"I felt it was important to have an unknown woman playing the lead in Woman Unknown, not an actress who was already an established entity & identity. It adds an extra layer to the film, in getting to know Marie, the main character." - Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy #Venice2026
cineuropa.org/495018

Anna Foglietta, an Italian actress who has been nominated four times for the David di Donatello Awards and who hosted the ceremonies on the Lido in 2020, is presenting her debut film, *A Common Story*, at #Venice2026 Orizzonti for True Colours. This domestic melodrama,

"Paolo Strippoli sharpens his directorial skills, once again embracing a surreal & frightening register, using the Faustian character embodied by [Valeria] Bruni Tedeschi to speak about the unravelling of the family." ➡️ Review of the #Venice2026 competition film The Spiral: cineuropa.org/494991

Alex Gibney's MUSK is a hefty investigation into tech titan Elon Musk and the dangerous combination of unchecked power, limitless wealth and zero empathy. A riveting watch. #Venice2026.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

An American documentary filmmaker with a 21-year track record of producing compelling films, an Oscar win in 2008 and a quirky film in competition at the Berlinale in 2016, Alex Gibney presents *Musk* at #Venice2026 Open and then #Toronto2026 Docs for Black Bear.

Discovered in Cartagena and Rotterdam with his debut documentary, Colombian director Sebastián Múnera is presenting his first feature film, *Meteorito*, at #Venice2026 SIC, which won an award as a work-in-progress in Cartagena last year.

Following short films at Locarno & Cannes Semaine, Greek Jacqueline Lentzou presented her debut at Berlinale Encounters, ahead of her second film, A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra, at #Venice2026 Orizzzonti for Lucky Number, after wip at Les Arcs.

#ICYMI: Lida Bach reviews #JoshuaOppenheim 's #Primetime. Read her thoughts on the #Venice2026 film below:

cineccentric.com/2026/09/06/p...

#ICYMI: Lida Bach reviews #TheoRollason 's #QueerEdwardII, the documentary on the making of #DerekJarman 's #EdwardII. Read her thoughts on the #Venice2026 film below:

cineccentric.com/2026/09/06/q...

Discovered in Berlin in 2004, where he won the Netpac Award for his film in the Forum section, and then in competition in 2015, the Japanese director Sabu – who is also an actor – presents *Arrested Memory* at #Venice2026 Open for Lucky Number.

Following a debut in Panorama and two further films at Rotterdam, Palestinian director Muayad Alayan presents *Conversations With the Sea* at #Venice2026 Spotlight for Mad.

Following his debut solo film, which screened here last year out of competition, the young Italian director Paolo Strippoli returns to #Venice2026 in competition and then to #Tiff2026’s Midnight Madness – a rare combination – with *The Spiral* for Le Pacte.

Having premiered the first instalment in Sydney 20 years ago and the second in Toronto in 2012, British filmmaker Sophie Fiennes is presenting *The Pervert’s Guide to Utopia* at #Venice2026 Open and, of course, at #Toronto2026 Docs. This philosophy

Discovered at Giornate Venetian Nights in 2021 with his documentary *Caveman*, Italian director Tommaso Landucci – a 2023 Sam Spiegel Film Lab award-winner – is presenting his debut feature *Children of the Monkey* at #Venice2026 Orizzonti for Piper.

Following a futuristic film at Cannes this year that was rather unworthy of a former Palme d’Or winner, Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to the festival where he was first discovered and awarded in 1995 to present *Look Back* in competition at #Venice2026, followed by Toronto SP.

Hirokazu Koreeda reflects on teen friendship and art, joy and sorrow in the gentle charmer LOOK BACK, the second screen adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s beloved manga, previously filmed in a 2024 anime retelling. #Venice2026
www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

Discovered at IDFA in 2015 and winner of the Directing Award at Sundance in 2023, American director Luke Lorentzen presents *Boatbuilders* at #Venice2026 Open for MetFilm. Thoughtful, serious and musically inspired,

The fourth film by French director Robert Guediguian on the Lido, *A Woman Today* premieres now at #Venice2026 Giornate for Playtime. The story is unexpected, rather bourgeois at first glance,

Also a director of photography, Thai filmmaker Phuttiphong Aroonpheng won the Best Film award in this Venice section in 2018 with the overrated *Manta Ray*. He returns with his third film, *The Burning Giants*, at #Venice2026 Orizzonti for Lucky Number.