Venice Critics’ Week 2026 Lineup Includes Shalini Adnani Debut, AI-Assisted Colombian Doc
8 reported
The Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week section has announced its 2026 lineup, featuring seven competition titles that are all first-time director debuts and world premieres. Among the standout entries is London-based Chilean-Indian director Shalini Adnani’s debut feature “Our Share of Sand,” about a 12-year-old girl named Maya who returns to rural India to reconnect with her estranged father. The section also includes two titles from Colombia: the fiction-documentary hybrid “The End of Times,” co-directed by Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas, which uses artificial intelligence and explores colonialism and capitalism in Colombian history, and Sebastián Múnera’s drama “Meteorite,” about plans to build an amusement park on the grounds of the former estate of drug lord Pablo Escobar. Italy features prominently with Paris-based Tommaso Usberti’s “Before the War,” about a young man raised in a Northern Italian racist milieu who falls in love with a Kosovar immigrant, and out-of-competition opener “Giaffa the Great” directed by Marco Santi, as well as closing film “Rider,” a rap musical co-directed by Roan Johnson and Davide Pavanello. Other competition entries include Tunisian dystopian drama “The H@llow Man,” Chinese drama “Zoom In, Zoom Out,” and Brazilian drama “London.” All competition entries will compete alongside official selection titles for the Lion of the Future prize, worth $100,000. The 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival will run Sept. 2-12.
What’s reported
The Venice Critics’ Week section features seven competition titles, all first-time director debuts and world premieres.
Shalini Adnani’s debut “Our Share of Sand” is about a 12-year-old girl named Maya returning to rural India to reconnect with her estranged father.
Colombian doc “The End of Times” uses artificial intelligence and explores colonialism and capitalism in Colombian history.
Colombian drama “Meteorite” is about plans to build an amusement park on the grounds of Pablo Escobar’s former estate.
Italian film “Before the War” is about a young man raised in a Northern Italian racist milieu who falls in love with a Kosovar immigrant.
Out-of-competition opener is “Giaffa the Great” directed by Marco Santi; closer is rap musical “Rider” co-directed by Roan Johnson and Davide Pavanello.
All competition entries compete for the Lion of the Future prize, worth $100,000.
The 83rd Venice Film Festival runs Sept. 2-12.
Key figures
Shalini Adnani, director of “Our Share of Sand”
Bibiana Rojas Gómez, co-director of “The End of Times”
Juan David Cárdenas, co-director of “The End of Times”
Sebastián Múnera, director of “Meteorite”
Tommaso Usberti, director of “Before the War”
Marco Santi, director of “Giaffa the Great”
Roan Johnson, co-director of “Rider”
Davide Pavanello (Dade), co-director of “Rider”
Kamel Laaridhi, director of “The H@llow Man”
Dong Jie, director of “Zoom In, Zoom Out”
Victor Di Marco, co-director of “London”
Márcio Picoli, co-director of “London”
Beatrice Fiorentino, Venice Critics’ Week general delegate
Sources: Variety
