The 2026 edition of the Venice Film Festival kicked off with perhaps the most Venice Film Festival image of all time: George and Amal Clooney tearing across the lagoon in a water taxi, his hand gripping the rail, her hair whipping in the wind, spray erupting around the hull. It was an appropriately cinematic entrance – it could have been a still from, I don’t know, a film! – for a 65-year-old movie star this week received the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. Ellen Burstyn received the same honour at 93, while appearing in two films: Kornél Mundruczó’s Place to Be and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Marilyn Monroe biopic, . And there are plenty of other releases for film buffs to stroke their chins over, among them Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-tipped black comedy ; Lance Oppenheim’s , a Robert Pattinson-led portrait of To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen; and , Florian Zeller’s marital drama starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem.

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Just as closely scrutinised will be what the actors – and, increasingly, the directors – wear on the red carpet. This is, after all, the festival that last year offered the first glimpses of new-era Chanel, Dior, Versace and Bottega Veneta before their respective runway debuts, and which has given us Lady Gaga’s feathered Valentino couture gown in 2018 and Zendaya’s wet-look Balmain dress in 2021. Vying for their own place in that canon this year will be Dakota Johnson, Pamela Anderson, Claire Foy, Susan Sarandon, Jack O’Connell, Orlando Bloom, Stephen Graham, Parker Posey and Phoebe Bridgers, alongside two pairs of distinguished siblings: Kate and Rooney Mara, and Noel and Liam Gallagher. Can’t wait to see the latter middle-fingering photographers from the back of a vaporetto, parkas zipped to the chin. Scroll down for the best fashion moments from the 2026 Venice Film Festival.