As the sun sets over the enchanting canals of Venice in September, the city transforms into a dazzling stage for the Venice Film Festival, where cinematic excellence meets haute couture. Since its inception, the festival has attracted A-list stars from Hollywood and international cinema, all eager to showcase their latest films and sartorial glamour.
The Venice Film Festival, officially known as the Venice International Film Festival, is the oldest film festival in the world, founded in 1932. It takes place as part of the Venice Biennale, which embraces various art forms. The festival is known for its prestigious awards, including the coveted Golden Lion, and serves as an important platform for filmmakers to showcase their work and gain international recognition.
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In preparation for the 2024 Venice Film Festival, which runs from Wednesday through September 7, WWD is looking back at the best-dressed red carpet stars in the event’s history.
Zendaya
For the 2021 premiere of “Dune,” Zendaya wore a custom-made, form-fitting Balmain dress with a thigh-length slit.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Paltrow attended the “Contagion” premiere in 2011 wearing a pink Prada dress with a large bow at the back of the neckline.
Cate Blanchett
Blanchett wore a black and gold one-sleeved maxi dress from Armani Privé’s Fall 2018 collection to the screening of “Suspiria” in 2018.
Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet went all out in a special blood-red Haider Ackermann ensemble for the 2022 premiere of “Bones and All.”
Jennifer Lopez
Lopez arrived at the 2021 premiere of “The Last Duel” alongside her now-ex-husband Ben Affleck, wearing a Georges Hobeika couture gown from the brand’s Fall 2021 collection.
The Venice Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy, that previews new films from around the world. In 2024, the festival will open with Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and will have a jury led by actress Isabelle Huppert. The festival aims to promote cinema in all its forms and foster dialogue between filmmakers and audiences, making it a key event in the global film calendar.
A Look Back at the Venice Film Festival, the Best Dressed Red Carpet Stars [PHOTOS]
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This is the program for the 81st Venice Film Festival:
Venice 81 Competition
The Room Next Door, director: Pedro Almodovar
Campo di Battaglia, director: Gianni Amelio
Leurs Enfants Après Eux, director: Ludovic Boukherma, Zoran Boukherma
The Brutalist, director: Brady Corbet
The Quiet Son, director: Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin
Vermiglio, director: Maura Delpero
Sicilian Letters, directed by: Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Queer, directed by Luca Guadagnino
Love, direction: Hello Johan Haugerud
April, director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
The Order, director: Justin Kurzel
Maria, directed by: Pablo Larrain
Trois Amies, director: Emmanuel Mouret
Kill the Jockey, directed by Luis Ortega
Joker: Folie à Deux, director: Todd Phillips
Babygirl, directed by: Halina Reijn
I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles
Diva Futura, director: Giulia Louise Steigerwalt
Harvest, director: Athina Rachel Tsangari
Youth – Homecoming, directed by: Wang Bing
Stranger Eyes, director: Yeo Siew Hua
Out of competition
Fiction
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, director: Tim Burton (Opening film)
L’Orto Americano, director: Pupi Avati (Final film)
Il Tempo che ci Vuole, director: Francesca Comencini
Phantosmia, directed by Lav Diaz
Maldoror, director: Fabrice du Welz
Broken Anger, Takeshi Kitano
Baby Invasion, director: Harmony Korine
Cloud, director: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Castle, directed by: Claude Lelouch
Wolfs, director: Jon Watts
Se Posso Permettermi Capitolo II, director: Marco Bellocchio (short)
Allégorie Citadine, director: Alice Rohrwacher, JR (short)
Non-fiction
Why War, directed by: Amos Gitai
2073, directed by: Asif Kapadia
Bestiari, Erbari, Lapidari, director: Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Perenti
Apocalypse in the Tropics, director: Petra Costa
One to One: John & Yoko, director: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards
Divorced, directed by Errol Morris
Israel Palestine on Swedish television 1958-1989, directed by Goran Hugo Olsson
Russians at War, directed by Anastasia Trofimova
TWST/Things We Said Today, director: Andrei Ujica
Songs of Slow Burning Earth, director: Olha Zhurba
Riefenstahl, director: Andres Veiel
Special screenings
Leopardi. Il Poeta Dell’Infinito, director: Sergio Rubini
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, director: Peter Weir
Beauty Is not a Sin, director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Series
Disclaimer, director: Alfonso Cuaron
The New Years, director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen del Amo, Sandra Romero
Families Like Ours, director: Thomas Vinterberg
M – Il Figlio del Secolo, director: Joe Wright
Horizons Extra
September 5, director: Tim Fehlbaum
Vittoria, director: Alessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman
Le Mohican, director: Frederic Farrucci
In Search of Refuge for Mister Rambo, Director: Khaled Mansour
La Storia del Frank en della Nina, director: Paola Randi
The Witness, directed by Nader Saeivar
After Party, director: Vojtech Strakaty
King Ivory, directed by John Swab
Edge of Night, director: Turker Suer
Horizons
Nonostante, director: Valerio Mastandrea
Quiet Life, director: Alexandros Avranas
Mon Inséparable, director: Anne-Sophie Bailly
Aïcha, directed by: Mehdi Barsaoui
Happy Holidays, Dir: Scandar Copti
Familia, director: Francesco Costabile
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies, director: Murat Firatoglu
Familiar Touch, director: Sarah Friedland
Marco, director: Jon Garano, Aitor Arregi
Carissa, director: Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar
Wishing upon a star, directed by Peter Kerekes
Mistress Dispeller, director: Elizabeth Lo
The New Year That Never Came, directed by Bogdan Muresanu
Pooja, Sir, dir: Deepak Rauniyar
Of Dogs and Men, director: Dani Rosenberg
Pavements, director: Alex Ross Perry
Happyend, directed by Neo Sora
L’Attachement, director: Carine Tardieu
Diciannove, director: Giovanni Tortorici
Classics from Venice
Documentaries about cinema
Miyazaki, L’Esprit de la Nature
I will avenge this world with love S Paradjanov
Le Cinéma de Jean-Pierre Léaud
From Darkness to Light
Carlo Mazzacurati – A Certain Cinematic Idea
Chain reactions
Maroun returns to Beirut
Volonté – L’Uomo dai Mille Volti
Constellation Portabella
Launch Gallery: A Look Back at the Venice Film Festival’s Best-Dressed Red Carpet Stars [PHOTOS]
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