Film
Venice Film Festival
Venice, Italy
Venice · August · Subject to availability
Late August into early September — dates to be confirmed
The oldest film festival in the world, staged on the Lido at the end of summer, and the effective opening of the awards season.
Venice has been running since 1932 and holds a particular position in the calendar: it opens the autumn awards season, and a strong reception on the Lido shapes the following six months of critical conversation. The festival is staged almost entirely on the Lido, the long barrier island across the lagoon from the city, which gives it a contained and notably civilised character. Movement is by water, the venues are within walking distance of one another, and the scale is human in a way that Cannes is not. The city itself is twenty minutes away by launch and empties of its August crowds just as the festival begins, which makes the first days of September among the best of the Venetian year. For principals with media interests, it is the most agreeable of the major festivals to attend and the least logistically punishing.
- Month
- August
- Recommended stay
- 3–4 nights
- Nearest airports
- VCE · TSF
- Typical clientele
- Producers, financiers and distribution principals, collectors and philanthropists with cultural commitments, European and American media figures, and principals combining the festival with the end of the Italian summer.
Why it matters
Venice sets the direction of the awards season, and the studios and streamers now premiere their most serious autumn work here. For those with production or distribution interests, the reception on the Lido is genuinely predictive. The festival is also the rare event on this calendar where the surrounding experience — the lagoon at the turn of the season, the city recovering from August — is a substantive reason to attend in itself.
How access is arranged
Screening and premiere attendance is controlled by the Biennale and the production companies. Scott & Vale makes introductions where such relationships exist, upon request and subject to availability, and coordinates travel, accommodation, water transfers and dining.
Scott & Vale coordinates travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design around this occasion, and makes introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist. The firm does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission.
Hospitality and travel
Where to stay
- Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido
- Hotel Cipriani
- Aman Venice
- The Gritti Palace
- JW Marriott Venice
Properties are listed as editorial guidance. Scott & Vale holds no inventory and no claimed relationship with any property named here.
Arrival by air
- VCE — Venice Marco Polo Business aviation handling on site; thirty minutes to the Lido by water.
- TSF — Treviso Forty minutes north by road, then onward by water; useful at capacity.
Helicopter. Rotations to the Lido operate during the festival, though a private launch from Marco Polo is faster door to door and considerably more pleasant.
Dining
- Quadri
- Da Ivo
- Il Ridotto
- Osteria alle Testiere
- Lineadombra
Reservations are requested on a member's behalf, subject to availability.
Suggested itinerary
- 01 Day One Arrival by water to the Lido, with the first evening on the island; the festival's rhythm is slower than its equivalents.
- 02 Day Two Two screenings across the day, with the interval spent on the Lido rather than crossing the lagoon.
- 03 Day Three A morning in the city by launch, an afternoon premiere, and dinner in Dorsoduro.
- 04 Day Four A closing screening and departure, or a transfer onward to the Dolomites or the lakes.
Scott & Vale support
- Private Jet
- Luxury Hotels
- Superyacht Charter
- Luxury Transfers
- Restaurant Reservations
- Private Guides
- Personal Concierge
- Travel Planning
Enquiry
Plan this properly, and plan it early.
An enquiry reaches the team directly with the context of this entry attached. A member of the team will respond within the hour, wherever you are.
Frequently asked
How does Venice compare with Cannes?
Venice is smaller, calmer and has no equivalent trading market. It carries greater weight for awards positioning and is materially easier to attend.
Is it better to stay on the Lido or in the city?
The Lido for the festival itself, with the city twenty minutes away by launch. Both are workable; the Lido removes the daily crossing.
Is Venice crowded at this point in the year?
The August crowds thin as the festival begins, and the first week of September is among the best times of the year to be in the city.
What does Scott & Vale arrange?
Travel, accommodation, water transfers, dining and the viewing schedule, with introductions to organisers and production teams where such relationships exist.
Related events
Direct: info@scottnvale.com
Event names, marks and logos referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners. Scott & Vale is not an official partner, supplier or licensee of any event, organiser or rights holder named here, and no affiliation is implied. Scott & Vale does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission to any event. Travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design are arranged around these events, and introductions are made to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Photography: Florian Fuchs — CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; this crop is published under the same licence
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