Venice International Film Festival

September – The Venice International Film Festival takes place every year between late August and early September on the island of Lido. The first edition was held in 1932 and since then it has been organised by the Biennale, one of the most famous cultural institutions in the world. The main prize awarded during the Festival is the Leone d’Oro, named after the symbol of the city of Venice, the lion of St Mark’s Basilica.

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Venice Film Festival venue

The event takes place in the five major attractions of the Venice Lido: the majestic Palazzo del Cinema, the main venue, the monumental Palazzo del Casinò, the PalaBiennale, the Sala Giardino and finally the outdoor areas (Piazzale del Cinema, Area Giardino, Terrazza Biennale).

The Venice Film Festival is easily reachable from our hotel, just one vaporetto stop away (lines 1, 5.1 or 6): just walk to the Sant'Elena stop and you will immediately see the Lido island on the horizon.

Photo credits: Pietro Luca Cassarino, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Venice Film Festival program

There are several competitions taking place during the ten days of the Biennale Cinema:

Venezia Concorso, dedicated to feature films presented as world premieres
Fuori Concorso, for the presentation of works by acclaimed authors and documentaries
Orizzonti, welcomes films representing new aesthetic and expressive global trends in the cinema
Orizzonti Extra, films characterised by innovation and creative originality
Venezia Classici, a selection of the best restorations of classic films and documentaries on cinema and individual authors
Venice Immersive, dedicated to immersive projects in virtual reality
Biennale College Cinema, an advanced training workshop for the production of micro-budget feature films

In addition to a rich calendar of projections, aperitifs, presentations and ceremonies are organised across the entire Festival area.

The vision of the Festival

The Festival is officially recognised by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers' Associations) and aims to promote the knowledge and distribution of international cinema in all its forms of art, entertainment and industry.