Unveiled on Monday, the Venice Film Festival has announced that two-time Academy Award-winning director Alexander Payne – renowned for his masterpieces such as "The Holdovers," "Sideways," and "Nebraska" – will chair this year’s international jury. Payne will preside over a panel of film professionals tasked with bestowing the prestigious Golden Lion award for the best film at the 82nd edition of the festival, which is scheduled to take place from August 27th to September 6th.
In a statement, Payne expressed his profound honor and delight at serving on the Venice jury. "It fills me with immense pride and joy to be part of this esteemed panel," he remarked. "While I share the inherent ambivalence of filmmakers towards comparing cinema against one another, I hold the Venice Film Festival in the highest regard for its almost century-long tradition of extolling film as an art form with unwavering enthusiasm. I am absolutely thrilled."
Alberto Barbera, the director of the Venice Festival, hailed Payne as belonging to an elite circle of filmmaker-cinephiles whose unwavering passion for cinema is fueled by a profound understanding of cinematic history and an insatiable curiosity about contemporary film, transcending all boundaries. "Payne's credentials, coupled with his experience as a screenwriter, render him the perfect candidate to oversee the Venice Jury, which evaluates films from all corners of the globe," Barbera enthused. "I am deeply grateful to Alexander for accepting my invitation, which marks the culmination of a friendship that dates back to the days of his graduation short film at UCLA."
Payne's films have garnered an impressive tally of 24 Oscar nominations, including four nods for Best Picture and three for Best Director. Both of his Oscar triumphs have been in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay, for "Sideways" (2004) and "The Descendants" (2011). His most recent feature, "The Holdovers" (2023), earned Da’Vine Joy Randolph the award for Best Supporting Actress. Notably, Payne has only once premiered a film in the Venice competition, with "Downsizing" making its debut on the Lido in 2017.
