WINNERS OF THE 2026 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The 83rd annual Venice Film Festival has come to a close and awards were presented. The jury, lead by Maggie Gyllenhaal this year, selected "Kvinde ukendt (Woman Unknown)" from filmmaker, May El-Toukhy. This drama is set in Denmark, not long after World War II, where a young nanny prepares to marry her wealthy, older employer while keeping a secret. The film's star, Mathilde Arcel went on to receive the Best Actress prize for her moving performance. The latest from director, Lee Chang-Dong, "Possible Love" won the runner-up award of the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize. The South Korean film tells the story of two married couples who cross paths to film a documentary while facing their different lives and hidden desires. The Best Screenplay award went to director, Stéphane Brizé, along with co-writers, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce, for the French drama, "Un bon petit soldat (A Good Little Soldier)" which follows a middle-aged female executive (Alba Rohrwacher) hired to help rebrand a business in a tough corporate environment. And John Malkovich won Best Actor for his performance in "Wild Horse Nine", Martin McDonagh's latest comedy-thriller, which was one of the very few American films playing in competition.

Here are the winners in the main competition of the 2026 Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion: "Kvinde ukendt (Woman Unknown)"

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: "가능한 사랑 (Possible Love)"



Silver Lion Best Director: Ilya Khrzhanovsky, "Dau"

Best Screenplay: Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce, "Un bon petit soldat (A Good Little Soldier)"



Best Actor: John Malkovich, "Wild Horse Nine"
Best Actress: Mathilde Arcel, "Kvinde ukendt (Woman Unknown)"
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Malou Khebizi, "15/18 (A Place to Heal)"
Lion of the Future (Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Feature Film): Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu, "La maison du vent (House of the Wind)"
Special Jury Prize: "Naza"

TONY (2026)

Written by Matt Johnson, Matthew Miller and Todd Bartels & Lou Howe



Directed by Matt Johnson



Where & When: AMC The Americana at Brand 18, Glendale, CA. August 22, 2026 7:00 PM



After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978, Anthony Bourdain went on to work in several kitchens throughout New York City before landing the prestigious role of executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles twenty years later. With dreams of being a writer still in his head, Bourdain didn't generate much interest with his attempts at writing a novel and decided to write a memoir, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly", an unvarnished account that detailed his experiences working in the food industry. This became a best seller and helped Bourdain transition into a popular host on several culinary adventure programs. Unlike the standard grinning and well-mannered hosts of food shows, Bourdain had a chafing persona: a smartass with an intrepid spirit, a lewd sense of humor and engaging wit, that made his world travels to explore exotic, specialty dishes from across the globe scintillating television.

"Tony", from director, Matt Johnson, looks back at Bourdain, long before cooking school, the wild lifestyle and overwhelming fame, when he was a rebellious, nineteen year old kid from New Jersey planning on becoming the next big novelist. With this thrillingly raucous, sink-to-kitchen tale, we learn how his dreams were forced to be modified and how the hot-tempered, immature Bourdain would improbably go on to become a respected, world class talent in the culinary world.

Tony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) has applied for a writing fellowship that would send him to New York City. Feeling overly confident he'll get in, Tony tells his parents (Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer) he received the fellowship. But after finding out that he didn't, a frustrated Tony impulsively heads to Provincetown, partly because Nancy (Emilia Jones), a girl he really likes, has moved there for the summer before going to college. Discovering that she's dating a guy she works with at a pizza joint, he drowns his sorrows at The Flagship, a local seafood restaurant run by José "Chef" Vatel (Antonio Banderas). A highly inebriated Bourdain manages to get punched out for insulting a waitress and robbed while passed out on the street, leaving him stranded the next day.

He runs into Nancy, telling her that he's in town for research for his fellowship, and she invites him to a house party. Desperate to go to this party, Tony begs for a job at the Flagship, assuring "Chef" that he has restaurant experience. He doesn't but hired to wash dishes where he works with some equally volatile and oddball characters in the kitchen: Stavros (Stavros Halkias) and Sal (Leo Woodall), who had punched and robbed Tony the previous day. And "Chef" allows Tony to live on the porch of his beach house, sleeping on a hammock and awakened every morning with a bucket of seawater splashed in his face.

This biopic began with a script by Todd Bartels and Lou Howe that was featured on the 2024 Black List, an annual selection of the most liked unproduced screenplays. A Canadian indie filmmaker best known for the web series, "Nirvana the Band the Show" and his 2023 feature film breakthrough, the wacky, origin story of a brand of mobile phones, "Blackberry", Johnson took the script, adding a bit of his offbeat style yet smoothing over much of the rough edges of Bourdain's early life, to make this movie engaging, amusing and relatable. Even if this wasn't based on Bourdain's story, "Tony" could easily stand on its own as a darkly shrewd romantic-comedy.

