Venice Strikes Back: Alberto Barbera on His Powerhouse 2025 Festival Lineup

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Following the unexpected overshadowing at this year’s Oscars, where Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner “Anora” outshone Brady Corbet’s Lido champion “The Brutalist” in the category of Best Picture, Venice has reasserted itself with renewed vigor.

In 2025, Venice’s film festival promises an exciting mix of established directors, fresh talent, and thought-provoking political themes, solidifying the Lido as the go-to place for potential Oscar contenders. Some noteworthy entries this year include Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino’s movie “After the Hunt,” Dwayne Johnson in Benny Safdie’s film “The Smashing Machine,” and a trio of Netflix productions: Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” featuring Jacob Elordi, Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly” starring George Clooney, and Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” with Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson.

Combining innovative elements from directors like Yorgos Lanthimos, Jim Jarmusch, Park Chan-wook, François Ozon, Paolo Sorrentino, Mona Fastvold, Gus van Sant, Julian Schnabel, Mamoru Hosoda, and Laszlo Nemes, along with the profound political themes from Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” and Olivier Assayas’ “The Wizard of the Kremlin” [starring Jude Law as Vladimir Putin], results in a potential lineup for one of the most impressive Venice film festivals in recent years. Quite an exciting prospect!

Following the presentation of this year’s lineup, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the competitive yet cordial competition among leading film festivals, the difficulty of scheduling extended films, and the resurgence of political themes in cinema.

Once again, I find myself repeating what I say each year: Your lineup this time is truly exceptional. As members of the press, we often compare the major festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Toronto, but how much of that is competition, a desire to surpass the other big events, or simply a source of motivation for you?

Year after year, I find myself expressing my admiration for your impressive lineup. In our press circles, we frequently debate and compare the major festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Toronto. However, how much of that is competition, a drive to outshine the others, or simply an inspiration for you?

Both versions aim to convey the same message while using different word choices and sentence structures for variety and readability.

I have a close friendship with Thierry Fremaux, the director of Cannes Festival, and Cameron Bailey, CEO of Toronto Film Festival. We are professional associates who regularly meet at our respective events. Our relationship is quite special, but it’s important to remember that there is competition involved. After all, festivals do compete with one another, and each of us strives to secure the finest films available based on what the market provides.

We find ourselves advantageously situated at the outset of the new season, while Cannes concludes the previous one. This gives us a time advantage over Toronto by about a week to ten days. Consequently, we frequently have the opportunity to screen numerous world premieres since many films choose to debut with us first. I should note that Toronto strives to secure as many world premieres as they can, but sometimes struggle to rival our offerings in select movies.

As a gamer, I see this contest as my personal challenge to excel and showcase the finest work from my submitted movies. It’s all about bringing out the best in me!

How do you measure success for a festival lineup?

The initial assessment of a movie’s success comes from its reception during the festival, be it from critics or audience feedback. This moment serves as a crucial indicator, helping to determine whether the chosen film was a wise decision or not. Since inviting one film means forgoing another, it’s always disheartening when expectations aren’t met, particularly after announcing the lineup. The screening of the film is the point at which I can gauge if I made a successful selection or not.

If the movie is screened at other film festivals or earns accolades, including potential Oscar wins, such events often bolster our standing as a festival in the global calendar of film events. This boosts our chances for the following year to secure access to the most compelling and significant films of the season.

In your talk, you mentioned a preference for including Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt in the competition. Could it be that Amazon MGM preferred it to screen outside of the competition instead?

Amazon MGM made that choice, and they communicated it from the outset: “We aim to avoid competition. This film resonates deeply with us; we believe it’s our pick for the Oscars. It doesn’t require competing.” I went along with it, acknowledging their prerogative as producers. Generally speaking, I appreciate their decisions, but not always.

This year, following her first appearance at the Venice Film Festival, Julia Roberts – known for her role in “After the Hunt” – will make her debut. Similarly, Dwayne Johnson, star of Benny Safdie’s competition film “The Smashing Machine,” will also make his Venice premiere. For those attending the Lido festival for the first time, here’s some advice on maneuvering the Venice red carpet:

1. Arrive early to secure a good spot and avoid the rush.
2. Familiarize yourself with the layout of the festival area beforehand.
3. Dress appropriately for the event – formal attire is recommended.
4. Be respectful and courteous, both to fellow attendees and the celebrities walking the red carpet.
5. Take advantage of the opportunity to witness the glamour and excitement of Hollywood up close!

