The 2026 Venice Film Festival's competition section features an array of renowned international filmmakers. Casey Affleck makes his directorial debut at the festival with the gothic thriller Company, whilst South Korean director Lee Chang-Dong returns to features after an eight-year hiatus with Possible Love. Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda contributes Look Back to the competition, and Martin McDonagh brings Wild Horse Nine following the acclaimed success of The Banshees of Inisherin. The festival notably forgoes major studio entries in its primary competition strand, instead focusing on independent and arthouse productions from established auteurs.

The festival will open with Danny Boyle's Ink, a biographical drama about media proprietor Rupert Murdoch and his acquisition of The Sun newspaper, whilst Giovanni Veronesi's Dio ride serves as the closing selection. Maggie Gyllenhaal will preside over the competition jury, and the festival will confer Golden Lion lifetime achievement awards upon George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn. The event runs from September 2–12 at the Lido in Venice, with Alberto Barbera overseeing the selection as festival director.