Venice Film Festival

The world's oldest film festival and

one of the most prestigious. The Golden

Lion is among cinema's highest honours.

Venice has historically been the launching

pad for Oscar contenders — the Venice-to-Oscar

pipeline is the most reliable in cinema.

Venice values films that challenge

conventional narrative and visual language.

They have been particularly strong on

American prestige cinema — films that

balance artistic ambition with commercial

potential. The Orizzonti section supports

emerging international filmmakers.

Roma, Brokeback Mountain, The Shape of

Water, Joker, Nomadland, The Favourite,

First Man

Venice runs in late August/early September

and submissions close in May/June. The

Venice-to-Oscar pipeline makes it

strategically valuable for US films with

awards ambitions. Orizzonti is more

accessible than the main competition.