Cannes may start in a little over two weeks, but the fall film festivals are also approaching. Earlier this morning, it was announced that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne (“Sideways,” “The Descendants,” & “The Holdovers“) will preside over the competition jury for the 82nd annual Venice International Film Festival.
The jury will decide who walks away with the coveted Golden Lion prize (last year’s winner was Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door“). The acclaimed director has made eight feature films, won two Oscars (for Adapted Screenplay), and has directed other acclaimed films such as “Citizen Ruth“ (1996), “Election“ (1999), “About Schmidt“ (2002), and “Nebraska“ (2013). He was previously in Venice with the sci-fi comedy, “Downsizing,“ starring Matt Damon, which opened the festival in 2017.
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera stated that Payne belonged “to the small circle of filmmakers-cinephiles whose passion for cinema is fueled by knowledge of films of the past and curiosity about contemporary cinema, without boundaries or barriers of any kind.”
“These qualities – along with his experience as a screenwriter – make him an ideal candidate to preside over the work of the Venice jury, which is called upon to evaluate films from around the world,“ he added.
“I am grateful to Alexander for accepting my invitation, which seals an acquaintance that goes back to the days of his graduation short film at UCLA,“ Barbera concluded.
“It’s an enormous honor and joy to serve on the jury at Venice,“ says Payne.
“Although I share a filmmaker’s ambivalence about comparing films against one another, I revere the Venice Film Festival’s nearly 100-year history of loudly celebrating film as an art form. I couldn’t be more excited.”
The 82nd edition of the Venice film festival will run from August 27th until September 6th.
Are you excited for the 2025 Venice Film Festival? Are you planning to attend the festival this year? Which films do you think will be announced? Please let us know in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.
