Venice Film Festival 2026: Four-Hour Elon Musk Documentary and Hollywood Stars Take Center Stage

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival kicks off on September 2, 2026, bringing together major Hollywood stars and international filmmakers, alongside a highly anticipated lineup of films and documentaries exploring controversial political figures and issues.

One of the festival's most anticipated titles is Musk, a nearly four-hour documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. The project took almost four years to complete and explores Elon Musk's career, political transformation and role during Donald Trump's administration.

The main competition also features Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. The film follows two CIA agents working in Chile before the 1973 coup.

The festival will welcome major stars including Robert Pattinson, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn will also receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

Other major competition titles include Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, as well as Florian Zeller's Bunker, featuring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem as a married couple.

The lineup also includes Possible Love by South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong, Look Back by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard, starring Rooney Mara and Kate Mara as identical twins.

Casey Affleck's Company, starring Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn, will mark Affleck's first appearance in the official competition. Italian director Nanni Moretti is also returning to the competition for the first time since 1989.

Elon Musk Documentary Draws Attention

Alex Gibney's Musk has attracted significant attention, particularly because the filmmaker initially approached the project with admiration for Musk. Gibney even owned a Tesla and hoped to interview Musk directly.

However, the documentary's direction changed over the years, particularly following the 2024 U.S. presidential election and Musk's political role during the Trump administration.

Musk described the documentary on social media as a film that targets him, while Gibney questioned how Musk could know its content before watching it.

The festival will also screen My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile, directed by Julia Loktev, which follows independent Russian journalists after leaving their country. The documentary runs for approximately 355 minutes.

Another documentary, NAZA, has recently joined the main competition, making it the only documentary competing for the Golden Lion. The film focuses on the suffering of Palestinian civilians during the war in Gaza.

Director Maggie Gyllenhaal will chair the main competition jury, as Venice prepares to welcome international stars to the red carpet and once again establish itself as a major stop on the road to the Oscars and the awards season.