Director Luca Guadagnino will receive the Glory to the Filmmaker award at the Venice Film Festival on Lido Island from Sept. 2 to 12. Guadagnino is known for directing the movies Challengers and Call Me by Your Name.
The award honors filmmakers who have significantly influenced modern cinema. Organizers have presented the prize since 2006, partnering with Jaeger-LeCoultre until 2021 and later with Cartier. Previous winners include Abbas Kiarostami, Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Brian De Palma, Ridley Scott and Wes Anderson.
Tribute from Alberto Barbera
Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera praised the creative journey of Guadagnino. Barbera said Guadagnino made curiosity the foundation of his creative freedom. He called Guadagnino a world-class director who works with top actors and producers without locking himself into one cinematic tradition. Barbera added that Guadagnino moves between genres from melodramas to horror while keeping his personal artistic style and Italian roots.
Festival Screenings and History
Guadagnino will present his seven-hour documentary Joie de vivre, dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci, at this year's event. He previously screened After the Hunt, Queer, Bones and All, Suspiria, A Bigger Splash, I Am Love and The Protagonists at Venice. He earned the Silver Lion for Best Director in 2022 for Bones and All.
The Radiotochka NSN Telegram channel noted that the 79th Cannes Film Festival took place in spring 2026. Romanian film Fjord won the Palme d'Or, while Minotaur by Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev took the Grand Prix.
