5 Oscar Buzz-Worthy Venice Film Festival Premieres!

The Venice Film Festival is once again underway for its 82nd year and has begun to set the early tone for award season. Similar to the other major fests, Venice finds itself as a foundational platform for films to begin their own award campaigns, allowing the exhibition to ignite early buzz for their projects. In recent years, we’ve seen big-time Oscar contenders come out of the Italian competition -- movies like The Brutalist, I’m Still Here, Poor Things, The Banshees of Inisherin, Tár, The Power of the Dog, and Dune, just to name a few. This year's competition, with a jury headed by Alexander Payne, contains several buzzworthy films, all projects that can establish themselves amongst other Venice films that went on to huge success in the following award season. Andiamo!

1. No Other Choice (dir. Park Chan-wook)

The film that instantly captures our attention amongst those in competition for the festival's top award, the Golden Lion, is Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice. One of the most prestigious directors alive today, Chan-wook made his first and only other Venice premiere 20 years ago, debuting a trilogy finale in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. Two decades later, the Korean master returns with a new trip, starring “Squid Games” star Lee Byung-hun as a businessman seeking employment in increasingly desperate fashion. To complete its buzz profile, No Other Choice has officially been submitted to the Oscars as the Korean representative for Best International Feature. 

2. Bugonia (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)

It’s been only 2 years since a Damien Chazelle-led Venice jury chose Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things as the Golden Lion winner, and the highly-acclaimed Greek director has returned to the festival with another Emma Stone-starrer. Bugonia is a dark, sci-fi-infused satire based on Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 film Save the Green Planet!, also starring former Lanthimos collaborator Jesse Plemmons and comedian Stavros Halkias. Be sure to look out for Best Picture buzz on this one, as well as Stone for Best Actress and Lanthimos for Directing.

3. Frankenstein (dir. Guillermo Del Toro)

Guillermo Del Toro is another Golden Lion-winning director making his return to the Italian festival this year. After capturing the top prize with The Shape Of Water in 2017, Del Toro saw his sci-fi romance collect 4 Oscars on the big night, including Best Director and Picture. Now, 8 years following his aquatic triumph, Del Toro is back with yet another creature-led flick with his take on Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein. Starring as the titular Dr. Frankenstein is Oscar Isaac, performing alongside the Mexican director's choice of Frankenstein’s Monster, Jacob Elordi. Watch for this Netflix release to make a major push in award season, notably in the acting, visual, and design categories.

4. The Smashing Machine (dir. Benny Safdie)

11 years prior to The Smashing Machine’s sparkling Venice debut this week, director Benny Safdie and his brother Josh premiered their film Heaven Knows What at Venice. Now marking his first solo debut at the festival, Safdie is bringing a gritty biopic to the competition, one surrounding the life of UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Of course, the film has gained major buzz through its leading man, Dwayne Johnson, who is taking on the most serious and artistic role of his career. Johnson will make a massive push for lead acting awards in this upcoming season and could continue the pattern of first-time Oscar winners for Best Actor with Cillian Murphy, Brendan Fraser, and Will Smith each winning the prior three years.

5. The Testament of Ann Lee (dir. Mona Fastvold)

Though The Brutalist did not take home the 2024 top prize, the Brady Corbet-directed epic was picked up by A24 following the 81st competition and went on to collect tons of award nominations and wins. Returning for the 82nd season, Brutalist producer Mona Fastvold has swapped roles with Corbet, debuting her own work in The Testament of Ann Lee. This historical drama musical, starring Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, and Thomasin McKenzie, also has Corbet listed as a co-writer alongside Fastvold. This portrayal of Ann Lee, the head of the Shakers religious group, is setting itself up to be a contender in award season, specifically for roles in acting, directing, and music.