The Venice event is, after Cannes, comfortably the second most important film festival on the calendarJohn Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine. Photograph: Diego Araya Corvalán/Searchlight Pictures Thu Jul 23 2026 - 15:25 • 5 MIN READThere is significant Irish interest at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival with Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, a surreal thriller starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, and Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard [sic], a characteristically puzzling drama largely shot in Ireland, competing for the Golden Lion. It had already been confirmed that Saoirse Ronan would be premiering Paper Plane, her first short film as director, at the durably prestigious event. Sophie Fiennes’s The Pervert’s Guide to Utopias, from Irish company Keeper Films, will also be receiving its world premiere. Produced by Katie Holly and Evan Horan, the documentary has philosopher Slavoj Žižek guide us through paradises in film, music and social mediaThere is further second-generation Irish presence with the world premiere of the documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger. Liam and Noel Gallagher, founders of that Manchester band, are expected to attend in support of Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace’s film focussing on their recent reunion tour. As was the case with Cannes earlier this year, the US studios are less visible than has been the case in previous editions, but a charabanc of stars will still be making their way to the red carpet. Robert Pattinson has already been mentioned in Oscar predictions for his role as Chris Hanson, host of the controversial reality TV show To Catch a Predator, in Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime. Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz (romantic partners in real life) star as a couple building a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire in Florian Zeller’s Bunker. There was some surprise at the unheralded inclusion of Casey Affleck’s gothic thriller Company. The director appears alongside Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn to act out tales told on a winter night. Jack Huston, latest sprig of the Irish-American dynasty that also includes John Huston and Angelica Huston, stars as a professor in Paul Schrader’s intriguing The Basics of Philosophy.We already knew the festival would kick off with a screening of Danny Boyle’s hotly tipped Ink. Guy Pearce stars as Rupert Murdoch in a dramatisation of that mogul’s manoeuvres to take over The Sun newspaper in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The trickily titled Bucking Fastard, which shot in Dublin and Co Kildare last year, stars Kate and Rooney Mara as twins digging a tunnel towards an imaginary land. Irish cast members include Domhnall Gleeson and Simon Delaney. Variety has reported that Herzog’s film was offered a slot out-of-competition at Cannes and that this was turned down before (as it now transpires) being accepted at the main race in Venice. This may be good omen for the great German director of Aguirre, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. By an odd coincidence, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, also partly shot in Dublin, had exactly the same experience last year. In a shock, it went on to win the Golden Lion, the biggest prize at Venice.McDonagh returns to the festival after notable success on the Lido with The Banshees of Inisherin. Wild Horse Nine is said to involve the comic adventures of CIA operatives on Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup.Founded in 1932, the Venice event is, after Cannes, comfortably the second most important film festival on the calendar. Previous winners of the Golden Lion have included Rashomon, The Battle of Algiers, Michael Collins, Brokeback Mountain and Poor Things.This year’s event runs from September 2nd-12th.Selection for the 83 Venice International Film FestivalVenice CompetitionInk, directed by Danny Boyle (Opening Film)Company, directed by Casey AffleckA Bit of Light, directed by Ali AsgariRitorno a Buenos Aires, directed by Marco BechiUn Bon Petit Soldat, directed by Stephane BrizeIl Fuoco Che Ti Porti Dentro, directed by Edoardo de AngelisWoman Unknown, directed by May el-ToukhyBucking Fastard, directed by Werner HerzogA Place to Heal, directed by Cedric KahnDau, directed by Ilya KhrzhanovskyLook Back, directed by Hirokazu KoreedaPossible Love, directed by Lee Chang-dongWild Horse Nine, directed by Martin McDonaghIt Will Happen Tonight, directed by Nanni MorettiPrimetime, directed by Lance OppenheimThe Echo Chamber, directed by Andrea PallaoroUn Peu Avant Minuit, directed by Nicolas PariserL’Estranea, directed by Paolo StrippoliMr Nelson, Did You Kill People?, directed by Shinya TsukamotoBunker, directed by Florian ZellerVenice SpotlightSumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing, directed by Erik Shirai (Opening Film)Conversation With the Sea, dir Muayad Alayan,Hombre Al Agua, directed by Gael Garcia BernalSerpenti, directed by Roberto de Paolis MainoFuries, directed by Rami KodeihGuria, directed by Levan KoguashviliGround Floor, directed by Gabor ReiszI Matter, directed by Alina SerbanOrizzonti CompetitionLa Ragazza con la Leica, directed by Alina Marazzi (Opening Film)The Burning Giants, directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng ThaiWhat Belongs to Others, directed by Grzegorz DebowskiUna Storia, directed by Anna FogliettaLa Citta dei Vivi, directed by Edoardo GabbrielliniFalling House, directed by Mohsen GharaeiToo Much Sugar, directed by Robert GreeneThe Difficult Bride, directed by Rubaiyat HossainLa Maison du Vent, directed by Auguste Bernard Kouemo YanghuI Figli Della Scimmia, directed by Tommaso LanducciA Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra, directed by Jacqueline LentzouOasis, directed by Jannis LenzUntil the Day Ends, directed by Jelena MaksimovicLa Moula, directed by Jerome PierratLovers in the Blue Night, directed by Anuparna RoyUn Detour par Diane, directed by Ann Sirot, Raphael BalboniThe Colour of the Sun, directed by Xavier TeraVenice Open – Films on FilmJuso Per Ferie, directed by Karen di PortoNino – Un Film su Nino, directed by Walter FasanoThe Pervert’s Guide to Utopias, directed by Sophie FiennesJoie de Vivre, directed by Luca GuadagninoTwist and Shoot Mister Suzuki, directed by Yves MontmayeurIntermission, directed by YonfanVenice Open – Non FictionBe Brave, directed by Francesco CarrozziniWhat Loves Builds, directed by Russell CroweBurgundy, directed by Michael Dweck, Gregory KershawMusk, directed by Alex GibneyThe Road to Jericho, directed by Amos GitaiCitizen Osama, directed by Ahmed HassounaUnion Town, directed by Barbara KoppleHoly Wood Dust, directed by Victor KossakovskyLetters from the Silenced Country, directed by Andrei KutsilaBiografia de Jorge Luis Borges, directed by Mariano LlinasMy Undesirable Friends Part II – Exile, directed by Julia LoktevBoatbilders, directed by Luke LorentzenImperium, directed by Sergei LoznitsaShumei – The Living Legacy of Kabuki, directed by Takashi MiikeQueer Edward II, directed by Theo RollasonOasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, dirs. Dylan Southern, Will LovelaceDust, directed by Tsai Ming-liangEverest: The Other Side, dirs. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy ChanFrom Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor, directed by Wim WendersVenice Open – FictionDio Ride, Giovanni Veronesi (Closing Film)Nessun Dolore, directed by Gianni AmelioLet Us Through, Dear Ancestors, directed by Lav DiazFather Joe, directed by Barthelemy GrossmanScherzetto, directed by Mario MartonePlace to Be, directed by Kornel MundruczoNo Paradise if You Are Killed by a Woman, directed by Halkawt MustafaArrested Memory, directed by SabuThe Basics of Philosophy, directed by Paul SchraderUn Bon Avocat, directed by Tristan SeguelaJupiter, directed by Alexandre SmiaIN THIS SECTION