Without a doubt, these two individuals are skilled in their conduct, being highly proficient professionals. They are delivering exceptional acts in the upcoming films, with Julia Roberts and Dwayne Johnson truly shining. I am delighted to have them here in Venice. It’s worth mentioning that our audience is delightful, warm, and gentle. I believe these talents find the experience here more comfortable compared to other festivals – a sentiment I often hear.

Given your past achievements, there seems to be an increasing number of visitors flocking to Venice. Can you estimate the strain this influx might cause for the festival’s facilities and resources?

A significant number of attendees will be present during the festival, as we have ample seating and numerous theaters to cater to everyone. The strain, however, lies not within the festival itself but on the external infrastructure such as hotels, restaurants, and so forth. Venice is a globally popular tourist destination, with numerous events taking place towards the end of August and beginning of September. This influx of people, including those attending other events, makes finding accommodations challenging and expensive.

The primary problem at hand revolves around insufficient hotels on Lido, specifically only one five-star hotel, The Excelsior. However, there’s some positive news: they plan to refurbish the Grand Hotel Des Bains, a process that might last 4-5 years but could restore its former beauty. Given that it’s being backed by individuals from Dubai [Abu Dhabi’s Eagle Hills is funding a $230 million renovation], I feel quite optimistic about this development because of their financial resources, suggesting the project should be successful.

On several occasions, I’ve penned messages on behalf of my freelance peers who face financial difficulties in visiting Venice and also find it challenging to secure the necessary talent for their attendance. Could you or the festival provide any solutions to alleviate this issue?

It’s quite challenging to make arrangements for the hotels, room pricing, dining options, and so on due to inadequate infrastructure. I understand that some independent journalists face difficulties in securing interviews with celebrities, but that is beyond our control. The availability of stars for interviews depends on the decisions made by the production team or their press agents for each film. Although I try to persuade them to be more accommodating and accessible, it’s often difficult because they only stay a short time in Venice – usually 48 to 72 hours – due to the high cost of accommodation here. Meeting all the requests from journalists is quite problematic as a result, but I’m unsure what steps we can take to address this issue effectively.

In your talk, you pointed out that the length of submitted films is consistently growing. Could you elaborate on how significant an issue this might be when it comes to organizing the program for screenings?

The situation is troublesome due to our typical screening of four movies daily, two in the afternoon and two in the evening, each lasting at least two hours or more. This means the last movie won’t begin until quite late in the evening. It poses a significant challenge for everyone involved. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be working on scheduling the screenings to see how things pan out, but I must admit I’m concerned. We’ll certainly find a solution, though it won’t be an easy task.

This trend, which began about a year or two ago, has significantly escalated. Most films are longer than two hours, with many surpassing the two-and-a-half hour mark. It’s become a problem.)

Why did you consider it essential to include films like Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite”, Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, and Olivier Assayas’ “The Wizard of the Kremlin” in this year’s Venice Film Festival lineup, given that they seem to focus on current events and politics?

As a movie enthusiast, I must say that this year’s cinematic offerings have been incredibly powerful and thought-provoking. They aren’t just emotionally resonant, but they also tackle relevant contemporary issues head-on. Take for instance “A House of Dynamite,” which delves into the complexities of nuclear weapons, or films like those focusing on the heartrending conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. And let’s not forget the ones shedding light on global dictatorships. Each one offers a unique perspective that leaves a lasting impact.

The return of real-life cinema is upon us, and I believe it’s crucial for our festival to reflect the modern world rather than being confined within the realm of film fantasies. Instead, let’s embrace a cinema that mirrors reality.

At the festival, you’ll find an abundance of both entertaining and awe-inspiring movies, many of which tackle contemporary issues head-on. Some are incredibly powerful and evoke deep emotions. Just mentioning The Voice of Hind Rajab stirs feelings within me, and I was truly moved when I saw it. Every time I reflect on it, my emotions resurface. I believe this film will elicit a profound reaction from everyone, including the press and the audience, not just because of its political significance, but because of its deeply human, emotional resonance.

Netflix is also back in force this year, after missing last year’s festival.

Indeed, they weren’t able to attend last year since they didn’t possess any suitable films, but this year, they bring three exceptionally powerful productions: one directed by Kathryn Bigelow, another by Noah Baumbach, and a third by Guillermo del Toro. There was some apprehension about including three Netflix movies in the main competition, but given their impressive quality, each one merits a place there.

Do you ever worry that your streak at Venice will end, that this could be your last good year?

Every time a festival ends, I promise myself that I won’t be able to put together such an impressive lineup for the following year. However, we always seem to stumble upon the most intriguing movies of the season. This pattern holds true once more, at least for this year.

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2025-07-22 22:25