Venice Film Festival - Orizzonti (Horizons)

Overview

Orizzonti (Horizons) is the Venice Film Festival's competitive parallel section dedicated to new aesthetic directions and formally innovative cinema. Created in 2000 as part of the Venice International Film Festival, Orizzonti runs concurrently with the main Competition on the Lido di Venezia. The 83rd edition runs September 2 to 12, 2026. The section presents a maximum of 19 feature films and a selection of short films (Orizzonti Corti, maximum 20 minutes each) that represent emerging trends, new voices, and experimental approaches to cinema.

Orizzonti occupies an important middle ground in the Venice program. It carries the full weight of the Venice brand and its own jury prizes, while focusing on work that might be too formally unconventional or commercially uncertain for the main Competition. The 2025 edition screened 19 feature-length films and 14 short films in competition. The section gives special attention to debut films, emerging or not yet firmly established talents, independent features, and lesser-known cinemas.

For filmmakers, an Orizzonti selection provides the same practical market access as a main Competition selection: Venice accreditation, market screenings through the Venice Production Bridge, and coverage from the global press corps attending Venice. The Venice Production Bridge runs September 3 to 9, 2026, with the Venice Gap Financing Market September 4 to 6 and Meet the Streamers September 6 to 7.

The 2026 Orizzonti jury is chaired by French director, actress, and screenwriter Valerie Donzelli, with members including American film distributor Peter Becker, Hong Kong-American director Elizabeth Lo, Mexican director and screenwriter David Pablos, and Italian actress Barbara Ronchi. Donzelli won the Best Screenplay award at the 82nd Venice Film Festival for At Work.

Submission Details

Orizzonti films are selected through the Venice selection committee's curation process. Submissions are made through the La Biennale website, with submissions for the 83rd edition opening June 4, 2026.

Eligibility rules:

• Only feature films, short films, and restored films presented as world premieres are eligible. Immersive projects may be world or international premieres.
• All works must have been completed after September 6, 2025.
• Orizzonti Corti (short film competition): maximum duration of 20 minutes, selected based on quality and originality of language and expression.
• Films must not have been presented at any other international film festival, screened on the internet, or released on DVD or VOD.
• Films may have been screened only in their country of origin.

Films are considered through the Venice selection committee's active curation and through submissions facilitated by sales agents and distributors. Filmmakers whose work is formally adventurous or represents new directions in cinema should ensure their work reaches the Venice selection team, typically through a sales agent or producer with existing relationships to the festival.

Key Sections

• Orizzonti Feature Competition - up to 19 feature films competing for the Orizzonti Award for Best Film
• Orizzonti Corti (Short Film Competition) - short films of 20 minutes or less, selected for quality and originality of language
• Orizzonti Extra - notable films outside the formal competition

What Filmmakers Should Know

Selection process: Orizzonti does not accept open submissions in the traditional sense. Films are curated by the Venice selection committee, led by artistic director Alberto Barbera. Most films reach the committee through sales agents, distributors, and producers with existing relationships. However, the official submission process through the La Biennale website is required for all selected films.

Market access: An Orizzonti premiere provides the same practical market access as a main Competition selection. Filmmakers receive Venice accreditation, access to Venice Production Bridge market screenings, and coverage from the global press corps attending Venice. The Venice Gap Financing Market (September 4 to 6, 2026) connects projects with financiers, and Meet the Streamers (September 6 to 7) provides access to streaming platform executives.

Awards and recognition: Orizzonti has its own international jury of up to 5 members, separate from the main Competition jury. The jury awards prizes in 7 categories. No joint awards are permitted. Individual films may receive no more than one award, with one narrow exception for acting prizes. Winners are announced during the closing ceremony of the Venice Film Festival on the stage of the Sala Grande.

2025 Orizzonti jury: The 82nd edition jury was chaired by French director Julia Ducournau (Palme d'Or winner for Titane), with members Yuri Ancarani, Fernando Enrique Juan Lima, Shannon Murphy, and RaMell Ross.

Notable 2025 Orizzonti films: The 2025 selection included Rose of Nevada (dir. Mark Jenkin, starring Callum Turner and George MacKay), Late Fame (dir. Kent Jones, with Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee), Barrio Triste (dir. Stillz, from Edglrd), Divine Comedy (dir. Ali Asgari), and Hiedra (dir. Ana Cristina Barragan).

