International Critics’ Week Lineup Revealed

The Venice parallel sidebar, Settimana Internazionale della Critica (International Critics’ Week), has unveiled the lineup for its 41st edition. Organised by the Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) and focused on works by emerging filmmakers, the section will showcase seven features in competition and two films out of competition.

This year, Colombia has a strong presence with two works that delve into the country’s turbulent history. Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdena will compete with The End of Times, a radical essay film that uses archive footage and artificial intelligence to reflect on memory and colonialism. They are joined by countryman Sebastián Múnera’s Meteorite, described as an intense female-centred story set in a land still haunted by the ghosts of violence.

The competition titles also include Tunisian director Kamel Laaridhi’s dystopian drama The H@llow Man, which imagines a future in which emotions and memory are controlled by technology. London, the debut feature of Brazilian directors Victor Di Marco and Márcio Picoli, is another standout title. This queer story places physicality, desire, and the freedom of self-determination at its centre.

Chilean-Indian London-based director Shalini Adnani is also in the mix with Our Share of Sand, a timely family drama that reflects on inequality and environmental crisis. The film was showcased in Cannes this year at the project stage as part of the British Film Institute’s Great 8 initiative. Italy is represented in the competition with Tommaso Usberti’s Prima della Guerra, described as an intense coming-of-age story set in the Po Valley that addresses contemporary masculinity with extraordinary maturity.

Completing the lineup is Zoom In, Zoom Out by Chinese filmmaker Dong Jie, a work that weaves together mystery, online gaming, and urban alienation to capture the anxieties of Generation Z. The selection for the 41st edition is curated by General Delegate Beatrice Fiorentino together with committee members Matteo Berardini, Marianna Cappi, Francesco Grieco, and Marco Romagna.

The 41st Venice International Critics’ Week will take place on the Venice Lido from September 2 to 12 alongside the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Founded in 1984 by Lino Micciché, the section has previously showcased the early works of Kevin Reynolds, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, Harmony Korine, Pedro Costa, and Pablo Trapero, as well as major names in Italian cinema including Carlo Mazzacurati, Sergio Rubini, Antonio Capuano, Roberta Torre, and Gianni Di Gregorio.