The Venice International Film Festival has announced the jury for its 83rd edition. Under the leadership of actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal (48), a high-caliber panel will decide on the festival's most important awards: Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To, French director Xavier Giannoli, Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat, British composer Daniel Blumberg, and film scholar Francesco Casetti.
For Maggie Gyllenhaal, the appointment as jury president is a special return. With her directorial debut The Lost Daughter, she celebrated great success in Venice in 2021 and was awarded the prize for best screenplay there. It was already announced in April that she would assume the jury chairmanship. In her new role, she will select the winners of the most important competition prizes together with her fellow jurors - including the Golden Lion for best film.
Kaouther Ben Hania on the Jury Following Venice Success Last Year
The jury is particularly prominently cast with Kaouther Ben Hania. The director won the Silver Lion at the 2025 festival for her film The Voice of Hind Rajab. The work was subsequently also nominated for an Academy Award. Ben Hania has been one of North Africa's most internationally successful filmmakers for years and brings extensive festival experience to Venice.
Daniel Blumberg is also among the notable names on this year's jury. The British musician and composer was honored with both the Academy Award and the BAFTA for his film score for The Brutalist. The Brutalist celebrated its premiere on the Lido in 2024 and became one of the most discussed films of the year. Overall, the drama received ten Academy Award nominations and ultimately won three of the coveted trophies.
With Shahrbanoo Sadat, a voice of contemporary world cinema also sits on the jury. The director has been living in Hamburg since the fall of Kabul in 2021 and opened this year's Berlinale with her film No Good Men.
Experienced Festival Veterans on the Panel
Johnnie To returns to Venice almost two decades after his first jury duty. He was already a member of the jury panel in 2008. Several of his films, including Throw Down, Exiled, Mad Detective, and Life Without Principle, premiered at the festival.
Xavier Giannoli is also closely connected to the festival. His films Superstar, Marguerite, and Lost Illusions have already competed in the Venice competition.
The jury is completed by renowned film scholar Francesco Casetti. The Yale University professor is considered one of the most important media and cinema theorists of our time and has published numerous standard works on film studies.
These Are the Prizes the Jury Will Award
The jury of the 83rd Venice Film Festival will decide on all the main prizes of the competition. These include the Golden Lion for best film, the Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize, the Silver Lion for best direction, as well as the renowned Coppa Volpi awards for best actress and best actor.
In addition, the Special Jury Prize, the award for best screenplay, and the Marcello Mastroianni Prize for outstanding emerging actors will be presented.
