Venice Film Festival 2026 Announces International Critics Week and Authors' Days Lineups

The 41st International Critics Week of the Venice Film Festival will run from 2 to 12 September, presenting seven world‑premiere first‑features selected by General Delegate Beatrice Fiorentino and her commission. The programme spans four continents and emphasizes radical, body‑focused storytelling that challenges capitalism, technology, and social conventions.

The 23rd edition of the Giornate degli Autori, now without founder Giorgio Gosetti, is overseen by artistic director Gaia Furrer. Its competition includes entries from Australia, Switzerland, Serbia, Mexico, Argentina, and, for the first time, Nigeria. Italy is represented by "Balcanicadi," a debut about an Afghan father and son fleeing the Taliban’s music ban. The opening film is "My Notes on Mars" by Hungarian director Lili Horvát, accompanied by works from Robert Guédiguian, Roberta Torre, and documentaries, fiction‑autobiography hybrids, and genre‑bending pieces that showcase contemporary cinema’s vitality.