This year's Venice Film Festival celebrates two significant directorial milestones: Rubaiyat Hossain's "The Difficult Bride" becomes the first Bangladeshi film selected for the festival's Horizons competition, whilst South Korean director Lee Chang-dong returns to feature filmmaking after an extended absence. Both selections underscore the festival's role in championing diverse international voices and career pivots within global cinema.

Hossain's supernatural feminist drama follows a bride named Zaineen as her wedding preparations devolve into a battle for bodily autonomy, offering both a cultural breakthrough and artistic commentary. Lee, renowned for his 2018 film "Burning," ends his creative hiatus rooted in periods of self-doubt and perfectionist hesitation, positioning "Possible Love" as evidence of his renewed confidence. Both films will proceed to further screenings at Toronto and London film festivals following their Venice premieres.