Venice Film Festival

The first film festival

Venice held its first film festival in 1932 as part of the Biennale, the city's famous arts exhibition, which makes it the oldest film festival in the world. It takes place on the Lido, a long thin island between the Venice lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, at the end of every summer.

Arriving by water

Part of the magic is the setting. Stars often arrive by water taxi at the Hotel Excelsior and walk to the Palazzo del Cinema, the festival's main hall, built in the 1930s. Photographers line the red carpet, and fans wait for hours along the barriers for a glimpse and an autograph.

Golden Lions and Volpi Cups

The top prize is the Golden Lion for the best film in competition. The Silver Lion goes to the best director, and the Volpi Cup honors the best actor and actress. A special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement goes to great figures of cinema each year.

Venice helped Japanese cinema reach the world when Rashomon won the Golden Lion in 1951, and Toshiro Mifune later won two Volpi Cups there.

A launch pad for awards season

Because it comes at the start of autumn, Venice has become a key place for studios to premiere films they hope will win Oscars. Golden Lion winners such as Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Shape of Water (2017) and Nomadland (2020) went on to major Academy Award success, and The Shape of Water and Nomadland both won Best Picture.

Visiting the festival

Venice sells tickets to the public for many screenings, in addition to press and industry passes, and some events take place in the historic city across the lagoon. For a comparison of dates, prizes and entry rules, see our film festivals guide, and read our Toshiro Mifune page for one of its great champions.

Visiting tips

The Lido is reached by vaporetto, the city's water bus, from central Venice in a short ride across the lagoon. Public tickets for many screenings go on sale shortly before the festival through the Biennale website, and the evening premieres attract crowds along the red carpet barriers. The Lido has wide sandy beaches, so many visitors mix films with a day by the sea. Hotels near the festival are expensive, so many people stay in Venice itself and commute by boat.

Did you know? The Golden Lion takes its shape from the winged lion that has long been a symbol of the city of Venice.

← Cannes Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival →