Donzelli and Cavalli to chair Venice Horizons, debut juries
La Biennale di Venezia has named Valérie Donzelli and Carolina Cavalli as jury presidents for the 83rd Venice Film Festival. Donzelli will chair the Horizons (Orizzonti) section, while Cavalli leads the Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a debut film. Their appointments put two active filmmakers in charge of two of the Lido's most closely watched side prizes.
Key Takeaways
- Valérie Donzelli chairs the Horizons jury; Carolina Cavalli heads the Luigi De Laurentiis debut-film panel.
- Horizons jurors include Peter Becker, Elizabeth Lo, David Pablos, and Barbara Ronchi.
- Cavalli's debut jury includes Akinola Davies Jr. and producer Ted Hope.
- The Lion of the Future carries a $100,000 Filmauro prize split between director and producer.
- Venice 83 runs September 2–12, with awards announced September 12 at the Palazzo del Cinema.
Who will chair Venice's Horizons jury?
French director, actor, and screenwriter Valérie Donzelli will preside over the Horizons jury at the 83rd Venice Film Festival. Her credits include Declaration of War, which opened the 50th Critics' Week at Cannes, and Just the Two of Us, for which she shared the César Award for best adaptation with Audrey Diwan in 2024.
Donzelli's most recent feature, At Work, won the best screenplay award at Venice. That recent Lido success makes her a natural fit to judge the section dedicated to cutting-edge international cinema.
Who joins Donzelli on the Horizons panel?
Donzelli will be joined by American film distributor Peter Becker, Hong Kong-American director Elizabeth Lo, Mexican director and screenwriter David Pablos, and Italian actress Barbara Ronchi.
Becker serves as president of the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, which marks its 70th anniversary in 2026 as the first U.S. theatrical distributor of international art-house cinema. He launched the Criterion Channel streaming service in 2019.
Lo's debut documentary Stray won best international feature at Hot Docs, while her follow-up Mistress Dispeller premiered at Venice in 2024 and was Oscar-shortlisted. Pablos' On the Road won the Horizons award for best film and the Queer Lion at Venice. Ronchi has appeared in multiple Venice competition and Horizons titles, including Familia, which won the Pasinetti special prize.
The Horizons jury will hand out seven prizes: best film, best director, the special Horizons jury prize, and best actress, actor, screenplay, and short film. No joint awards will be permitted. For more festival news, see our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage.
Who will lead the Luigi De Laurentiis debut jury?
Italian screenwriter and director Carolina Cavalli will chair the jury for the Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a debut film, known as the Lion of the Future. She will be joined by British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. and American producer Ted Hope.
Cavalli's second feature, The Kidnapping of Arabella, premiered in Horizons at Venice, where Benedetta Porcaroli won the best actress award. Davies Jr.'s debut feature My Father's Shadow earned a special mention for the Caméra d'Or at Cannes in 2025 and won the 2026 BAFTA for outstanding debut.
Hope, a producer on more than 70 films, launched Amazon Studios' feature film division, which went on to earn 19 Oscar nominations and five wins. The Luigi De Laurentiis jury will select its winner from debut feature-length films across the festival's official selection and independent and parallel sidebars.
When will Venice 83 announce its awards?
The Luigi De Laurentiis award carries a cash prize of $100,000, donated by Filmauro, to be split equally between the director and producer. All awards will be unveiled during the festival's closing ceremony on September 12 at the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Venice Lido.
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival is set to run September 2–12 under the direction of Alberto Barbera. Horizons and debut-film winners will be among the final prizes handed out on the Lido's closing night.