Alberto Barbera to Remain Venice Artistic Director Through 2028

Mar 3, 2026 2:39am PT Alberto Barbera to Remain Venice Film Festival Artistic Director Through 2028 By Nick Vivarelli Plus Icon Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent @NickVivarelli Latest ‘Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Director Mohammad Rasoulof Reacts to Death of Ali Khamenei: ‘The Most Hated Figure in the Contemporary History of Iran’ 18 hours ago Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association Supports U.S. and Israeli Attacks in Iran That Have Killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei 2 days ago Paramount’s Apparent Victory in Warner Bros. Bidding War Sparks Optimism and Concern From Global Players: ‘Fewer Global Decision-Makers Mean Fewer Buyers’ 4 days ago See All Getty Alberto Barbera is set to remain artistic director of the Venice Film Festival through 2028 and possibly longer. On Tuesday, the board of directors of the fest’s parent organization, the Venice Biennale — chaired by new president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco — announced that they have approved Barbera’s appointment “for the years 2027 and 2028.” The Biennale is basically extending Barbera’s current mandate, which expired after the upcoming 2026 edition, for two more years. This does not rule out the possibility that Barbera could subsequently get another full-fledged mandate and stay on board even longer. Related Stories Daniel Radcliffe Spoke to Emma Watson and Rupert Grint About HBO's 'Harry Potter' and 'How Surreal It Is' to Watch a New Cast 'Starting Off on That Journey' Daniel Radcliffe Got Pitched a 'Wizard of Oz' Remake With Emma Watson as Dorothy and Himself as a 'Karate-Kicking Cowardly Lion': 'One of the Worst Ideas... It Should Not Be Made' Barbera, who is the festival’s longest serving artistic director, has been at the Lido’s helm consecutively since the 2012 edition and previously held the same position between 1998 and 2001. Popular on Variety Under Barbera’s watch, Venice has turned into the most systematically effective springboard for awards hopefuls on the international festival circuit. The list of pics from the fall fest that have reached the awards circle in recent years include current contenders “Frankenstein” and “Bugonia” as well as “Gravity,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “La La Land,” “The Shape of Water,” “Roma,” “Joker,” “Nomadland” and “The Power of the Dog,” to name a few. The fest is also a major platform for emerging filmmakers from all over the world and actively helps develop and produce micro-budget feature-length films through it’s unique Biennale College workshop.Barbera’s career as a fest boss started in 1989 when, having first worked as a film critic, he became artistic director of the Torino Film Festival, dedicated to young directors, and scoured the planet seeking fresh cinematic fare. In 2022, Barbera was awarded a special tribute by the Gotham Awards in New York, while in 2021 Variety awarded him its International Achievement in Film Award. Since 2020, Barbera has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2000 Barbera, was honored with the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, the cultural acknowledgment of the French Republic. The upcoming 83rd edition of Venice will run Sept. 2-12. Jump to Comments ‘Baywatch’ Reboot Casts Original Star David Chokachi in Return as Cody Madison ‘Best Medicine’ Renewed for Season 2 at Fox Fox Picks Up New Season of ‘Running Wild With Bear Grylls’ (EXCLUSIVE) Stephen Fry to Star in Fox Drama Series ‘Interrogator’ Fox’s Biblical Series ‘The Faithful’ Starring Minnie Driver Drops First Teaser ‘Baywatch’ Reboot Sets Open Casting Call; Performers Encouraged to Dress ‘Baywatch Ready’ but ‘Avoid Overly Revealing Styles’ JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...