Valérie Donzelli, Carolina Cavalli to Chair Venice’s Horizons, Luigi De Laurentiis Juries
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La Biennale di Venezia has announced the juries for two of the 83rd Venice Film Festival’s key strands: Horizons and the Luigi De Laurentiis award for a debut film. French filmmaker Valérie Donzelli will chair the Horizons jury, while Italian writer-director Carolina Cavalli will lead the jury for the festival’s first-feature prize. The appointments matter because these juries decide some of Venice’s most important awards for emerging and international cinema, helping shape the visibility and momentum of filmmakers beyond the main competition.
Donzelli’s Horizons jury also includes Peter Becker, Elizabeth Lo, David Pablos and Barbara Ronchi, and it will award seven prizes, including best film, director, screenplay and short film, with no joint winners allowed. Cavalli’s debut-film jury includes Akinola Davies Jr. and Ted Hope, and will choose from first feature-length films across the festival’s official selection and sidebars. The Luigi De Laurentiis prize is worth $100,000, split equally between the director and producer, and all winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on 12 September; the festival itself runs from 2 to 12 September under director Alberto Barbera.
- Venice named juries for Horizons and debut film awards
- Valérie Donzelli and Carolina Cavalli will chair them
- Debut prize includes a $100,000 award
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Venice hosts one of the world's leading film festivals each autumn, and beyond its main competition it runs several sidebar sections that give newer or independent filmmakers a platform. Horizons is one such strand, focused on innovative and experimental cinema, while the Luigi De Laurentiis award specifically recognises outstanding first feature films by debut directors. Each strand has its own jury, made up of filmmakers and industry figures, who watch the selected films and decide the winners.
Valérie Donzelli, a French filmmaker, and Carolina Cavalli, an Italian writer-director, have been named as the chairs of these two juries respectively, meaning they will lead the panels of judges through their deliberations. Juries at major festivals like Venice typically include a mix of directors, producers and other film professionals from different countries, reflecting the international character of the event.
These jury appointments matter because their decisions can significantly boost the profile of lesser-known filmmakers, helping their work reach wider audiences and secure distribution. The 83rd Venice Film Festival takes place in early September under the direction of Alberto Barbera, with winners across all sections announced at a closing ceremony.
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Originally published by Variety as “Valérie Donzelli, Carolina Cavalli to Chair Venice’s Horizons, Luigi De Laurentiis Juries”.