One key reason which helps make "Tony" so appealing are the actors, in particular Sessa as Bourdain. He was the true highlight in Alexander Payne's award-winning, retro comedy, "The Holdovers" (which was his film acting debut) and Sessa's precocious performance here (bringing to mind Tom Hanks in his early days) confirms that he is a character actor with the great potential to be a movie star. He perfectly captures Bourdain at this point of his life, using his disarming nature and compelling allure to his advantage which helped him talk his way in or out of pretty much any type of situation. But it was Sal (who represents a composite of several people Bourdain would encounter) that actually gives the inexperienced Bourdain life lessons by teaching him how to smoke, shuck oysters, womanize and how to consume various forms of drugs.

Even without having read "Kitchen Confidential", it feels clear that "Tony" is soft serving Bourdain's early life and chaotic behavior. There's no doubt that the real-life Bourdain (who sadly died by suicide in 2018 at sixty-one) was probably far worse than portrayed in this film. No matter. "Tony" captures a credible essence of Bourdain, well enough that he's still recognizable, that points us convincingly and entertainingly towards the man he would become with an appealing profile that honors his exorbitant spirit and enduring legacy.

2026 TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL

The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, which celebrates the best of Canadian and global cinema, is set to run from September 10th through 20th. There are two hundred and ninety three films that will be screened over the eleven day fest with many North American and world premieres as well as special events and talks. The festival's opening film is "Being Heumann" by Sian Heder, the director's first feature since her film, "CODA" received the 2021 Academy Award for Best Picture. This biopic is based on the life of Judy Heumann, an American disability rights activist, played by Ruth Madeley.



Some of the Galas and special presentations will include "Prima Facie", directed by Susanna White and adapted by Suzie Miller from her 2019 stage play, which stars Cynthia Erivo as successful defense barrister who rose from a working class background and whose life is upended following the actions by a colleague. "Atonement" from Reed Van Dyk is about a troubled US marine (Boyd Holbrook) seeking to reconcile with the survivors of a family that his unit fired upon in Iraq. Oscar-winner, Mahershala Ali stars in "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother", an action-thriller from writer/director, Bassam Tariq, about a devoutly religious hitman who goes on a desperate journey across Texas to protect his family from dark forces closing in around him. "Diary of a Mad Old Man", a drama from Wayne Wang, that follows an aging widower (Lily Franky) having an intimate relationship with his caregiver daughter-in-law (Fan Bingbing). "Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo" is the third instalment of the series, this time set in Japan from Takashi Miike, which involves a Tokyo police officer (Shun Oguri) who finds himself being investigated by an FBI agent (Lily James) after a politician's daughter (Liv Morgan) goes missing. The actor, Tim Blake Nelson offers his latest as a director with "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd" about a teacher (Amanda Seyfried) that takes a job at a maximum security prison where she falls for a charismatic inmate (Scoot McNairy). "Elsinore" stars Andrew Scott as Ian Charleson, a Scottish actor who appeared in "Chariots of Fire", who gets a dream opportunity to play "Hamlet" at the National Theatre but is seriously ill from AIDS. And "I Play Rocky", from director, Peter Farrelly, tells the incredible story of how Sylvester Stallone, at the time a struggling actor, wrote the movie about a down-on-his-luck boxer that would change his life.









The closing night film will be "Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend" which is about the early life of Canadian race car driver, Gilles Villeneuve (played by Rémi Goulet) and his early efforts to establish his career in racing.

The TIFF Tribute Awards will include Rosalind Eleazar (appearing in Chris Rock's "Misty Green") and French icon, Isabelle Huppert (with her latest comedy, "Ni vue, ni connue (All About Corinne)") as the winners of the Performer Award. Lee Chang-dong received the Director Award for his latest, "가능한 사랑 (Possible Love)", filmmaker, Sian Heder was selected for the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media and Penélope Cruz (with her latest films, "Bunker" and "La bola negra" will be screened during the fest) is the recipient of the Special Tribute Award.

To see the complete list of films, events and purchase tickets, please click below:

TIFF 2026

2026 FALL MOVIE PREVIEW

This year in cinema has continued to heat up as the summer season has just ended with over four billion dollars earned, adding up to seven billion dollars total at the box-office year to date. These are impressive numbers that clearly indicate a robust enthusiasm for the theatrical experience. And the year is hardly over with plenty of more hotly anticipated movies are on the horizon. Out of the numerous movies that will make their way to theaters over the next four months, here is a highlight of some of those films that stand out for me:

"THE WEIGHT"

Release date: September 18, 2026

"The Weight", a dramatic thriller from director, Padraic McKinley, finds Samuel (Ethan Hawke) being sent to a brutal prison in 1933 Oregon, forced to leave his beloved, young daughter behind. The Warden (Russell Crowe) makes offers him an appealing yet highly risky proposition: smuggle gold out of a remote mine with a crew of other dangerous felons and he'll earn his freedom.



