🦁Venice Film Festival

About Venice Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival — the Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica — is the world's oldest film festival, first held in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale. Staged on the Lido di Venezia, it is one of the "Big Five" festivals alongside Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance, and in recent years it has become a launchpad for awards-season contenders, with many eventual Oscar winners premiering on its red carpet.

The festival's top prize is the Golden Lion (Leone d'Oro), awarded to the best film in competition since 1949 and named for the winged Lion of St Mark, the symbol of Venice. Across roughly ten days the Lido fills with world premieres, gala screenings, star-studded photocalls and an international jury's deliberations, while the Coppa Volpi awards honour the best lead performances. It is both a serious showcase for world cinema and a glamorous curtain-raiser for the autumn movie calendar.

Dates shift from year to year, typically falling in late August and early September; the 83rd edition runs September 2–12, 2026 on the Lido. The countdown above tracks the days, hours and minutes until opening night in your own timezone. Bookmark it or add the festival to your own countdown page to follow the race for the Golden Lion as it approaches.