Venice

• George Clooney was honored as the Venice Film Festival commenced, providing a rare high-profile American presence at the event. • The festival faced a significant lack of participation from major Hollywood studios, as well as streaming giants Amazon and Netflix. • This trend follows a pattern of American industry avoidance, with major studios also snubbing the Berlin and Cannes festivals earlier this year.

• The 2026 Venice Film Festival has unveiled a highly anticipated documentary lineup featuring high-profile subjects. • Key highlights include an exposé on Elon Musk and an intimate film documenting the reunion of the band Oasis. • This non-fiction selection is being positioned as potentially the biggest draw of the festival due to the celebrity status of its subjects.

Sergei Loznitsa likens removal of €2m grant to ‘a punishment in kindergarten’ on eve of Venice film festivalOne of Ukraine’s most acclaimed film-makers has criticised the European Commission’s decision to cut off funds to the Venice Biennale over the opening of Russia’s pavilion, likening it to “a punishment in kindergarten”.The Biennale drew heavy criticism this spring when it allowed Russia to use its pavilion for the first time since 2022, despite the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

• The 83rd Venice Film Festival begins this Wednesday, bringing major Hollywood stars to Italy for the prestigious cinematic event. • Controversy has erupted over the inclusion of Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s film “DAU,” which depicts Soviet physicists working on the atomic bomb. • Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and the Embassy of Ukraine in Italy have condemned the film's presence in competition, labeling it a project linked to Russian state influence.

As social media shrinks and distorts the EU’s crises, the Venice film festival is delivering politically forthright epics from directors such as Sergei Loznitsa and Alex Gibney• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereEurope is in an economic crisis that, unlike the eurozone downturn at the beginning of the millennium, cannot be measured in ratings downgrades and borrowing costs. For metrics, try engagement depth and consumer trust instead.The unedifying spectacle of the European Union’s falling out over the Ceuta crisis looks like the latest symptom of Europe’s shrinking attention economy. When more than 70,000 people crossed over from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the start of the month, Rome hastily reintroduced air and sea border checks with Spain for one month; Madrid retaliated with spot-checks on travellers to Italy. Continue reading...

Danny Boyle’s drama about the acquisition of The Sun and a four-hour Elon Musk documentary will premiere alongside new films from Martin McDonagh and Werner Herzog – but only one female director has a movie in competitionThe Venice film festival promises to take a swing at media moguls of the print and digital era this year, with Trainspotting director Danny Boyle’s new film about Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of the Sun and a new documentary about Elon Musk included in the lineup of the films for the festival’s 83rd edition.In Boyle’s Ink, which will open the festival on the Lido on 2 September, Australian actor Guy Pearce plays compatriot newspaper tycoon Murdoch, whose purchase of the Sun in 1969 sensationalised the media landscape and transformed public life in Britain. The script is written by Olivier award-winning playwright and screenwriter James Graham (Dear England, Brexit: The Uncivil War). Continue reading...

• The European Commission has withdrawn a €2 million grant previously earmarked for the La Biennale di Venezia Foundation. • This financial cut follows tensions between Brussels and the institution, specifically regarding the presence of Russia at the Venice Biennale. • The decision has sparked criticism from the Italian government and represents a significant loss of funding for one of Italy's premier cultural organizations.