"MISTY GREEN"

Release date: October 9. 2026

With his fourth feature film as a writer and director, the comedian, Chris Rock delivers some drama with "Misty Green". Misty Green (Rosalind Eleazar) was once a popular, award-winning actress and currently facing the downslide of her career. She now has to deal with her past and addresses her personal demons as she struggles to make a comeback after reconnecting with her former agent (Rock). Adam Driver, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace and Daniel Kaluuya also star.



"OTHER MOMMY"

Release date: October 9, 2026

Jessica Chastain headlines the supernatural horror drama, "Other Mommy" where she plays an ordinary wife and mother who has a paranormal entity take on her appearance. Her young daughter (Arabella Olivia Clark) is able to see through this creature, referring to it as "other mommy", and must convince her father (Jay Duplass) of the change before serious harm comes to them all. Rob Savage directs this thriller based on the popular novel, "Incidents Around the House".



"THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK"

Release date: October 23, 2026

John Turturro stars as the title character in "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York", the latest feature film by actor and filmmaker, Noah Segan. As an old-time, low stakes thief, Harry Lehman (Turturro) is a relic from the past, struggling to make it in today's world and winds up getting way over his head when a heist goes very wrong. Giancarlo Esposito, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi, and Jamie Lee Curtis also star.



"A TALENT FOR MURDER"

Release date: October 23, 2026

Based on the 2014 stage play, "Switzerland" by Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith (who also wrote this screenplay), "A Talent For Murder" offers an intriguing yet fictional premise: a young American publisher (Alden Ehrenreich) tracks down the reclusive writer, Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) living in the Swiss Alps to try and convince her to write one more installment in her famous Tom Ripley series. Anton Corbijn, well known for his innovative work in music videos and documentaries, directs his fifth feature film.



"CLUB KID"

Release date: November 6, 2026

Fringe performer, Jordan Firstman, who broke out in the recent HBO comedy series, "I Love LA", has made his debut as a writer and director with "Club Kid". Firstman also stars as a gay New York City club promoter whose wild life is upended with the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had. "Club Kid" made its world premiere at Cannes this year and was met with an enthusiastic response and critical acclaim, leading to a bidding war with the indie studio, A24 as the victor.



"THE DEBUT"

Release date: December 11, 2026

In "The Debut", the latest film as a writer/director from actor, Jesse Eisenberg, Julianne Moore stars as a quiet and shy housewife who is unexpectedly cast in a New Jersey community theater production of an original musical. The strong-willed director (Paul Giamatti) pushes the inexperienced performer hard so she will lose herself in the role which helps begin to open up her world outside of the play. Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu and Bernadette Peters also star.



"WERWULF"

Release date: December 25, 2026

The filmmaker, Robert Eggers returns to the holiday season with another dark reimagining of a classic character in gothic horror. Following his grisly version of the vampire lore, "Nosferatu" two years ago, "Werwulf" explores the blood-thirsty beast that threatens a small farming community. Set in 13th-century England and spoken entirely in Middle English, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as a farmer who is trying to protect his family from an unknown dangerous entity which could possibly be himself. Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe also star.

COMING SOON

Ken Russell was a rising British filmmaker with a flair for the provocative and enjoying international acclaim for his breakthrough, the 1969 romantic drama, "Women in Love" when he decided to make the psychological horror film, "The Devils". Based on the non-fiction book, "The Devils of Loudun" by Aldous Huxley and a 1960 play by John Whiting, Russell wrote the politically charged screenplay which is set in 17th-century France where a powerful Catholic priest, Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) is rendered defenseless against a nun's (Vanessa Redgrave) passionate accusations of witchcraft that are eagerly exploited by the church and state powers. With innovative camerawork by David Watkin (who later filmed "Chariots of Fire" and won an Oscar for "Out of Africa") and Derek Jarman (who would go on to have his own career as a controversial filmmaker) creating the striking production design, "The Devils" was recognized as an intense and provocative work that featured a bold critique on the hypocrisy that could be found in religion.

But with graphic violence and sexual content featured within a religious context, "The Devils" received a harsh critical reaction once it was released, being given an X rating from both the United Kingdom and the United States advisory boards, banned in several countries or heavily edited in theaters that dared screen the film. However, Russell would receive the Best Director prize at the Venice International Film Festival and from the National Board of Review.  And despite the uproar, "The Devils" would achieve some box-office success, earning over eleven million dollars globally.

