Peter Paul Huth comments favourably on the 2026 Venice Film Festival awards ceremony, highlighting in particular the Golden Lion winner, “Kvinde Ukendt” (Unknown Woman) by May el-Toukhy, and “Un bon petit soldat” by Stéphane Brizé, which won the award for Best Screenplay and the INTERFILM Jury Prize.
Alex Gibney’s documentary *Musk* portrays a ‘hero of capitalism’, whilst Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s *DAU* evokes the victims of Stalinism.
Two political films have been attracting attention in the final days of the festival. “Naza”, by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, uses testimonies from members of the Israeli army to document the strategies of the war in Gaza, which target both Hamas and the civilian population. “Ritorno a Buenos Aires”, by Mario Bechis, recalls the torture that took place during the period of military rule in Argentina.
Florian Zeller’s *Bunker* is a relationship drama starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, whilst *Kvinde Ukendt* (Unknown Woman), the only competition entry at Venice 2026 directed by a woman, tells the story of women’s vulnerability and the unhesitating (everyday) violence directed against them in Denmark shortly after the end of the Second World War.
Venice 2026 has selected four Italian films for its international competition, including “Succederá questa notte” (It Will Happen Tonight) by Nanni Moretti, “The Echo Chamber” by Andrea Pallaoro and “L’Estranea” (The Spiral) by Paolo Strippoli.
Paul Scheader’s *The Basics of Philosophy* explores repressed guilt, whilst Cédric Kahn’s *15/18 – A Place to Heal* deals with violence and passion amongst young people in a psychiatric institution.
Two films screening at the start of the 2026 Venice Film Festival explore America’s imperial entanglements in the 20th century: “Wild Horse Nine” by Martin McDonagh and “Why Did You Kill People, Mr. Nelson?” by Shinya Tsukamoto.
INTERFILM’s festival correspondent, Peter Paul Huth, reports on the opening of the 83rd Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica.
INTERFILM member Hans-Martin Gutmann traces a narrative arc from his departure for the KVIFF 2026, through his work on the festival’s Ecumenical Jury and its decision on the winner, right up to his return.
Obituary for the cultural politician, director of various film festivals and promoter of world cinema. By Peter Ciaccio, president of the Associazione protestante del cinema "Roberto Sbaffi".
"What a Laugh" by Eva Müller and Isabel Schneider and "Agnes & Amir" by Helena Hufnagel are the winner of the One-Future-Prize (ex aequo) at the Filmfest Munich 2026.
Dossier
The lists in this dossier summarize the church film awards of past years.