The Venice Film Festival Turns 80

The Venice Film Festival, also known by its proper name “Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica” turns 80 this year. The 80th edition of the International Film Festival will take place on the Lido di Venezia from the 30th of August to the 9th of September 2023, directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Roberto Cicutto. The opening film will be Comandante by Edoardo de Angelis, who replaced Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers following Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s decision to postpone the film’s release due to the strike by the American Actors Union (SAG-AFTRA). While the closing one will be La sociedad de la nieve by Juan Antonio Bayona.

The Venice Film Festival: facts and figures

The Mostra includes 82 new feature films in the Official Selection listed here below and divided as follows:

23 in Venezia 80 (Competition)
19 in Out of Competition (6 of which are non-fiction films)
1 special event
18in Orizzonti
9 in Orizzonti Extra
9 in Venezia Classici – Documentaries about cinema
3 in Biennale College – Cinema

While as per the short film the numbers are:

1 in Out of Competition – Short Films
13 in Orizzonti – Short Films

The Venice Classics, one of the favorite sections of this movie festival includes

19 restored feature films
1 restored short film
9 documentaries about cinema

Last but not least the Venice Immersive section of the Venice Film Festival includes:

43 projects selected, 28 of which are in Competition
9 projects in Best of Immersive – Out of Competition
6 projects in Biennale College Cinema – VR
24 worlds in the Worlds Gallery

There are 54 countries represented this year on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Venice Film Festival. The total number of films submitted is 4061.