Venice Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world, was founded in 1932 by the then President of the Biennale di Venezia, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata alongside the sculptor Antonio Maraini and Luciano De Feo. The Biennale is a cultural institution centered in Venice that holds music, theater, and cinema festivals — the Venice Film Festival being the most famous.

It gained enough popularity that it became an annual event in 1935. Since then, it’s become a launchpad of sorts for the Academy Awards, as the kickoff to the fall festival season, and is known for showcasing a selection of world-class films alongside red carpets filled with the world’s most talented actors, directors, and filmmakers.

The festival also includes the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement, given to an esteemed actor, actress, director, or other filmmaker whose work has transformed the industry. This year the recipients are Peter Weir, director of “Witness” and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” and Sigourney Weaver, whose work in the entertainment industry spans over 50 years and classics like “Alien,” “Avatar,” “Star Wars,” as well as notable roles on television and in Broadway productions.

The actual festival includes a few key components — the official competition that includes the Golden Lion for the best film screened during the festival, the Grand Jury Prize given to the runner up, Silver Lion for the best director, and the Special Jury Prize given to the third best film. There’s also the Orizzonti (Horizons) section that’s open to all “custom-format” works with an eye for new trends.