Alexander Payne, the acclaimed director and screenwriter, will preside over the international jury at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, scheduled from August 27 to september 6 [[1]], [[2]], [[3]].

The Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia selected Payne, acting on the suggestion of Alberto Barbera, the Venice film Festival Director.

A Legacy of Jury Presidents

Payne joins a distinguished list of past jury presidents, including Isabelle Huppert (2024), Damien Chazelle (2023), Julianne Moore (2022), Bong Joon-ho (2021), and Cate Blanchett (2020).

Payne’s Acceptance and Vision

Upon accepting the role, Payne expressed his enthusiasm:

It’s an enormous honor and joy to serve on the jury at Venice.  Although I share a filmmaker’s ambivalence about comparing films against one another, I revere the Venice Film Festival’s nearly 100-year history of loudly celebrating film as an art form.  I couldn’t be more excited.

Payne’s Cinematic Achievements

• Two-time Oscar winner for Best Adapted Screenplay: Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011).
• The Holdovers (2023) won Best Supporting Actress at the most recent Academy Awards.
• currently preparing a new film to be shot in rural Denmark.
• Aspires to make a western film.

Barbera’s Perspective

Alberto Barbera shared his admiration for Payne’s cinematic expertise:

Alexander Payne belongs to the small circle of filmmakers-cinephiles whose passion for cinema is fueled by knowledge of films of the past and curiosity about contemporary cinema, without boundaries or barriers of any kind. These qualities – along with his experience as a screenwriter – make him an ideal candidate to preside over the work of the Venice Jury, which is called upon to evaluate films from around the world. I am grateful to Alexander for accepting my invitation, which seals an acquaintance that goes back to the days of his graduation short film at UCLA.

Alberto Barbera, Venice Film Festival Director

The Jury’s Responsibilities

The Venice Film Festival jury will determine the winners of the following prestigious awards:

• Golden Lion for Best Film
• Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize
• Silver Lion – Award for Best Director
• coppa Volpi for Best Actress
• Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
• Award for Best Screenplay
• Special Jury Prize
• Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress