With awards season starting in earnest just a handful of months from now, people have been looking to the year’s biggest film festivals to get a glimpse of the movies that may become the talk of the town. Such was the case with the recently concluded 2026 Venice Film Festival. For decades, it has been one of the top events on the movie calendar, and this year’s edition brought a handful of premieres of films that look ready to enter the awards discourse.
Even if they may get overlooked in the conversation come early next year, the 83rd Venice Film Festival still delivered movies that look like a promising, and even necessary, watch. Below, we rounded up some of the movies you may want to add to your watchlist.
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Wild Horse Nine – Martin McDonagh Delivers Another Oscar Contender
Director Martin McDonagh has delivered some of the best movies of the past decade, namely 2017’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin. In 2026, he may have done so again with his latest project, Wild Horse Nine. Starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, the dark comedy follows two CIA officers who are dispatched from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island in 1973, shortly before the Chilean military coup that overthrew socialist president Salvador Allende. There, conspiracy, comedy, and trust issues collide as their trip becomes anything but simple.
The film held its world premiere at Venice, where it was met with an enthusiastic 13-minute standing ovation and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for Malkovich. With glowing reviews and Oscar buzz, particularly for Best Actor for John Malkovich, expect to see more of Wild Horse Nine in the coming months.
Primetime – Robert Pattinson at His Best
Robert Pattinson has been having a standout 2026, and Primetime may just be the movie that finally gets him his overdue Oscar nomination. In this drama, Pattinson plays a fictionalized version of To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen and loosely follows the events of when To Catch a Predator featured Bill Conradt, which eventually led to him ending his own life and changing the show’s course. Ever since the movie was first revealed, Primetime was already generating buzz. But following its Venice Film Festival premiere and seven-minute standing ovation, we may just be in for Pattinson’s best performance of the year, and maybe of his career.
Bunker – A Couple Finds Themselves in a Marriage in Crisis
Real-life couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem take their chemistry and impeccable acting to the silver screen in this drama where they play a couple in crisis. Miguel, an architect, agrees to build a survivalist bunker for Andrew, a tech billionaire. But in doing so, it causes friction with his wife, Sofia, as she begins to question whether he is still the right man for her, leading their marriage to spiral.
Having the pedigree of two Oscar winners leading the film and the fact that it was written and directed by Florian Zeller, who gave 2020’s The Father, already has our attention. But it’s 15 and a half minute standing ovation took our curiosity to excitement.
Woman Unknown – A Secret Relationship Comes Back to Haunt You
Taking home the festival’s coveted top prize of the Golden Lion for best film and the Volpi Cup for best actress for Mathilde Arcel, May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown quickly shot up the ranks with its awards season potential.
The Danish drama tells the story of Marie, a young housemaid, set to marry a wealthy older widower. But her past comes back to haunt her as it’s revealed that she was in a relationship with a German soldier during World War II, threatening to take away her new life. While it’s unfortunate that Woman Unknown was the only movie solely directed by a woman in competition at Venice, its taking home the Golden Lion and glowing early reviews serve as yet another reminder that women in film still deserve better when it comes to platforms and opportunities.
Possible Love – A Korean Drama on Love Through Social Class
South Korea’s entry to the 2027’s Oscars for Best International Feature Film made a splash at the Lido, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Directed by Lee Chang-dong, the movie follows two married couples from different social classes whose paths intertwine after they film a documentary that leads them to question their own lives. With a worldwide release on Netflix slated for November 6, this Korean drama is one to watch.
Ink – The Makings of The Sun
A character-driven drama thriller set in the UK? Director Danny Boyle is doing what he does best in Ink, a biographical drama based on a 2017 stage play by James Graham. Here, Jack O’Connell plays Larry Lamb as he accepts an offer from Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) to become the editor of The Sun, which turns the paper into one of the most notorious newspaper tabloids in the UK. Newsroom dramas, when done right, always hit. So, one that focuses on right-wing media barons through the lens of Danny Boyle feels like a recipe for success.
Naza – An Important Movie on What’s Happening in Gaza
As much as movies are entertainment for many, films were, are, and will continue to be political, highlighting ugly truths about today’s world. No truer was this than with Naza, an investigative documentary from Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the four filmmakers behind 2025’s Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.
The film, which took home the special jury prize, sheds light on the systems the Israeli military has employed in its targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. It’s a powerful piece of work that received a 24.5-minute round of applause, making it the longest standing ovation of this year’s Venice Film Festival and reportedly the longest-ever ovation recorded in the festival’s history.
Featured Image and Photos: IMDB (via Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions
The Golden Lion for Best Film went to Woman Unknown, directed by May el-Toukhy. John Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor in Wild Horse Nine, and Mathilde Arcel won Best Actress for Woman Unknown.
Wild Horse Nine, directed by Martin McDonagh, stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as two CIA officers sent to Easter Island in 1973, shortly before the coup that overthrew Chilean president Salvador Allende.
Woman Unknown, directed by May el-Toukhy, won the Golden Lion for Best Film at Venice. The Danish drama follows a housemaid whose wartime relationship with a German soldier threatens her engagement to a wealthy widower.
Naza is a documentary from directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor examining the Israeli military’s targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. It received a 24.5-minute ovation, the longest in Venice Film Festival history.
Possible Love, directed by Lee Chang-dong, won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice and is South Korea’s official submission for the 2027 Best International Feature Oscar. It streams worldwide on Netflix starting November 6.
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