Over time, "The Devils" would not be readily available on home video with limited releases on DVD were only edited versions, and the film has rarely been seen on streaming services. But there was a growing demand for the film to be seen again. Warner Bros. (which distributed the film back in 1971) has decided to restore "The Devils" and release this version in theaters through its newly launched Warner Bros. Clockwork label. Assembled from the original camera negative, this new 4K restoration presents the definitive vision of Russell's film which references the edit he privately constructed in 2004. Now "The Devils" is the uncut theatrical experience that Russell (who died in 2011) had always envisioned.

"Ken Russell's The Devils" will be re-released in US theaters for one week only beginning on October 16, 2026

TIM CURRY (1946 - 2026)

Tim Curry, the British actor of stage and screen who is probably best known for his role in the filmed version of the cult classic, rock musical, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", has passed away on August 26th. The actor had suffered from a debilitating stroke in 2012 which left him with severe mobility issues and requiring a wheelchair. No cause of death has been revealed to date. He was eighty.

Curry began his career on the stage, making his acting debut in a London production of "Hair" in 1968. During that time, he met fellow cast member, Richard O'Brien who would go on to later write his own stage musical. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", O'Brien's wild tribute to his love of sci-fi and horror B-movies, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 1973 and the popular show moved to larger venues in London before closing in 1980. Originating the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Curry brought a humorously posh style to the mad, transvestite scientist.

The musical did transfer to Broadway in 1975 but was not as warmly embraced in America at that time, closing after only forty-five performances. A movie version of "Rocky Horror" was assembled at the same time with Curry, O' Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell and director, Jim Sharman all reprising their parts from the original London production. "Rocky Horror", the movie, didn't fare much better on its initial release in theaters but gradually gained popularity on the midnight movie circuit. Audiences would begin interacting live with the film at the Waverly Theater in New York City in 1976.

Curry would make other notable appearances in films: co-starring in John Huston's 1982 film version of the Broadway musical, "Annie", Ridley Scott's 1985 fantasy film, "Legend' with Tom Cruise, and in the comedy mystery, "Clue" which was based on the boardgame and has since gone on to become another cult movie classic. He appeared on several television series and did many voiceover roles for animated films and video games. And one of Curry's best-known television roles was as Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 horror miniseries , "Stephen King's  It". Curry also recorded three studio albums and wrote a memoir, "Vagabond" that was published last year.

2026 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The Venice International Film Festival, with the eighty-third annual edition to be held from September 2nd to 12th, will help introduce the latest in world cinema and kick-off the fall movie season. The Opening Night film selected is "Ink", the latest from the Oscar-winning British filmmaker, Danny Boyle. Based on James Graham's acclaimed 2017 play, the film examines how Australian businessman, Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) lures the editor of the popular, The Daily Mail newspaper, Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell) to oversee his newly acquired British daily, The Sun. To gain attention for the struggling paper, they decide to put anything in the paper, regardless of how extreme or titillating, to help The Sun rise above the competition, helping to create tabloid culture.



Maggie Gyllenhaal, the American actress and filmmaker, will serve as this year's Jury President to select the winners of the Main Competition awards along with fellow jurors: Tunisian filmmaker, Kaouther Ben Hania, British musician, Daniel Blumberg, Italian-American film theorist, Francesco Casetti, French filmmaker, Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker, Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker, Johnnie To. Gyllenhaal will also premiere the short film she wrote and directed, "Flesh Impact", that features Ellen Burstyn (who is also this year's recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement) and Dakota Johnson which will pay tribute to Hollywood legend, Marilyn Monroe (who would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year) during the festival.

With the films selected for competition this year, what is most notable is the almost complete absence of Hollywood studio films present in the lineup, much like at Cannes a few months ago. In addition to Boyle's "Ink", other filmmakers who will be up for prizes include new works from Werner Herzog ("Bucking Fastard"), Lance Oppenheim ("Primetime"), Cedric Kahn ("A Place To Heal"), Lee Chang-dong ("가능한 사랑 (Possible Love)"), Nanni Moretti ("Succederà questa notte (It Will Happen Tonight)"), Martin McDonagh ("Wild Horse Nine"), Hirokazu Kore-eda ("ルックバック (Look Back)", Stéphane Brizé ("Un bon petit soldat (Good Little Soldier)"), Florian Zeller ("Bunker") and Casey Affleck ("Company").









The Closing Night film will be "Dio Ride (God Laughs)", a comedy from writer/director, Giovanni Veronesi. In seventeenth century Tuscany, a friar (Pierfrancesco Favino) engages the masses about God by making them laugh. But this attitude begins to attract the hostility of the Church.

The Glory to the Filmmaker Award, a honorary prize given to artists who have made a significant contribution to contemporary world cinema, will be presented to Italian filmmaker, Luca Guadagnino. His latest feature, "Joie de vivre", an over 7 hours long documentary (that will be screened into two parts) about the life, art, and cinema of fellow Italian filmmaker, Bernardo Bertolucci, will make its premiere at the fest. And George Clooney will also receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement this year.