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We received this report from Mansour Jahani an independent journalist  and are pleased to publish it on Formatbiz. 

At the opening ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to American actor, director, and producer George Clooney.
According to the report of Mansour Jahani,  upon accepting the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, George Clooney said: “I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice. This festival is without question my favorite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honor. It also probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it”.

Alberto Barbera: George Clooney’s charisma is constructed on his credibility
Alberto Barbera, the head of the Venice International Film Festival, announced the following regarding this award: “In his triple capacity as actor, director, and producer, George Clooney is a complete and charismatic artist, impassioned and original, who has transformed a deep vocation into one of the most luminous parabolas of contemporary film. An early career launched without shortcuts, with small roles in TV series and B movies until his major success as the star of the series ER, formed an actor who is able to inhabit the screen with disarming spontaneity. He is endowed with the gift of making his characters seem not only credible but desirable, approachable, and human, thanks to his undeniable charm. But Clooney’s charisma is constructed on his credibility, not on his image, because his seductive side has never been merely aesthetic.

Clooney; a perfect combination of the star glamour of days gone by, remarkable professionalism, and modern sensitivity
The veteran film executive continued: A perfect combination of the star glamour of days gone by, remarkable professionalism, and modern sensitivity, the actor has crossed the genres with rare versatility: war movies with “Three Kings” and “Syriana”; thrillers with “Michael Clayton”; sophisticated comedies with “Ocean's Eleven” and “O Brother Where Art Thou?”; science fiction with “Gravity” and “Solaris”; and bittersweet comedies with “The Descendants”, “Up In the Air”, and “Jay Kelly”. In each one of these movies, he calibrated his register while remaining true to himself: ironic and melancholy, fascinating and reflective, brilliant and capable of unexpected depth. He did the same in the nine films he made when he decided to go behind the movie camera, all of which reveal a demanding and generous concept of cinema. “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”, “Good Night and Good Luck”, “The Ides of March”, and “Suburbicon” are examples of films that are refined, ambitious, and outside the rules and conventions of Hollywood cinema. They also reflect his other vocation, a commitment to social and humanitarian causes, making him a figure of absolute prominence in the universe of show business today”.

Festival Opens with the Film “Ink”, Directed by Danny Boyle
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival opened on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at the Sala Grande located within the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido in Venice, Italy with the British film “Ink”, Directed by Danny Boyle and written by James Graham, the film stars Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy.
Actors Greta Scarano and Nicolas Maupas hosted the opening ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

Danny Boyle: Opening the Venice Film Festival with My New Film Is a Great Honor
Academy and BAFTA award winning Danny Boyle; “28 Years Later”, “Trainspotting”, “Slumdog Millionaire” directs, spoke about the screening of the film “Ink” at the opening ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival: “I’ve been to the Biennale many times, but this is my baptism at the film festival - a huge honour to be in a city of such extraordinary art and opening this great festival with my new film INK. A script by James Graham I felt compelled and privileged to make.”

Hosting Masterclasses and Conversations with Prominent Figures of World Cinema
At this prestigious and long-standing global film event, masterclasses and special conversations featuring a number of world cinema greats were held for the third time at the large Match Point Arena, including: three Masterclasses which featured by directors and performers, including the American actor and director George Clooney, 2026 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, the French director Luc Besson, the American actress Ellen Burstyn, 2026 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, two Masterclasses “The Art and Craft of Cinema” which featured include the dialogue between Chinese director, Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao, Golden Lion for Best Film in 2020 for Nomadland and Polish cinematographer Lukasz Zal, collaborators on the Oscar-winning Hamnet, and Italian director Luca Guadagnino, Silver Lion for Best Directing in 2022 for Bones and All.

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award for Ellen Burstyn
As part of the program for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was presented to American actress Ellen Burstyn known for her roles in “The Exorcist”, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”, “Interstellar” at 2:30 PM on Monday, September 7, 2026, at the Palazzo del Cinema, the festival's main venue.

Ellen Burstyn: I’m thrilled to be return home carrying a Golden Lion!
Upon accepting the offer from festival organizers, Ellen Burstyn said: “Wow! I not only get to travel to one of my top most favorite cities in the whole world. I get to return home carrying a Golden Lion in my arms! The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Venice Film Festival! I feel so honored— so happy — so filled with gratitude! Wow indeed!”

Alberto Barbera: Ellen Burstyn is an actress of rare passion and sincerity
Alberto Barbera, the festival's artistic director, commented on the awarding of the Golden Lion to Ellen Burstyn: “With regard to the award to Ellen Burstyn, Festival’s Artistic Director Alberto Barbera stated: “An actress of rare intensity and truth, Ellen Burstyn has been a presence in American cinema for over fifty years, bringing depth and complexity to unforgettable female characters embodying the contradictions and transformations in the contemporary woman. Revealed in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show, which portrayed the twilight of small-town America, and elevated to global stardom by the success of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, Burstyn won the Oscar for Best Actress for Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the film manifesto about women reclaiming their identity and their freedom.”

Collaborating with some of the most important directors in world cinema
He also said: “Over the years Burstyn worked with some of the most important film directors of the time: Alain Resnais in Providence, Paul Schrader in Hardcore, Bob Rafelson in The King of Marvin Gardens, Paul Mazursky in Alex in Wonderland and Harry and Tonto, Darren Aronofsky in Requiem for a Dream and Christopher Nolan in Interstellar, to mention just some of the 150 films she starred in.

Ellen Burstyn; an absolute model of authenticity in performance and civic engagement within the craft of acting
President of the Actors Studio, Burstyn made fragility and methodical discipline the tools of an approach to acting grounded in emotional truth, attentiveness and generosity toward one’s characters. Her artistry, which could illuminate pain and everyday resilience with dignity, irony and courage, remains an absolute model of authenticity in performance and civic engagement within the craft of acting.”

Screening of “Flesh Impact” Starring Ellen Burstyn on Marilyn Monroe’s Centenary
The Golden Lion award was presented to Ellen Burstyn on the occasion of the screening of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film Flesh Impact. Dedicated to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth, the film features yet another extraordinary performance by the actress, showcasing her uncommon talent as a performer. The film’s cast also includes Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi. Johnson portrays Monroe at the height of her fame, while Burstyn stars as a version of Marilyn the world never got the chance to see. Flesh Impact takes its title from a phrase once used to describe Marilyn Monroe's aura - that she looked so real and luminous on camera that viewers felt they could touch her through the screen.

Luca Guadagnino received the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker 2026 Award
As part of the program for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker 2026 Award was presented to Italian director and producer Luca Guadagnino. This award dedicated to a personality who has made a particularly original contribution to the contemporary film industry.
The award ceremony took place on Tuesday 8 September in the Sala Casinò (Palazzo del Casinò) at 3:00 pm, before the screening Out of Competition of his new documentary, Joie de vivre.

The aim of the festival is to raise awareness and promote cinema
The aim of the festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. One section is devoted to enhance the restoration works on classic films as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.

Venice film festival is the oldest film event in the world
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival considered the world's oldest film event is taking place from September 2 to 12, 2026, on the island of Lido in Venice, Italy. Under the chairmanship of Alberto Barbera, the festival showcases works by directors from around the globe across various sections, including the International Competition, Orizzonti Competition, Critics' Week Competition, Venezia Spotlight, Immersive Competition, Classic Films Restorations, College Cinema, Best of Experiences, Best of the World, Cinema and Music Special, Critics' Week Out of competition, and Workshops and Interviews with Cinema Characters.

Credit images from the website of the Venice Film Festival

For more details: https://www.labiennale.org/en/news