Venice International Film Festival Names Juries For Orizzonti and ‘Luigi De Laurentiis’ Awards

The 81st Venice International Film Festival has selected the members of its international juries ahead of this year’s event, including Orizzonti and the ‘Luigi De Lauentiis’ Venice Award.

This year’s Festival will run August 28 to September 7.

The Orizzonti (Horizons section) jury will include:  

American director and screenwriter Debra Granik (Chair) 

Iranian writer, director and producer Ali Asgari

Syrian film director and screenwriter Soudade Kaadan 

Greek director, screenwriter and producer Christos Nikou

Swedish actress and director Tuva Novotny

Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Reisz 

Italian screenwriter and director Valia Santell

The international jury of the “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award (‘Lion of the Future’) for a Debut Film will include:

Italian film critic Gianni Canova (chair)

American writer and director Ricky D’Ambrose 

Brazilian director, visual artist, actress and producer Barbara Paz

Canadian actress and director Taylor Russell 

Film festival curator and project market director Jacob Wong

The Jury of the Venice Award for a Debut Film will award to one of the debut feature-length films selected from the various competitive sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sidebars), with no joint awards allowed, the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film, with the cash prize of $100,000 donated by Filmauro, will be divided equally between the director and the producer.

All the official awards will be announced during the closing ceremony of the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, September 7 on the stage of the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Venice Lido.