The Venice Giornate degli Autori (GdA), the parallel section running alongside the Venice Film Festival, has announced its 2026 line-up, this year dedicated to the section's late founder Giorgio Gosetti. The selection is notably female-focused, with a significant proportion of films directed by women and several first-time features from around the world, underscoring the strand's role in showcasing emerging and independent voices ahead of the main festival.

The programme opens with Hungarian director Lili Horváth's first English-language film, "My Notes on Mars", a sci-fi romance starring Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend, and closes with Léa Domenach's queer feminist musical comedy "A Man's Skin", featuring Catherine Deneuve and Karin Viard. Drawn from 1,036 submissions across 114 countries, the 2026 selection comprises 25 world premieres (13 of them Italian, 14 directed by women), 10 films in competition, one closing film shown out of competition, five special events and nine titles in the Venetian Nights showcase. Competition highlights include Mia Wasikowska's Agata the Writer, Nathalia Acevedo's directorial debut Salón de Belleza, and five first features tackling themes ranging from Ukraine's war with Russia to Afghan refugee musicians.