41st Venice International Film Critics' Week Lineup

As happen last year la Settimana announced their lineup before the official press conference for #BiennaleCinema2026 so, it's not a surprise and perhaps now is going to be the norm.

The 2026 Settimana Internazionale della Critica Artistic Director Beatrice Fiorentino does a very interesting and complex introduction to the current edition based upon what she calls "Rewriting the Canon". The video below has the complete introduction in Italian with English subtitles that do recommend to watch, but if you wish to read for better comprehension got to official site here.

Here are two excerpts.
"In these circumstances, curating a festivall program is an act of great responsibility. A festival is not a neutral bubble: asserting our cultural activism by deciding which films to showcase and which to exclude, means considering the act of selection a Godardian feat: making a political decision, just as films are meant to be made politically".
"The program of the 2026 edition is making a clear statement, with its plurality of origins already charting a possible course forward".

There are much more insights in her introduction I suggest you see, hear or read; in the meantime my sincere congratulations for her vision. Brava signora Beatrice Fiorentino!!!

Let's recall that The Venice Settimana Internazionale della Critica, now in its 41st edition, is an independent and parallel section organized by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) within the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The program includes a selection of seven debut films in competition and two special out-of-competition events, all presented as world premieres. The selection is curated by the Artistic Director Beatrice Fiorentino together with the members of the selection committee: Matteo Berardini, Marianna Cappi, FrancescoGrieco, and Marco Romagna.

All 7 films In Competition are eligible for the Lion of the Future "Luigi De Laurentiis" Venice Award for a Debut Film.

La Settimana will furn from September 2nd to September 12th and to read the list at the official site go here.

The Selection

Feature Films

In Competition

El Fin de los Tiempos (The End of Times), Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas, Colombia (fiction-documentary hybrid)
发现之旅 Fa xian zhi lü (Zoom In, Zoom Out), Dong Jie, China
هلع The H@llow Man, Kamel Laaridhi, Tunisia
London, Victor Di Marco and Márcio Picoli, Brazil
Meteorito (Meteorite), Sebastián Múnera, Colombia
Our Share of Sand, Shalini Adnani, India, UK and Greece
Prima della Guerra (Before The War), Tommaso Usberti, France and Italy

Out of Competition
Opening Film: Il Grande Giaffa (Giaffa The Great), Marco Santi, Italy
Closing Film: Rider, Roan Johnson and Davide Pavanello, Italy

SIC@SIC Italian Short Cinema
The 11th edition of SIC@SIC offers a selection of seven short films in competition by Italian directors who have not yet completed a full-length fiction film, and two special events out of competition.

In Competition

Dove le lacrime Aspettano (Where Tears Await), Caterina Bertini and Blu Diego Fasoli, Italy 20'
E-I-E-I-O, Noemi Arfuso, Italy 10' (experimental)
Granchità (Crabkind), Anaïs Landriscina and Chiara Toffoletto, Italy 17' (fiction-documentary hybrid)
Gusci (Eggshells), Elisa Chiari and Francesca Trovato, Italy 17'
Puca, Sara Scalera, Italy 14'
Revolver, Paoli De Luca, Italy 20'
Se mai le cose (If Things Could Ever Talk), Giulia Cosentino, Italy and France 20'

Out of Competition
Opening Short Film: Les Métamorphoses, au féminin, Maria Giménez Cavallo, USA, France and Italy 20'
Closing Short Film: Un Breve Incontro (A Brief Encounter), Liryc Dela Cruz, Italy 20'

To check available info and trailers go MOC here.
To check available posters go pinterest here.

The following is the video introducing the 2026 SIC selection.