This summer’s news cycle had our heads spinning, and it seemed that we had grown numb to attention-grabbing headlines. That’s when the Venice Film Festival announced the lineup for its 81st edition. Director Alberto Barbera promised it would represent “a true return to eroticism after years of respectability and self-censorship.” That certainly piqued our interest.

As we recalled, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos won Venice’s top prize, the Golden Lion, last year for Poor Things, in which Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) seizes every opportunity for “furious jumping” (Bella’s euphemism). Could we really expect portrayals of sexuality as frank as that?

Quickly, we realized we once again had a reason to live. Instead of fretting over the news, we could enjoy a summer of amazing – and, dare we say, sexy – films, culminating at Venice from August 28-September 7.

Here’s why we decided to stop worrying and simply look forward to Venice 2024!

Guests of Honor

Each year, the Venice Film Festival gives two Honorary Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement, one for directing and one for acting. The 2024 recipients are Australian writer-director Peter Weir and American actress Sigourney Weaver.

After spearheading the Australian New Wave in the 1970s, Weir began to make films for Hollywood. He earned Best Director Oscar® nominations for four films: Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989), The Truman Show (1998), and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). In recognition of his outstanding career, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Weir an Honorary Oscar® in 2023.

Weaver has played numerous roles, but her most iconic one is Ripley, the heroic soldier from the Alien franchise. When rescuing a girl from the monstrous hive mother in the second film, Ripley yells, “Get away from her, you bitch!” We think Weaver’s delivery just might have clinched her Oscar® nomination, the first of three.

In a remarkable coup, Weaver won two Golden Globes® in 1989 – for her supporting role in Working Girl and leading role in Gorillas in the Mist. She earned the BAFTA Award for best supporting actress (The Ice Storm) in 1998. More recently, Weaver performed in James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Each film made over $2 billion.

The Jury

French actress Isabelle Huppert will preside over the International Jury, which selects winners of the festival’s most prestigious awards, including the Golden Lion and the Volpi Cups for Best Actor and Best Actress.

Huppert has delivered outstanding performances for over seven decades. She won Best Actress awards twice at Cannes (for Violette in 1978 andThe Piano Teacher in 2001) and twice at Venice (for Story of Women in 1988 and La Cérémonie in 1995). Her starring role in Elle earned a Golden Globe®, as well as an Oscar® nomination, in 2017. The Berlin Film Festival recognized her artistry with an Honorary Golden Bear in 2022.

The International Jury has eight other members: American writer-director James Gray (Ad Astra), English writer-director Andrew Haigh (All of Us Strangers), Polish writer-director Agnieszka Holland (Green Border), Brazilian writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau), Mauritanian writer-director Abderrahmane Sissako (Waiting for Happiness), Italian writer-director Giuseppe Tornatore (Baarìa), German writer-director Julia von Heinz (And Tomorrow the Entire World), and Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha).

Films

We can’t possibly cover every title in Venice’s 2024 lineup. But it’s already clear that some are essential viewing for us. (Your preferences may vary.)

Lydia (Winona Ryder) needs help finding her daughter (Jenna Ortega), so she turns to her ex-fiancé (Michael Keaton) in the festival’s opening film by Tim Burton, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Of course, Lydia has to call the crass deadbeat three times before he appears. But a demonic jerk is an asset when bringing someone back from the Afterlife, as Grandma Delia (Catherine O’Hara) might someday agree.

Romy (Nicole Kidman) must protect the company she leads, so she discloses her sadomasochistic relationship with an intern (Harris Dickinson) to HR. Just kidding! They keep it secret in Babygirl, a steamy drama by Dutch multi-hyphenate Halina Reijn. Scandalous!

Breaking multiple taboos in Mexico City during the 1940s, Lee (Daniel Craig) falls for a young man in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, based on Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Craig, a total zaddy, has played James Bond from Casino Royale to No Time to Die. His co-star is Drew Starkey, a heartthrob from Outer Banks. There’s just one more thing we need to know: Will we see abs?

Against reason and decency, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) finds a soulmate in Joker: Folie à Deux, a strong contender for the Golden Lion. Its precursor, Joker, likewise directed by Todd Phillips, won the Golden Lion in 2019. Additionally, Phoenix won an Oscar® that year for playing the title role. Now, Joker teams up with Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) in a demented – Or should we say bad? – romance.

We could call attention to many more titles. Love by Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud, who recently directed Sex (2024), sounds promising. But we think we’ve shared enough examples – you can take it from here!

Viva il Cinema!

History is always made at Venice. This year, we have already seen that distinguished cinephiles and arts administrators, not just social media influencers, know how to set a thirst trap. What’s more, Venice’s version has the weight of the world’s oldest film festival behind it, so the steamy program is definitely safe for work … right?

In closing, we could try to defend the erotic as a subject for art. But why would we risk putting everyone – including ourselves – to sleep when the Venice festival has given us such an exciting list of films to watch? Instead, we’ll simply say we hope that news of the Venice Film Festival has improved your summer, too. Please join us in thanking the organizers for casting modesty aside and supporting great cinema!