Venice Critics’ Week 2026 Lineup Revealed: From Tunisian Dystopian Drama to Innovative Cinema from Colombia and China
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, an independent and parallel section of the Venice International Film Festival, has announced the lineup for its 41st edition. Organized by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) with a dedicated focus on emerging filmmakers, this year’s selection features seven feature films in competition and two out of competition.
Colombia maintains a strong presence this year with two films exploring the country’s turbulent history. Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas present The End of Time (El Fin del Tiempo) in competition—a radical, essayistic film that uses archival footage and AI to re-examine historical memory and colonialism. Their compatriot, Sebastián Múnera, joins the competition with Meteor (Meteorito), described as a compelling, female-led narrative set in a land still grappling with the ghost of violence.
Other titles in the competition lineup include the dystopian drama The Empty Man by Tunisian director Kamel El Aridhi, which portrays a future where emotions and memories are regulated by technology. Additionally, London, the debut feature from Brazilian co-directors Victor Di Marco and Márcio Picoli, offers an unconventional story centering on physicality, desire, and the freedom of self-determination.
London-based Chilean-Indian director Shalini Adnani competes with Our Share of Night (Nuestra Parte de Noche), a timely family drama reflecting on inequality and environmental crises. The project was previously showcased at this year’s Cannes Film Market.
As the host country, Italy is represented in competition by Tommaso Sberna’s Before the War (Prima della Guerra). The film delivers a gripping coming-of-age story set in the Po Valley, exploring themes of contemporary masculinity with remarkable maturity. The competition slate is completed by Chinese filmmaker Dong Jie’s Zoom In, Zoom Out, which blends mystery, online gaming, and urban alienation to depict the anxieties of the new generation.
Out of competition, Marco Santi’s existential film noir The Great Jaffa (Il Grande Jaffa), starring Edoardo Pesce, will screen as the opening film. Closing the section is Ryder, the latest work from the award-winning filmmaking and musical duo Rowan Johnson and Davide Pavanello (aka Dade). The project is described as an urban musical that utilizes rap music to examine precarious labor, the desire for liberation, and the contradictions shaping modern Italy.
The 41st edition of Venice Critics’ Week will take place from September 2 to 12, 2026, running concurrently with the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on the Lido.
