Film on Diesel’s Renzo Rosso to Premiere at Venice Film Festival 2026

MILAN — A documentary on Renzo Rosso will add to the fashion quotient expected at the upcoming edition of the Venice International Film Festival, running Sept. 2 to 12.

As revealed during the press conference on Thursday unveiling the full program of the event, the “Be Brave” film dedicated to the OTB Group founder is to be presented as part of the out-of-competition section of the festival. Directed by Francesco Carrozzini, the 90-minute documentary on Rosso has been billed as the first Italian movie to be fully created with AI, with its realization taking more than 18 months. Carrozzini is the son of the late Vogue Italia editor in chief Franca Sozzani, whose works include the intimate documentary “Franca: Chaos and Creation” on his mother and the environmental virtual reality film “X-ray Fashion.”

In Venice, “Be Brave” will flank other out-of-competition entries leaning on experimental approaches to filmmaking, including “Joie de Vivre,” the more than seven-hour-long documentary by Luca Guadagnino dedicated to legendary Italian film director and screenwriter Bernardo Bertolucci. 

The section will additionally comprise “What Love Builds” by Russell Crowe, in which he traces back his career as an actor and musician, and “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger,” directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace and following the reconciliation of brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, who are expected to attend the red carpet in Venice.

While Rosso’s documentary builds on the festival’s recent tradition of spotlighting fashion players, following in the footsteps of Sofia Coppola’s “Marc by Sofia” debut last year on Marc Jacobs, the Venice Film Festival is well known for drawing both movie fans and fashion lovers throughout the years for its much-anticipated titles and standout fashion moments.

The 83^rd edition of the event promises to make no exception. Leading directors ranging from Wim Wenders to Werner Herzog are slated to touch base at Venice’s landmark Lido along with the respective star-packed casts such as Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Al Pacino, John Malkovich, Robert Pattinson, Alicia Vikander, Susan Sarandon, Kate and Rooney Mara, and Orlando Bloom, just to cite a few.

As revealed earlier this month, the event will open with the world premiere of “Ink,” the new movie directed by Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning director Danny Boyle. Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy appear in leading roles in the movie, which centers on Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of the daily newspaper The Sun.

The film will be among the 20 titles competing at the festival, running against other major motion pictures. These will include “Bucking Fastard” by Herzog with the Mara sisters and Bloom; “Bunker” by Florian Zeller starring real-life couple Cruz-Bardem along with Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger; “Primetime” by Lance Oppenheim with Pattinson and Phoebe Bridgers; “Wild Horse Nine” starring Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey; and “Company” directed by Casey Affleck with Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn. 

“The Echo Chamber,” based on the last script written by the late Bertolucci, will feature Vikander and Sarandon next to Italian actor Luca Marinelli, while Louis Garrel will star in “Succederà Questa Notte,” or “It Will Happen Tonight” in English, by local hero director Nanni Moretti, who will return to the festival after a 37-year-long hiatus.

Other names expected in Venice will include Al Pacino and Kiefer Sutherland, starring in the out-of-competition movie “Father Joe,” as well as Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi and Pamela Anderson, who will appear in the “Place to Be” film. 

Burstyn will also be in town to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recognition, as the festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera acknowledged her “presence in American cinema for over 50 years, bringing depth and complexity to unforgettable female characters embodying the contradictions and transformations in the contemporary woman.”

“President of the Actors Studio, Burstyn made fragility and methodical discipline the tools of an approach to acting grounded in emotional truth, attentiveness and generosity toward one’s characters,” said Barbera. “Her artistry, which could illuminate pain and everyday resilience with dignity, irony and courage, remains an absolute model of authenticity in performance and civic engagement within the craft of acting.”

The Golden Lion will be awarded to Burstyn on the occasion of the screening of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s out-of-competition short film “Flesh Impact,” dedicated to Marilyn Monroe and starring also Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi.

George Clooney will also receive Burstyn’s same honor for his remarkable career and versatility, as well as commitment to social and humanitarian causes.

“In his triple capacity as actor, director, and producer, Clooney is a complete and charismatic artist, impassioned and original, who has transformed a deep vocation into one of the most luminous parabolas of contemporary film,” said Barbera. “He is endowed with the gift of making his characters seem not only credible but desirable, approachable, and human, thanks to his undeniable charm. But Clooney’s charisma is constructed on his credibility, not on his image, because his seductive side has never been merely aesthetic.”

“I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice. 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,” said Clooney in a statement.

In addition to receiving the accolade, Clooney has produced “Furies,” one of the eight films comprised in the “Spotlight” section that is supported by Armani Beauty — one of the longtime sponsors of the event alongside Cartier and Campari — and where the public is to award the best movie.

As for the main competition, an international jury will be tasked to select and hand out the awards at the closing ceremony, including the Golden Lion for best film that last year went to Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother” movie.

This edition’s jury will be chaired by Gyllenhaal and include also Tunisian director and screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania; English composer and artist Daniel Blumberg; Italian professor Francesco Casetti; French director and screenwriter Xavier Giannoli; Afghan director and screenwriter Shahrbanoo Sada, and Hong Kong director and producer Johnnie To.

As always, fashion events are expected to add to the busy agendas of movie stars and directors in town. Miu Miu usually stages conversations with actors in addition to the screening of the latest installment of its Women’s Tales project of short films, while the likes of Armani Beauty and Chanel have set a tradition for hosting glamorous gatherings after dusk. 

As reported, the sixth annual amfAR Venice gala to be held on Sept. 6 will see artist Marina Abramović receive the prestigious amfAR Award of Inspiration. On Sept. 9, “Un Passo Alla Volta,” or “One Step at a Time,” a short film written by and starring Martina Ferragamo will be presented by Ferragamo at Teatro La Fenice, instead.