who previously served on the jury in 2006. His film Lady Vengeance was screened at the festival the year prior, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion award. No Other Choice is sure to gather some awards attention later in the year, so its appearance in the competition section at this year’s festival can only be a good sign. (Jack Walters)
17. Nuestra Tierra (Landmarks)
Out of Competition – Documentary
Director: Lucrecia Martel
Cast: Comunidad Chuschagasta
Countries: Argentina, USA, Messico, Francia, Paesi Bassi, Danimarca
Acclaimed Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel returns to the Venice Film Festival after bringing Zama to the Lido in 2017, and presiding the festival’s Jury in 2019. Initially titled Chocobar, Nuestra Tierra (Landmarks) is a very anticipated film that has been in the works for many years. It tells the true story of the murder of Indigenous leader Javier Chocobar by a by a white landowner in 2009, which led to a court case in 2018 and sparked discourse on important colonial land issues in Argentina. The film is a hybrid documentary that blends genres in a creative way to tell its story, and knowing Martel’s previous work, we cannot wait. (Serena Seghedoni)
18. Rose of Nevada
Orizzonti
Director: Mark Jenkin
Cast: George MacKay, Callum Turner, Francis Magee, Edward Rowe, Rosalind Eleazar, Mary Woodvine
Country: U.K.
George MacKay and Callum Turner are co-leads in Mark Jenkin’s (Bait, Enys Men) new drama. Rose of Nevada begins when a mysterious boat returns to a village 30 years after it had disappeared. Two men join its crew and are somehow transported back in time, with everyone thinking they are the original crew that went missing. This haunting premise and the talent in front and behind the camera make Rose of Nevada one of our most anticipated movies at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. (Serena Seghedoni)
19. Scarlet (Hateshinaki Scarlet – 果てしなきスカーレット)
Out of Competition
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Country: Japan
Mamoru Hosoda is one of the most acclaimed Japanese animators; the Oscar nominated director gave us The Girl Who Lept Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), Mirai (2018), Belle (2021), and many more gems. Now, he’s bringing his new film to Venice, and we couldn’t be more excited. Scarlet (Hateshinaki Scarlet – 果てしなきスカーレット) is about a brave princess who’s out for revenge. We follow the titular protagonist as she travels through time and space to avenge the death her father, but who not only fails to complete her mission but suddenly finds herself in the “Land of the Dead” instead. (Serena Seghedoni)
20. Silent Friend
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Ildikó Enyedi
Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke, Johannes Hegemann, Rainer Bock, Léa Seydoux
Countries: Germany, France, Hungary
Hungerian director Ildikó Enyedi, best known for My Twentieth Century (1989) and the Oscar-nominated On Body and Soul (2017), brings her first film in four years to Venice. Silent Friend is made of three episodes that take place in different eras, each filmed in different formats: 16mm, 35mm, and digital. The stories are told from the perspective of a lonely old tree standing in a botanical garden and all revolve around the idea that nature has a huge influence on humanity. (Serena Seghedoni)
21. The Smashing Machine
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Benny Safdie
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Oleksandyr Usyk, Ryan Bader
Country: USA
Benny Safdie is best known for his high-stakes dramas Uncut Gems and Good Time, which he wrote and directed alongside his brother, Josh Safdie. The Smashing Machine marks the filmmaker’s solo debut, and it’s already one of this year’s most talked-about projects. Starring Dwayne Johnson as UFC legend Mark Kerr, the move is described as a bold and unconventional retelling of Kerr’s rise to fame and personal obstacles.
Both Johnson and Blunt are already receiving plenty of awards buzz for their performances in The Smashing Machine, but audiences will have to wait until the film’s world premiere in Venice to see how warranted this is. Safdie made his first appearance at the Venice Film Festival in 2014 alongside his brother, for their psychological thriller Heaven Knows What. (Jack Walters)
22. The Testament of Ann Lee
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Mona Fastvold
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott, Matthew Beard, Scott Handy, Jamie Bogyo, Viola Prettejohn, David Cale
Country: U.K.
