VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND BIENNALE
It is little wonder with its wealth of art and architecture that Venice plays host to the film industry once per year. This year, the 83rd Venice International Film Festival runs from 2nd to 12th September where Hollywood A Listers along with other international actors, directors and producers, will be pouring into Venice to promote their latest films. It will be a paparazzi frenzy on the red carpet as major stars will be gaining attention and publicity wearing fabulous haute couture designs.
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest established in 1932 and one of the big five festivals, along with Cannes, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto. Many films gain a profile at Venice, some receive awards like the Leone D’Oro for best film, (i.e., Golden Lion, as Venice has a winged lion as the city’s emblem). Some of these films have subsequently gone on to greater Oscar success. The film, The Shape of Water won the Leone D’Oro in 2017 and went on to win Oscars for the best picture and best director for Guillermo Del Toro.
Every two years, Venice hosts the Biennale, which is an international arts and culture festival where many countries send delegations to be represented to celebrate this event. It was founded in 1895 and alongside cinema, (the film festival being part of the Biennale) there is; art, theatre, dance, music and architecture. The film festival mainly takes place on the Lido whereas the Biennale occurs within the Giardini and Arsenale areas of mainland Venice. This year’s festival began in May and will run till 22 November 2026.
Please see the respective websites if you wish to know more about both these events; i.e., Venice International Film Festival and the Venice Biennale.
FASHION
Lady Gaga rocked up on to the Venice red carpet in 2018 to promote her film, A Star is Born. She was photographed wearing the most extravagant, lavish, frothy, feathery, candy-pink ball gown by Valentino (created by designer Pierpaolo Piccioli) the dress was nicknamed the “Flamingo.” I would have loved to have seen this gown up close for myself, to see the detail, the finishing and to see how heavy it was to wear.
Gaga appeared in 2025 wearing a striking Christian Dior black ball gown, featuring a fitted bodice with a plunging neckline, diamond accessories, masses of stylised, quasi tubular-pleated full-length skirts, accompanied by a striking pointed headpiece. The ‘lace wings’ suggested hints of Maleficent, crossed with the masquerade, designed by the notable, Philip Treacy. I’m sure there will be plenty of designs to admire on the red carpet this year. I wonder which celebrity will be wearing the most stunning outfit?
FILM – LOCATION
Venice has provided the location for many films, or at least the backdrop for some prominent scenes. If you are planning to travel to Venice, you could watch some films to whet your appetite to absorb the beautiful scenery before you go.
Films with scenes in Venice include; The Wings of the Dove 1997 with Helena Bonham Carter, Casino Royale, 2006 with Daniel Craig as James Bond. The Talented Mr Ripley 1999 with Matt Damon, or the stunning black and white, Netflix TV series; Ripley, 2024 featuring Andrew Scott. (Patricia Highsmith wrote the crime novel, The Talented Mr Ripley in 1955.)
Films which are set in Venice are; Summertime,1955 with Katherine Hepburn, (worth a glance for the 50s fashions alone) The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie from 2010, (Jolie also wears some lovely couture designs) and Dangerous Beauty, a period, romantic drama set in sixteenth century Venice.
This film was made in 1998 featuring Catherine McCormack and Rufus Sewell; its other release title was; A Destiny of Her Own. In Renaissance Venice, a young woman had three career choices; to become a wife, a nun or a prostitute. However, if you had some education and the right connections, you could become a ‘courtegiana onesta’ – an honest courtesan. These women were different from ordinary, lower class sex workers as they were literate, spoke foreign languages, entertained with intellectual conversation, wore fine clothes, composed poetry or music and could accompany men of the elite; visiting kings, princes and noblemen. They had access to the library – where ordinary women weren’t allowed. The story considers the situation of a young girl who cannot marry her beloved as she is not of noble birth, so she chooses the courtesan route instead.
This film is based on the non-fictional book, The Honest Courtesan by Margaret Rosenthal, published in 1993, based on the real life, Venetian courtesan, Veronica Franco, (1546-1591). Franco had an elevated position in society and became an established poet in her own right; her portrait was painted by the esteemed Jacopo Tintoretto in 1575 which features on the cover of Rosenthal’s book.
TV DOCUMENTARY
If films aren’t your thing, then you may be interested in the BBC documentary series; Francesco’s Venice, written and presented by native Venetian, Francesco Da Mosto who is a writer, film maker, architect and presenter in his own right. There are only four episodes, an hour long each, but it really gives you a flavour of the real Venice from a Venetian’s point of view, even though this series was made in 2003, it is still relevant. I couldn’t find this on BBC iPlayer sadly and could only find the first episode on You Tube, but it may be available on other streaming services, or perhaps a DVD. There is a book to accompany the series, which I found in my local library. In the documentary, Francesco informs us about Venice’s history, the grand art and architecture, as well as modern-day issues like the gigantic cruise ships, over-tourism and the exodus of young Venetians.
ART
The fabulous detailed painting shown is that of Venetian artist, Giovanni Antonio Canal, (1697-1768) known as ‘Canaletto’ featuring Venice from St Mark’s Square, which is at Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. Bowes usually has two huge paintings by Canaletto on display which are well worth a visit, along with other works of art and artefacts, like their fascinating 18th century ‘Silver Swan’ automaton, see the Bowes Museum website or www.thebowesmuseum.org.
Many artists have painted Venice through the ages in different styles; from the esteemed Renaissance painters, the evocative atmosphere and ground-breaking use of light of JMW Turner, the dreamy, watery impressionism of Monet and Manet, and the post-impressionism of Maurice Prendeghast. It is Canaletto with his realism and detail who gives you a solid and accurate representation of the landscape or ‘canal-scape’ of his city. This panoramic scene shows a sea view of St Mark’s Square with the majestic ‘Bucintoro,’ (the Doge’s golden barge as he enacts the ceremonial, ‘Marriage of the Sea’ on Ascension Day) with several iconic gondolas, characters in the foreground, tiny figures in the background, each with their own stories, all beautifully painted with precision.
Canaletto painted many Venetian scenes but also London landmarks with the same acuity and even Warwick and Alnwick castles from his time spent in England. If you are interested in Canaletto, the National Art Gallery in London has more of his artworks including a similar detailed picture of the Venetian regatta.
TRAVEL
Venice is a wonderful location to visit with many key attractions; St Mark’s Square, the Basilica, the Clock Tower, Doge’s Palace, Santa Maria Della Salute Church, and the Realto Bridge, etc. If your tastes in art are more modern and contemporary then you might enjoy the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. If you prefer a full dose of Baroque art and architecture, you could slip into any church, no matter how insignificant from the outside and you would be able to see fine works of art, sculptures, ornate frescoes and elaborate architecture. I have written a lot about Venice in my book, Aegean Adventure, like the oldest coffee house in Italy still in operation; Caffé Florian, so if you haven’t read it yet, you might be tempted. I would advise visiting Venice out of season, when it ought not to be quite as busy and definitely avoid the packed steamy summer months of July and August, if possible.
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© September 2026
