George Clooney has never been shy about his love for Italy, from Lake Como to the Lido — and now the feeling has been officially announced as mutual. The multi-hyphenate filmmaker will be honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
“I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice,” said the Jay Kelly star in a statement. “This festival is without question my favorite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honor. It also probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it.”
Last month members of the festival’s international jury were unveiled,with Maggie Gyllenhaal serving as jury president. Here’s everything to know about what’s going down on the Lido this year.
The date
The 2026 edition of the venerable festival will take place Sept. 2-12.
The jurors
Joining Gyllenhaal on the Venezia 83 panel to decide the festival’s highest honors are Tunisian director and screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania, English composer and artist Daniel Blumberg, Italian professor and film scholar Francesco Casetti, French director and screenwriter Xavier Giannoli, Afghan director and screenwriter Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Hong Kong director and producer Johnnie To.
This seven-member panel will be tasked with handing out Venice’s official competitive awards, including the coveted Golden Lion for Best Film, the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, and the Coppa Volpi acting honors. Per festival rules, no joint awards are permitted, ensuring a definitive stamp of approval on this year’s cinematic achievements.
Last year’s festival saw Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother take home the prestigious Golden Lion, while Benny Safdie snagged the Silver Lion for Best Director for The Smashing Machine.
The lineup
The official rundown of films will be announced on July 23. Among the films rumored to be in play are Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard, starring Rooney Mara and Kate Mara; Florian Zeller’s Bunker, with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz; Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell; and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, headlined by Tom Cruise.
This article was first published on June 22 and updated on July 6.
