In 2019, director Todd Phillips unexpectedly took Venice's top prize, the Golden Lion, with his comic book movie about the Batman villain "Joker," starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. In the sequel, Phoenix finds his match in Lady Gaga, who plays a music therapist who shares Joker's delusions. Given the mixed reviews, a second Golden Lion for the Joker would be even more surprising.

Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera has been skillfully launching movies that combine aesthetic flair and Oscar potential, drawing Hollywood stars and international gems. "Youth Homecoming," by Chinese director Wang Bing, is the only documentary competing for the Golden Lion this year. The competition jury is led by actress Isabelle Huppert. The awards will be announced on September 7.

From the trauma of fascism to capitalism: This 215-minute historical epic chronicles 30 years in the life of a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who, having survived the Holocaust, flees postwar Europe and attempts to rebuild his legacy by pursuing the American dream. The film by US director Brady Corbet, starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, was widely praised by critics.

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain is known for capturing portrayals of strong women in films such as "Jackie" (2016) and "Spencer" (2021). In this Venice competition entry, he zooms in on the life of one of the most influential opera singers of the 20th century, Maria Callas. Angelina Jolie stars in the title role of the diva; critics predict a possible Oscar comeback for the actress.

Following his erotic tennis drama "Challengers," released earlier this year, Luca Guadagnino's latest work is based on an unfinished novel by US cult author William S. Burroughs. In a role that starkly contrasts with his James Bond fame, Daniel Craig stunned critics with his portrayal of a drug-addicted, horny gay American expat drifting in Mexico City in 1950.

Explicit sex scenes have taken on a starring role in different works premiering at the Venice Film Festival. Halina Reijn's erotic thriller flips traditional gender roles in the workplace sexual relationships narrative. Nicole Kidman offers a fearless performance as a top executive who dives into a sadomasochistic affair with an intern, endangering every other aspect of her life.

The first English-language feature by Spanish master Pedro Almodovar was another Venice favorite. "The Room Next Door" brings together Tilda Swinton in the role of a war reporter suffering from terminal cancer and Julianne Moore as her friend, a successful novelist. The film received a 17-minute standing ovation. Showbiz reporters highlight lengthy clapping as a barometer of a film's success.

Brazilian director Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries") offers an emotional political drama highlighting the cruelty of his home country's military rule from 1964 to 1985. "I'm Still Here" follows a woman's battle to find out what happened to her husband who was "disappeared." Fernanda Torres (pictured) has been praised for her standout performance.

Adapted from Nicolas Mathieu's bestselling novel of the same title, this coming-of-age drama directed by brothers Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma portrays disillusioned youths in a post-industrial French town in the 1990s. The socioeconomic tensions and racism of the time still echo today. Some critics have praised the film's dirty social realism, while others felt the melodrama was overblown.

The abortion drama by Georgian Dea Kulumbegashvili emerged as one of the strongest works of the festival. An obstetrician comes under investigation after she mishandles a delivery that leads to the baby's death. What complicates things is that she's also an illegal abortion provider in rural Georgia. An exploration of the cruel impact of patriarchy on female lives, with the feel of a horror movie.

Justin Kurzel's neo-Nazi true-crime thriller is based on a non-fiction book chronicling the rise in the 1980s of the Silent Brotherhood, a violent far-right movement that attracted average US citizens. Jude Law stars in the role of an FBI agent who is the first to suspect that domestic terrorists are behind a wave of crimes. "Sadly, the relevance speaks for itself," the actor told the press.

Tim Burton's sequel to his cult film from 1988 isn't aiming for a Golden Lion, as it premiered out of competition. But it kicked off the festival with a boost of bonkers fun. Stars from the original film, such as Winona Ryder (photo) and Michael Keaton as the ghoulish demon, reprise their roles. They're joined by other stars, including Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe. It now hits theaters worldwide.

Dark, morbid and poetic: The film adaptation of Anne Rice's novel was arguably Brad Pitt's international breakthrough. He plays a vampire who is about 200 years old and feels pity for his victims, a story he chronicles to a reporter. In the other leading roles: Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst, who was only eleven at the time.

A serial killer plays a brutal game of cat and mouse with a young detective (Pitt) and his partner Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) in a rainy US city. He stages the seven deadly sins with his murder victims, and eventually turns Mills into a murderer himself with his cruelest "coup." An ingenious mixture of horror, thriller and film noir.

After a tragically failed prank, four boys end up in a home where they are severely abused by the wardens. Years later, two of the four boys track down and shoot their most hated tormentor and end up in court. The prosecutor is the third of the group (Pitt), who, together with the fourth, a journalist, does everything in their power to lose the case and take revenge on the other perpetrators.

In the role of the Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, Brad Pitt once again impressively shows that he is more than a blond pretty boy: His character is rugged, cold, lonely and vulnerable. Commissioned by the Nazis to climb Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, Harrer falls into British captivity, manages to escape and meets the young Dalai Lama. A deep friendship develops.

The narrator (Ed Norton) is a frustrated office worker who meets a charismatic anti-consumerist, Tyler Durden (Pitt). He encourages Pitt to beat him up, before the two roam the city looking for more men who want to engage in bare-knuckle fistfights. A secret "fight club" is founded, where men fight each other and return to everyday life feeling stronger. But Durden has bigger plans.

The three-part "Ocean's" series got off to a furious start in 2001 with a star-studded cast. Brad Pitt plays Rusty, one of the eleven crooks around Danny Ocean (George Clooney) who want to rob the biggest casino in Las Vegas. With the stellar leads, casually elegant production, fast cuts and the jazzy, funky soundtrack, director Steven Soderbergh delivered perfect popcorn cinema.

A genuine sandal film was apparently still missing from Brad Pitt's repertoire. In "Troy," inspired by Homer's Greek hero saga "Iliad" and shot by German director Wolfgang Petersen, Pitt plays the strong man Achilles. Pitt convincingly portrays the warrior with his heroics but also his human side.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," in which the future spouses both played assassins. Their profession is so secret, however, that neither are aware that the other is a killer. Until, without suspecting it, they are ordered to hit each other. Pitt and Jolie became a Hollywood dream couple after the filming, but in 2016, Jolie filed for divorce.

Quentin Tarantino's classic comedic war film brought together German, Austrian and US actors in a unique ensemble cast. Pitt (right) plays a Nazi hunter in World War II who leads a squad of underground fighters. He encounters the Nazi commander Landa (Christoph Waltz), who is as cruel as he is smart, and of whom he makes a bloody example at the end.

This Tarantino film won Brad Pitt an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It follows an aging Western star (Leonardo di Caprio) and his stunt double Cliff (Pitt) for 24 hours through Hollywood in 1969, and throws everything in: Drugs, alcohol, hippies and a murderous family, which also provides a classic Tarantino bloodbath at the end.

Hitman Ladybug (Pitt, left) is supposed to do a job on a Japanese bullet train. Unfortunately, he has colleagues on board who get in his way. They each have their own job, but they all seem to have something to do with each other. That's why the hellish journey doesn't end at the final station. The film will be released in German cinemas on August 4.