July 4, 2025: The 82nd Venice International Film Festival is set to open in grand style with Paolo Sorrentino’s much-anticipated film, La Grazia, Deadline reports.
Starring Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti, La Grazia will have its world premiere on August 27 at the iconic Sala Grande, kicking off the prestigious festival that runs through September 6.
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Produced by The Apartment (a Fremantle company), Numero 10, and PiperFilm, La Grazia is distributed in Italy, while MUBI holds worldwide rights (excluding Italy). The Match Factory is managing international sales.
Festival director Alberto Barbera praised the decision, saying:
“I am very happy that the 82nd Venice Film Festival will open with Paolo Sorrentino’s new and highly anticipated film. Sorrentino made his debut here in 2001 with One Man Up, and the bond between him and the festival has only grown stronger with landmark projects like The Young Pope and The Hand of God, which won the Silver Lion in 2021.”
Barbera added that La Grazia is “destined to leave its mark” with its originality and powerful resonance with the current moment.
In another highlight of this year’s festival, legendary Vertigo star Kim Novak will be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, as reported by Variety. The festival praised Novak as “a star who was emancipated; a rebel at the heart of Hollywood,” who eventually left the spotlight to embrace a quiet, artistic life on her ranch in Oregon.
To honor her legacy, Venice will also host the world premiere of Kim Novak’s Vertigo, a documentary biopic by Alexandre O. Philippe. The film combines rare archival footage with Novak’s personal reflections and glimpses into her reclusive, nature-filled life.
With a powerful opening film and a tribute to a screen icon, the 82nd Venice Film Festival promises to be a cinematic celebration of past and present brilliance.