Venice closed with the kind of noise that follows a festival determined to make itself heard: marathon ovations, awards chatter, political debate and a few overheated red carpets.
The Lido’s custom of prolonged applause was in full force this year, with several premieres turning into endurance events for the talent standing in the room. Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy “Wild Horse Nine,” starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, drew a 13-minute standing ovation inside the Palazzo del Cinema. Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem’s marriage-in-crisis drama “Bunker” went even longer, receiving 15.5 minutes of applause.
But the festival’s biggest reception belonged to “NAZA,” a Gaza documentary that was greeted Thursday with 24.5 minutes of applause — described as the longest recorded ovation at a major film festival.
John Malkovich Enters the Awards Conversation
One of the clearest takeaways from the festival was the sudden surge of awards attention around Malkovich for “Wild Horse Nine.” In the film, he plays an eccentric CIA agent looking back on his life, and the response on the Lido has placed him firmly in the conversation as the season begins to take shape.
McDonagh’s Venice history adds fuel to that narrative. His 2017 film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” bowed at Venice and went on to Oscar wins for Rockwell and Frances McDormand. His 2022 film “The Banshees of Inisherin,” also launched at Venice, brought nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
For Malkovich, the renewed attention arrives after a long gap since his last Oscar nomination, which came more than three decades ago for 1993’s “In the Line of Fire.”
George Clooney Had No Film, But Plenty to Say
George Clooney became one of the festival’s most discussed figures despite not attending with a new movie. He was in Venice to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and appeared across the festival at a press conference, the opening-night ceremony and a master class.
Clooney used the platform to speak about art during periods of turmoil, free speech and the condition of democracy. He also introduced festivalgoers to the word “kakistocracy,” saying, “There’s a great word, kakistocracy, which is a country run by the least qualified people. I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now, but we’ll get through it.”
Politics Dominated the Program
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera had called this year’s lineup “the most political ever,” and the 83rd edition gave plenty of evidence for that description. The program included films taking on right-wing media barons in “Ink,” right-wing trolls in “Musk,” ICE in “They’re Here” and the Middle East conflict in “NAZA.”
The political discussion did not stop at the screen. Maggie Gyllenhaal, serving as president of the Venice jury, pushed back against the idea that filmmakers should avoid politics — a debate that had intensified at Berlin after jury president Wim Wenders said filmmakers should “stay out of politics.”
At the Venice jury press conference, Gyllenhaal described movies as “fundamentally, unavoidably political” and said audiences should be willing to “hear stories about the most corrupt, most perverse people.” She added that doing so “opens up the opportunity to find empathy.”
“NAZA” Breaks Through
“NAZA” became one of the defining titles of the festival, not only because of its subject matter but because of the size of its reception. The documentary is described as an exposé about the systems behind the Israeli military’s remote killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Its 24.5-minute ovation surpassed two previously noted 22-minute responses: last year’s Gaza-set drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” and Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” at Cannes in 2006. “NAZA” is co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the four filmmakers behind the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land.”
The Gender Gap Was Hard to Ignore
Gyllenhaal also addressed the limited number of women-directed films in the main competition lineup. Only two titles competing for the Golden Lion were directed by women: May el-Toukhy’s drama “Woman Unknown” and “NAZA,” which Szor co-helmed.
Gyllenhaal, who did not choose the lineup, first responded with a deadpan remark: “I guess it’s finally become clear that men make better movies than women do.” She then pointed to a broader industry issue, saying, “There’s a systemic problem” and adding, “It’s harder for women to get films financed.”
Celebrity Presence Remained Strong
Despite complaints that Hollywood has pulled back from film festivals, Venice still had no shortage of high-profile names drawing attention. Robert Pattinson was on hand for “Primetime,” Cruz and Bardem attended with “Bunker,” and Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher were connected to “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”
Pattinson’s “Primetime” also helped spotlight filmmaker Lance Oppenheim. The 30-year-old director, previously known for non-fiction projects including “Some Kind of Heaven” and HBO’s “Ren Faire,” brought his debut feature film to the festival with A24. The film earned seven minutes of applause, with audiences responding to Pattinson’s performance as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.
Oppenheim’s week did not end in Venice. The next day in Colorado, he and Nathan Fielder unveiled a secret documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes at the Telluride Film Festival. That project is titled “You Can See Everything.”
The festival also delivered a less glamorous recurring image: stars trying to manage the heat. Electronic and handheld fans became essential accessories as temperatures on the Lido left red carpet arrivals visibly uncomfortable. Jack O’Connell removed his thick Dunhill coat at the “Ink” premiere before blotting moisture from his face and shirt; Parker Posey used a decorative fan during the lengthy “Wild Horse Nine” ovation; and Pattinson dabbed sweat from his forehead with napkins before posing for a “Primetime” cast photo.
Between the ovations, political flashpoints, awards momentum and sheer star wattage, Venice ended with a festival slate that gave the season plenty to argue about — and plenty to applaud.