Alberto Barbera will remain artistic director of the Venice Film Festival until 2028, and perhaps longer.
On Tuesday, the board of the Venice Biennale, the fest’s parent organization, whose president is Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, announced it had approved Barbera’s appointment “for 2027 and 2028.”
The Biennale said in a statement that Barbera’s reappointment was agreed “taking into account the high quality of the selected works, the achievements he has achieved in the discovery and discovery of new talents on the international stage, the dissemination and development of film culture and the expansion of audiences.”
The Biennale essentially extends Barbera’s current term, which expires after the next edition in 2026, by another two years. This does not exclude the possibility that Mr. Barbera may subsequently obtain a full-fledged mandate again and remain on the Board for an even longer period.
Barbera is the festival’s longest-serving artistic director, having been at the helm of the Lido since 2012 and previously held the position from 1998 to 2001.
Under Barbera’s watch, Venice became the most organized and effective launching pad for candidates to win awards on the international festival circuit. The list of fall fest pictures that have entered the awards ring in recent years includes current nominees “Frankenstein” and “Bugonia,” as well as “Gravity,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “La La Land,” “The Shape of Water,” “Rome,” “Joker,” “Nomadland” and “Power of the Dog,” to name a few.
The festival is also a major platform for emerging filmmakers from around the world, actively supporting the development and production of low-budget feature films through the Biennale College’s unique workshops.
Barbera’s career as festival boss began in 1989, working first as a film critic before becoming artistic director of the Turin Film Festival, devoting himself to young directors and traveling the world in search of fresh film work.
In 2022, Barbera received a special award from the Gotham Awards in New York, and in 2021, she was awarded the International Film Achievement Award by Variety magazine. Since 2020, Barbera has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2000, Barbera was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters, which honors the cultural achievements of the French Republic.
The next 83rd Venice will be held from September 2nd to 12th.
