Venice Film Festival 2025: Celebrating Cinema at the 82nd Edition
The Venice Film Festival returns for its 82nd edition, lighting up the Venice Lido in Italy from 27 August to 6 September 2025 with a dazzling showcase of global film selections. This prestigious festival, celebrated for showcasing the very best in international filmmaking, once again unites directors, actors, and film lovers in a celebration of innovative storytelling and compelling performances.
In honour of this historic event, we are spotlighting five exceptional films that have earned nominations and won awards in various categories at the Venice Film Festival in past years. These standout works reflect the artistic vision that defines the Venice Film Festival.
Vera Dreams Of The Sea (2021)
Set in modern Kosovo, Vera sees her serene life turned upside down by her husband’s sudden suicide, leaving her to confront predatory relatives determined to claim their village family house. Forced to navigate a Kosovo patriarchal system steeped in tradition, she must fight to secure a future for her daughter.
Nominated for Best Film in the Horizons section at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, Vera Dreams Of The Sea, directed by Katrina Krasniqi in her feature film debut, is a sorrowful yet political portrayal of a widow forced to bear the weight of Kosovan patriarchy on her already burdened shoulders. It is a broader testament to the ongoing reality of women’s struggle for equal rights and autonomy.
Behind The Mountains (2023)
Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia reunites with actor Majd Mastoura, star of Attia’s breakout drama ‘Heidi’, to deliver a daring psychological fable of a father and son’s escapade. Nominated for Best Film in the Horizons section at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, Behind The Mountains thins the line between faith and madness as it explores the idea of breaking free from a civilization entrapped in its own set of statutes and beliefs.
After serving four years in prison for vandalising his workplace, Rafik is set on a single goal, take his son to the mountains and show him his amazing discovery. But Rafik’s vision is as troubling as it is wondrous–convinced that he can fly, he drags his son on an unpredictable journey, defying family, society and potentially reason itself.
With Attia’s emotive direction and Mastoura’s impassioned performance, Beyond The Mountains ensures a film that lingers long after its credits roll.
Forever-Forever (2023)
Amidst the ruins of the post-Soviet city, Tonia starts over in a new high school where she finds a connection with a rebellious group of youngsters, hoping for safety and belonging. However, she soon finds herself in the middle of a secret love triangle. Haunted by the scars of her past that challenges her newfound relationships, Tonia faces a brutal choice: lose herself to the chaos or fight to claim her own future.
Forever-Forever was nominated for the Armani beauty Audience Award in the Horizons Extra section at the 2023 Venice Film Festival on Anna Buryachkova’s directorial feature film debut, highlighting the film’s popularity among the fans. The film candidly portrays adolescence as raw and uncertain, exploring themes of trauma, belonging, and the search for identity in a fractured world. It’s a coming-of-age story that refuses easy answers instead laying bare the messy, painful beauty of growing up.
Governance (2021)
Renzo, a manager of a multinational oil corporation, is ousted over corruption charges and becomes convinced his young successor betrayed him. Driven by revenge, he murders her in cold blood. Reinstated by the Board, he ruthlessly steers the company to greater success while growing suspicion and doubt of him sets in, and soon the situation gets out of hand…
Presented with the Kinéo Award for Best First Feature and Best Actor in Leading Role at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, Governance, directed by Michael Zampino, perfectly portrays the animalistic nature of man consumed by ambition and money.
Hunting Season (2017)
Natalia Garagiola made her feature directorial debut with Hunting Season, which she both wrote and directed, clinching Best Film in the International Film Critics’ Week section at the 2017 Venice Film Festival. This film gracefully manoeuvres between tones of maturity and lightness as it follows the events of an estranged father and son coming together.
After the loss of his first wife, a seasoned hunting guide Ernesto is forced to take in Nahuel, his estranged teenage son, after years apart. Buried resentments erupt into conflict manifesting in the form of physical outburst from Ernesto while his unrelenting son continues to push him to the limit. Amid the unforgiving wilderness of Patagonia, they are forced to confront their own capacity for violence and forgiveness on a tense and transformative path toward reconciliation.
As we roll out the carpets for the 82nd Venice Film Festival, these standout films remind us of the festival’s enduring commitment to celebrating bold, original voices in cinema. Experience the magic of the Venice Film Festival’s finest selections from the comfort of your home, exclusively on CinemaWorld.
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