Home / Arts and Entertainment / Dwayne Johnson, Julia Roberts to Headline Buzzworthy Titles at 2025 Venice Film Fest
Dwayne Johnson, Julia Roberts to Headline Buzzworthy Titles at 2025 Venice Film Fest
22 Jul
Summary
- 2025 Venice Film Festival lineup to be announced
- Benny Safdie's "The Smashing Machine" and Luca Guadagnino's "#MeToo thriller" among anticipated titles
- Alexander Payne to lead competition jury
The 2025 Venice Film Festival is gearing up for a highly anticipated edition, with the festival director set to unveil the official lineup today. Among the buzzworthy titles expected to premiere on the Lido are several high-profile projects.
Benny Safdie's "The Smashing Machine," featuring Dwayne Johnson as two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as his wife Dawn, is tipped to be a major awards contender. Additionally, Luca Guadagnino's "#MeToo-inspired thriller" titled "After the Hunt," starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri, is generating significant buzz.
Other notable films heading to Venice include Chloé Zhao's Shakespeare-era drama "Hamnet" and Yorgos Lanthimos' sci-fi adaptation "Bugonia." Netflix is also expected to make a strong showing, with titles like Noah Baumbach's "Jay Kelly" and Guillermo del Toro's dark reimagining of "Frankenstein."
Presiding over the competition jury is two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne, who will be joined by an international panel of film talents, including Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres and Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, to determine the winner of the coveted Golden Lion.
