Venice Film Festival 2025: Top Premieres, Stars, Interesting Films

The Venice Film Festival will take place from August 27 to September 6. This year’s program is packed with star-studded premieres — new films by Yorgos Lanthimos, Jim Jarmusch, Luca Guadagnino, Sofia Coppola, and other star directors. We’re telling you everything you can expect from the 2025 Venice Film Festival.

Sorrentino’s new film tells the story of the fictional Italian president, Mariano De Santis. He is a criminal law expert, an elderly widower who has raised two children. His presidential term is coming to an end. All that remains is to resolve the moral dilemmas that deeply concern Catholic De Santis — what to do with the petitions for pardon of two murderers and whether to pass the problematic euthanasia law.

The film stars Tony Servillo (“The Great Beauty,” “The Hand of God”) and Anna Ferzetti. Last year, Sorrentino’s previous film, “Partenope,” premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

This year, the Venice Film Festival’s program is impressive, featuring a number of star-studded film premieres. For example, the competition includes the new science fiction comedy “Bugonia” by Yorgos Lanthimos, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. One of the most high-profile premieres is the long-awaited “Frankenstein” by Guillermo del Toro, featuring a star-studded cast: Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster, Christoph Waltz as Dr. Frankenstein, alongside Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac, and Felix Kammerer.

Another star director in the festival program is Italian Luca Guadagnino, and the main role in his film “After the Hunt” was played by Julia Roberts.

George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Riley Keough – a high-profile cast awaits us in Noah Baumbach’s film. The director says that this is a film about growing up: according to the plot, the famous actor Jay Kelly (played by George Clooney) and his manager, Ron (played by Adam Sandler), go on a trip to Europe. Both characters will have to rethink their life decisions, relationships with loved ones, and grow up.

Cate Blanchett and Vicky Crispi play the leading roles in Jim Jarmusch’s new film “Father, Mother, Sister, Brother”. The film is conceived as a triptych — three separate stories about the relationships between adult children and their somewhat distant parents (or one of them), as well as between the children themselves.

This year’s jury chairman was American director, producer, and screenwriter Alexander Payne, an Oscar winner for the screenplays for the films “On the Sidelines” and “The Descendants.”