Venice opens 2026 festival with restored cinema classics

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to run from September 2 to 12, has announced its Venice Classics lineup, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The section will showcase newly restored works by John Cassavetes, Luis Buñuel, Isabella Rossellini and others, alongside seldom-seen films by Roman Polanski, Ann Hui, Andrzej Wajda and Alexander Kluge. The programme also includes Ernst Lubitsch's anti-war satire 'To Be or Not to Be' and works by director Roger Corman, marking an effort to draw international cinephiles to Venice with a curated retrospective spanning decades of world cinema.

The restoration and public screening of such films represents a significant commitment to film preservation at a moment when archival work has become a central concern for festivals worldwide. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the curation reflects a broader recognition that cinema history requires active intervention—cleaning, stabilizing, and re-examining prints that might otherwise deteriorate or remain inaccessible. Venice's decision to devote a major section of its programme to these restored works positions the festival as a custodian of cinema heritage, not merely a venue for new productions.