Venice Film Festival 2023: What’s scheduled today at Venice, and what red carpet premieres will occur?

Day three of the 80th Venice International Film Festival today, after an evening witnessing Adam Driver and Luc Besson shed tears of gratitude after a seven-minute and six-minute standing ovation (respectively) after the premiere of their films last night. Driver also took the opportunity during a press conference ahead of the screening to take aim at Netflix and Amazon: “Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for — the dream version of SAG’s wish list — but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?”

Today is another busy affair in Venice, with Wes Anderson not only premiering his new short film, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel and Richard Ayoade but also receiving the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Prize, given to outstanding filmmakers for their contribution to the world of cinema.

The latest work by Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos will also get the red carpet treatment today, with his film ‘Poor Things’ starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Defoe making its premiere at the festival. The film follows the “incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Under Baxter’s protection.”

Horror fans including myself will be eager to watch a masterclass on late grindhouse director Ruggero Deodato, known for his infamous horror film ‘Cannibal Holocast’ which gave rise to the entire found film genre popularized years later by ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ 

No stranger to the grindhouse production style himself, ‘Driver’ director Nicolas Winding Refn heads the masterclass, which will be streamed online, ahead of a big screen viewing of Deodata’s forerunner to his video nasty - ‘Jungle Holocaust.’

So without further ado, what’s on the schedule today at the Venice International Film Festival?

What’s scheduled today at Venice International Film Festival - August 31 2023

All information listed below pertains to ticketed events only. For more information on screenings for pass holders, please visit the official Venice International Film Festival website.

Times are listed in Central European Summer Time, with the directors in brackets and the venue at the end of each film listing. 

• 09:00 Lumbrensueño (Firedream) by José Pablo Escamilla - Biennale College Cinema, Cinema Sala Casinò
• 09:00 Stolen by Karan Tejpal - Orizzonti Extra, Cinema Sala Giardino
• 11:00 One from the Heart: Reprise by Francis Ford Coppola - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Casinò
• 11:15 Bellissima (Beautiful) by Luchino Visconti - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Corinto
• 11:45 Photophobia by Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík - Giornate degli Autori, Cinema Sala Perla
• 12:45 Ser Ser Salhi (City of Wind) by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir - Orizzonti, Cinema Palabiennale
• 14:00 We Should All Be Futurists by Angela Norelli - Settimana internazionale della critica, Cinema Sala Perla
• 14:00 Magyarázat Mindenre (Explanation for Everything) by Gábor Reisz - Orizzonti, Cinema Sala Darsena
• 14:00 La Provinciale (The Wayward Wife) by Mario Soldati - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Casinò
• 14:00 Portrait of Gina by Orson Welles - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Casinò
• 14:00 Life Is Not a Competition, but I'm Winning by Julia Fuhr Mann - Settimana internazionale della critica, Cinema Sala Perla
• 14:30 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Wes Anderson - Out of Competition, Cinema Sala Grande
• 15:00 The Working Girls by Stephanie Rothman - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Corinto
• 15:00 A Cielo Abierto by Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriaga - Orizzonti, Cinema Palabiennale
• 16:00 Bastarden (The Promised Land) by Nikolaj Arcel - Venezia 80 Competition, Cinema Sala Grande
• 16:45 Sidonie au Japon by Élise Girard - Giornate degli Autori, Cinema Sala Perla
• 16:45 Thank You Very Much by Alex Braverman - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Volpi
• 17:00 L'Anno dell'Uovo by Claudio Casale - Biennale College Cinema, Cinema Sala Giardino
• 17:00 Frank Capra: Mr. America by Matthew Wells - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Casinò
• 17:30 Una Sterminata Domenica (An Endless Sunday) by Alain Parroni - Orizzonti, Cinema Sala Darsena
• 17:30 Hollywoodgate by Ibrahim Nash'at - Out of Competition, Cinema Sala Corinto
• 17:30 El Conde by Pablo Larraín - Venezia 80 Competition, Cinema Palabiennale

• 18:45 Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos - Venezia 80 Competition, Cinema Sala Grande
• 19:00 La Provinciale (The Wayward Wife) by Mario Soldati - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Volpi
• 19:00 Portrait of Gina by Orson Welles - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Volpi
• 19:30 Incontro di Notte by Liliana Cavani - Settimana internazionale della critica, Cinema Sala Corinto
• 19:30 God Is a Woman (Dieu Est Une Femme) by Andres Peyrot - Settimana internazionale della critica, Cinema Sala Corinto
• 20:00 Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos - Venezia 80 Competition, Cinema Palabiennale
• 21:00 Felicità by Micaela Ramazzotti - Orizzonti Extra, Cinema Sala Giardino
• 21:45 Finalmente L'Alba by Saverio Costanzo - Venezia 80 Competition, Cinema Sala Grande
• 22:00 One from the Heart: Reprise by Francis Ford Coppola - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Volpi
• 22:20 Finalmente L'Alba by Saverio Costanzo - Venezia 80 Competition, Cinema Palabiennale
• 23:55 Ultimo Mondo Cannibale (Jungle Holocaust) by Ruggero Deodato - Venice Classics, Cinema Sala Giardino

What will be streamed today from the Venice International Film Festival?

Those of us who don’t have the luxury of attending the Venice International Film Festival this year and still want to be part of it - have no fear! Much akin to the Cannes Film Festival, Venice also has a live stream available to watch press conferences and red carpet affairs - by virtue of their website.

All times in CEST (an hour ahead of BST)

• 11:45 am Press Conference of the Film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Out of Competition)
• 12:45 pm Press Conference of the Film Bastarden (Venezia 80)
• 1:45 pm Press Conference of the Film Poor Things (Venezia 80)
• 2:30 pm Press Conference of the Film Finalmente L'Alba (Venezia 80)
• 3:30 pm Masterclass with Nicolas Winding Refn: Venice Classics – Tribute to Ruggero Deodato
• 4:30 pm (Pre-recorded) Red Carpet of the Film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Out of Competition) / Award Ceremony: Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award to Wes Anderson
• 5:30 pm (Pre-recorded) Red Carpet of the Film Bastarden (Venezia 80)
• 6:15 pm Red Carpet of the Film Poor Things (Venezia 80)
• 9:15 pm Red Carpet of the Film Finalmente L'Alba (Venezia 80)

How can I get tickets to screenings at the Venice International Film Festival?

Tickets to the screenings mentioned this weekend as part of the 80th Venice International Film Festival are available through the festival’s official website.

That information also includes how much tickets and subscriptions to this year’s event will cost based on screening times and locations; 5pm and 10pm screenings look to be your cheaper option if you were to see a film at the Sala Grande, and then balloon for prime-time, early evening screenings.