THE APEX TIMES
Venice Film Festival Names International Jury for Venezia 83 Competition, Led by President Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Venice Film Festival has announced the International Jury for its Venezia 83 Competition, with Maggie Gyllenhaal serving as jury president and filmmakers and artists including Kaouther Ben Hania, Johnnie To and others.
The Venice Film Festival has revealed the International Jury for the Venezia 83 Competition, naming actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal as jury president. The jury lineup, announced on June 22, 2026, brings together directors, screenwriters, and creators from multiple countries for the festival’s top competitive slate.
The International Jury will include Tunisian director and screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania, whose work spans feature films and socially oriented storytelling. Also listed is Johnnie To, the Hong Kong director known for genre-spanning filmmaking, along with composer and artist Daniel Blumberg.
The panel further includes Italian professor Francesco Casetti, and French director and screenwriter Xavier Giannoli. Festival organizers also named Afghan director and screenwriter Shahrbanoo, rounding out the international group responsible for awarding honors in the Venezia 83 Competition.
According to the festival’s announcement as reported by Deadline, the jury is described specifically as the International Jury of the Venezia 83 Competition. With Gyllenhaal serving as president, the jury will handle the competition’s deliberations and determine the awards associated with that program.
The Venezia competition is one of the festival’s central features, with juried recognition that can influence festival reputations and wider film industry attention. While individual juror statements were not included in the announcement as reported, the selection reflects the festival’s emphasis on cross-border film authorship and a range of creative roles.
The jury confirmation comes as the festival moves toward its competition programming, with the announced panel set to preside over the awards process for films selected for the Venezia 83 Competition. Additional jury decisions and award outcomes will follow once the competition entries have screened.
For filmmakers and rights holders, the jury’s composition matters for the context in which films are evaluated, including the presence of practitioners across directing, writing, and composition, as well as an academic voice through Casetti. The panel’s work is confined to the Venezia 83 Competition awards process, according to the framing of the announcement.
Why It Matters
- The jury lineup sets the evaluative framework for the Venezia 83 Competition awards during the Venice Film Festival’s main competition cycle.
- The selection of jurors from directing, screenwriting, composition, and academia points to a multi-disciplinary approach to judging competitive entries.
- The awards from the Venezia 83 Competition can affect film visibility with buyers, distributors, and media attention tied to festival performance.
- The timing of the announcement indicates the festival is moving through its awards and programming milestones with a confirmed decision-making panel.
Key Facts
- The Venice Film Festival announced the International Jury for the Venezia 83 Competition on June 22, 2026.
- Maggie Gyllenhaal is named jury president.
- Jurors include Kaouther Ben Hania and Johnnie To.
- The jury also includes Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, and Xavier Giannoli.
- An Afghan director and screenwriter, Shahrbanoo, is also listed as a juror.
- The announcement specifies this is the International Jury of the Venezia 83 Competition.