Giovanni Veronesi's 'Dio ride' to Close 83rd Venice Film Festival

The film "Dio ride", written and directed by Giovanni Veronesi, will serve as the closing, out‑of‑competition selection of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. It will be shown for the first time on Saturday 12 September 2026 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido, following the festival’s awards ceremony.

Set in the 17th‑century and loosely based on historical events, the story follows Frate Leopoldo (Pierfrancesco Favino) whose joyful preaching challenges the Church’s authority, bringing him into conflict with Cardinal Maculani (Silvio Orlando). The cast also includes Alma Noce, Francesco Gheghi, Maurizio Lombardi, Paolo Rossi and Carlo Cecchi as Pope Innocenzo X. Themes of freedom, truth and the relationship between humanity and power are central to the narrative.

"Dio ride" is a co‑production of Indiana Production, VUELTA, Piperfilm and Ogi Film, made in collaboration with Netflix. Production credits include Fabrizio Donvito, Benedetto Habib, Marco Cohen and Daniel Campos Pavoncelli (Indiana Production) and Massimiliano Orfei, Luisa Borella and Davide Novelli (Piperfilm). International sales are handled by Piperplay, while PiperFilm will distribute the film in Italy, with a theatrical release scheduled for 29 October 2026. The director expressed surprise and gratitude for the invitation, and festival director Alberto Barbera praised the film’s blend of irony and seriousness.