Festival Director Alberto Barbera presented the program for the 83rd Venice Film Festival at a press conference on Thursday morning. Twenty titles are competing for the Golden Lion, including the new feature film by Werner Herzog. Major Hollywood studios are not represented in the competition, as the trade magazines "Deadline" and "Variety" unanimously report. The festival runs from September 2 to 12.

Herzog's contribution is titled "Bucking Fastard" and brings Rooney and Kate Mara together on camera for the first time. The two sisters play twins who dig through a mountain because they are searching for an invented land where true love should be possible. That's how the official synopsis describes it, as quoted by "Variety". Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson are also part of the cast. Herzog would also have been welcome at Cannes this year, but according to the report, he declined after he was not offered a spot in the competition there.

Pattinson as journalist, McDonagh with CIA satire

Robert Pattinson takes the lead role in "Primetime" by Lance Oppenheim. The competition entry produced by A24 shows him as a journalist who takes on a criminal underworld and ultimately changes television forever.

Martin McDonagh returns with "Wild Horse Nine", his first directorial work after "The Banshees of Inisherin". The predecessor received the awards for screenplay and lead actor in Venice in 2022, as well as nine Oscar nominations later. According to "Variety", the black comedy is about CIA agents who are sent from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before the military coup in Chile in 1973. John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey play the lead roles.

Another competition entry with a prominent cast comes from Florian Zeller: In his psychological thriller "Bunker", Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz can be seen as a couple whose life is infiltrated by a mysterious construction project commissioned by a powerful tech entrepreneur. Paul Dano, Stephen Graham and Patrick Schwarzenegger are also in front of the camera. Meanwhile, Casey Affleck presents his third directorial work with the mystery film "Company", which features Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn, among others.

Opens with a Murdoch biopic

The opening takes place on September 2 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema with Danny Boyle's "Ink", which is also running in competition. The film tells how Rupert Murdoch took over the British newspaper "The Sun" in 1969 and, together with editor-in-chief Larry Lamb, turned it into the country's highest-circulation tabloid. Guy Pearce plays Murdoch, Jack O'Connell the editor, Claire Foy his fictional wife Jules Davies.

In addition, South Korean Lee Chang-dong returns with the Netflix production "Possible Love", his first directorial work since "Burning" from 2018. Berlin-based Ilya Khrzhanovsky brings a new installment of his DAU project. Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy with "Woman Unknown" is the only female director in the 20-title competition.

Wenders and Guadagnino show documentaries

Outside of competition runs the second major German contribution: Wim Wenders portrays Swiss architect Peter Zumthor in his documentary film. Also showing out of competition is Luca Guadagnino, but not with his much-discussed feature film "Artificial" about OpenAI, but rather with his long-prepared documentary "Joie De Vivre" about director Bernardo Bertolucci. According to "Deadline", the film runs seven hours.

Paul Schrader presents the drama "The Basics Of Philosophy" out of competition, in which Jack Huston plays a philosophy professor who is caught up with by a decision from his past. Kornél Mundruczó sends Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi and Pamela Anderson on a journey from Chicago to New York in "Place to Be". Alex Gibney shows his documentary "Musk" about the Tesla chief, Russell Crowe a film about his band Indoor Garden Party. In the action thriller "Father Joe", written and produced by Luc Besson, Kiefer Sutherland and Al Pacino face off.

Oasis documentary out of competition

A music documentary shown as a special event out of competition is likely to cause a stir. "Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger" accompanies the band's reunion tour and, according to "Variety", contains the first joint interviews by Liam and Noel Gallagher in more than 25 years. Both brothers are expected on the Lido. The project was developed by "Peaky Blinders" writer Steven Knight, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. The film will be released in theaters starting September 11, followed by distribution on Disney+. It is the only title from a major Hollywood studio in the program.

A jury chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal will decide on the awarding of the Golden Lion; she will also be showing her short film "Flesh Impact" with Dakota Johnson and Ellen Burstyn out of competition. She is joined by Johnnie To, Kaouther Ben Hania and Xavier Giannoli, among others. Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement will go to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn. To conclude, also out of competition, the comedy "Dio Ride" by Giovanni Veronesi will screen.