The words musical and religious film don’t often go together, and yet this is how the film was described by the Venice Film Festival director, Alberto Barbera, when announcing the films in competition. This epic fable is about the titular character Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried), a religious leader who founded the Shaker Movement and attempted to build a utopian society. Not only does this premise sound unique in of itself, but this film is bound to appeal to those who loved The Brutalist last year in Venice. The Testament of Ann Lee sees Mona Fastvold, co-writer of The Brutalist, reunite with Brady Corbet, who acts as a co-writer in this movie. Much like their previous collaboration, this is also shot in 70mm film. (Clotilde Chinnici)
23. The Voice of Hind Rajab
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Cast: Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees, Saja Kilani
Countries: Tynisia, France, UK
The Voice of Hind Rajab follows the story of a Palestinian girl who died after remaining trapped in a car during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. The plot of the film may seem heartbreaking, but what is even more enraging is that it is based on the real-life story of the titular character, Hind Rajab, a five-year-old child who was killed by the Israeli forces in January 2024. Alberto Barbera, director of the festival, said this is the movie that might impress audiences and critics the most and, judging by the synopsis alone, he seems to be right. Telling this story also feels more urgent than ever before, now that Gaza faces a humanitarian crisis of a scale and horror we have never witnessed before. (Clotilde Chinnici)
24. The Wizard of the Kremlin
Venezia 82: In Competition
Director: Olivier Assayas
Cast: Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Zach Galifianakis
Country: USA
The Wizard of the Kremlin is certainly going to be one of the most timely and topical projects screened at this year’s Venice Film Festival, following a fictional Russian politician who witnesses the birth of Vladimir Putin’s political career following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The story is based on the novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli, which was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Goncourt.
With Jude Law playing the controversial Russian President, The Wizard of the Kremlin is sure to attract some attention upon its release. But if Olivier Assayas’ previous works are anything to judge by (Irma Vep, Personal Shopper), the film will certainly make its voice known about the story it’s telling. (Jack Walters)
25. 100 Nights of Hero
International Critics’ Week – Closing Film
Director & Writer: Julia Jackman
Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, Charli XCX, Richard E. Grant
Country: UK
With a cast made up of A-listers, including Charli XCX, 100 Nights of Hero is an adaptation of a graphic novel of the same name. The British singer is joined by Nicholas Galitzine, Emma Corrin, and Richard E. Grant. With such a promising and interesting ensemble, Julia Jackman’s movie is definitely one that festivalgoers will want to keep their eyes on. This historical fantasy film will follow a woman who develops feelings for her maid while her husband is on a business trip, potentially changing and innovating “One Thousand and One Nights”, the Middle Eastern collection of folktales that the graphic novel is based on. (Clotilde Chinnici)
2025 Venice Film Festival – 20 More Movies to Watch at Venezia 82:
- Cotton Queen, Suzannah Mirghani – Critics’ Week
- Duse, Pietro Marcello – In Competition
- En El Camino, David Pablos – Orizzonti
- L’Étranger, François Ozon – In Competition
- Ghost Elephants, Werner Herzog – Out of Competition, Non Fiction
- Gorgonà, Evi Kalogiropoulou – Critics’ Week
- How to Shoot a Ghost, Charlie Kaufman – Out of Competition (Short Film)
- Kabul, Between Prayers, Aboozar Amini – Out of Competition
- Komedie Elahi, Ali Asgari – Orizzonti
- Il Rapimento di Arabella, Carolina Cavalli – Orizzonti
- La Grazia, Paolo Sorrentino – In Competition, Opening Film
- La Hija de la Espanola, Mariana Rondon & Marité Ugas – Venice Spotlight
- The Last Viking, Anders Thomas Jensen – Out of Competition
- Marc By Sofia, Sofia Coppola – Out of Competition, Non Fiction
- Mother, Teona Strugar Mitevska – Orizzonti
- Motor City, Potsy Ponciroli – Venice Spotlight
- Orphan, Lazlo Nemes – In Competition
- Portobello, Marco Bellocchio – Out of Competition (Series)
- Quit Vit Encore, Nicolas Wadimoff – Venice Days
- The Sun Rises on Us All, Cai Shangjun – In Competition
The 2025 Venice Film festival will take place at Lido di Venezia on August 27 – September 6, 2025. Read the full festival lineup and come back soon for our reviews!
Header credits: Manuele Fior for La Biennale di Venezia – ASAC