Major Awards

The Orizzonti jury awards the following prizes (no joint awards permitted):

• Orizzonti Award for Best Film
• Orizzonti Award for Best Director
• Special Orizzonti Jury Prize
• Orizzonti Award for Best Actress
• Orizzonti Award for Best Actor
• Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay
• Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film

2025 Orizzonti winners:

• Best Film: En El Camino (On the Road) (dir. David Pablos, Mexico)
• Best Director: Anuparna Roy, Songs of the Forgotten Trees (India)
• Special Jury Prize: Lost Land (dir. Akio Fujimoto, Japan/France/Malaysia/Germany)
• Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, The Kidnapping of Arabella (Italy)
• Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, A Year of School (Italy/France)
• Best Screenplay: Ana Cristina Barragan, Hiedra (The Ivy) (Ecuador)
• Best Short Film: Without Kelly (dir. Lovisa Siren, Sweden)

Festival History

Orizzonti was created in 2000 as Venice reorganized its parallel sections to provide a dedicated competitive platform for formally innovative cinema. The section was designed to complement the main Competition by focusing on work that pushes the boundaries of cinematic form, with special attention to debut films and emerging talents.

The section has consistently sought films that explore new aesthetic directions and has served as a discovery platform for directors who have subsequently received major recognition. David Pablos, the 2025 Orizzonti Best Film winner, previously had his feature The Life After premiere at Venice and his The Chosen Ones compete in Cannes' Un Certain Regard in 2015. The 2026 Orizzonti jury includes David Pablos as a member, continuing the section's tradition of past winners returning to the jury.

Orizzonti operates under the regulatory framework of the Venice Film Festival, organized by La Biennale di Venezia. The section's regulations are published annually as part of the festival's official regulations. The maximum number of competing films is set at 19 features, with short films selected separately under the Orizzonti Corti designation.

Past Winners

The 2025 Orizzonti winners were:

• Best Film: En El Camino (On the Road) (dir. David Pablos, Mexico) - Pablos subsequently joined the 2026 Orizzonti jury, continuing the section's tradition of past winners returning
• Best Director: Anuparna Roy, Songs of the Forgotten Trees (India)
• Special Jury Prize: Lost Land (dir. Akio Fujimoto, Japan/France/Malaysia/Germany)
• Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, The Kidnapping of Arabella (Italy)
• Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, A Year of School (Italy/France)
• Best Screenplay: Ana Cristina Barragan, Hiedra (The Ivy) (Ecuador)
• Best Short Film: Without Kelly (dir. Lovisa Siren, Sweden)

Notable 2025 Orizzonti films that screened in competition included Rose of Nevada (dir. Mark Jenkin, starring Callum Turner and George MacKay), Late Fame (dir. Kent Jones, with Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee), Barrio Triste (dir. Stillz, from Edglrd), Divine Comedy (dir. Ali Asgari), and Hiedra (dir. Ana Cristina Barragan).

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

Orizzonti has served as a discovery platform for directors who have subsequently received major recognition. David Pablos, the 2025 Best Film winner, previously had his feature The Life After premiere at Venice and his The Chosen Ones compete in Cannes' Un Certain Regard in 2015. The 2026 Orizzonti jury includes David Pablos as a member, continuing the section's tradition of past winners returning to the jury. Films that premiere in Orizzonti receive the same practical market access as main Competition selections: Venice accreditation, Venice Production Bridge market screenings, and coverage from the global press corps. The Venice Gap Financing Market (September 4 to 6, 2026) connects projects with financiers, and Meet the Streamers (September 6 to 7) provides access to streaming platform executives.

Submission Tips Specific to This Festival

Orizzonti does not accept open submissions in the traditional sense. Films are curated by the Venice selection committee, led by artistic director Alberto Barbera. Most films reach the committee through sales agents, distributors, and producers with existing relationships. However, the official submission process through the La Biennale website is required for all selected films, with submissions for the 83rd edition opening June 4, 2026. Filmmakers whose work is formally adventurous or represents new directions in cinema should ensure their work reaches the Venice selection team, typically through a sales agent or producer with existing relationships to the festival. The section gives special attention to debut films, emerging or not yet firmly established talents, independent features, and lesser-known cinemas. Only feature films, short films, and restored films presented as world premieres are eligible. All works must have been completed after September 6, 2025.

Industry Reputation Notes

Orizzonti occupies an important middle ground in the Venice program. It carries the full weight of the Venice brand and its own jury prizes, while focusing on work that might be too formally unconventional or commercially uncertain for the main Competition. Compared to Cannes' Un Certain Regard (which serves a similar function for formally adventurous cinema), Orizzonti has a smaller industry footprint but benefits from Venice's later calendar position, which aligns with the awards season conversation. The section is strong for acquisitions of arthouse and experimental cinema, and for filmmakers seeking international festival circuit exposure without the pressure of a main Competition slot. For short filmmakers, Orizzonti Corti provides a competitive platform with a 20-minute maximum duration, selected based on quality and originality of language and expression.

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See Also

For the main Venice Film Festival, see Venice Film Festival. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate whether festival submission fees make sense for your budget, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For understanding how festival premieres affect distribution strategy, see Distribution Deals Explained.