Travelers, the news is official: Alexander Payne will head the Venice 82 jury! That’s right: Alexander Payne President of the Jury at Venice Film Festival 2025.
We’re talking about a big news that will make all film lovers’ hearts beat! Alexander Payne will be the International Jury President at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, from August 27 to September 6, 2025.
Yes, you read that right! The genius director of masterpieces like Sideways, Nebraska, The Descendants and The Holdovers has been chosen to lead the Jury that will award the Golden Lion and all official prizes.
Find out more in this guide by Venice Insider Guide, where we’ll tell you who is Alexander Payne, why this is a historic choice and what to expect from the next edition of the Festival.
Being the Alexander Payne president of the jury at the Venice Film Festival 2025
Being the president of the Jury at the Venice Film Festival is not a small job: it requires artistic sensitivity, analytical skills and an extraordinary mental flexibility.
Alexander Payne will have to lead a group of maximum nine film and culture personalities from all over the world in the difficult task of:
- Evaluating the films in competition
- Discussing, debating and sometimes arguing amicably
- Awarding the best of international cinema
With great honesty and humility, Payne said:
"It’s a great honor and a pleasure to be part of the Venice jury. I confess I’m a director’s embarrassment to have to compare films against each other, but I bow down to the almost centennial history of the Venice Film Festival, which celebrates cinema as an art. I couldn’t be more excited".
The prizes awarded by Alexander Payne at the Venice Film Festival 2025
On the final night, September 6, 2025, the Jury led by Payne will award the official prizes of the Biennale:
Golden Lion for Best Film
The most coveted award, symbol of excellence and cinematic innovation.
Silver Lion - Jury Grand Prize
A special prize for a particularly deserving work.
Silver Lion - Best Director
For the best director in competition.
Volpi Cup for Best Actress
The award for the best actress.
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
The award for the best actor.
Screenwriting Prize
A tribute to the authors of the most intense and original stories.
Special Jury Prize
An out-of-competition prize that celebrates extraordinary works.
Marcello Mastroianni Prize
Awarded to a young emerging actor or actress ready to conquer the world.
Why Alexander Payne is the perfect choice for Venice 82?
Here because Alexander Payne is the perfect choice for Venice 82.
Love for the seventh art
Payne is not just a talented filmmaker, he’s also a passionate defender of the cinematic heritage. He’s an active member of the Film Foundation Board, the association founded by Martin Scorsese to preserve films, and the Telluride Film Festival.
Deep knowledge of film history
His gaze moves effortlessly from classic cinema to contemporary languages. He’s curious, inclusive, always ready to discover new voices and new ways to tell the world.
International experience
With films set in rural America and journeys that touch universal chords, Payne has a global sensibility. Perfect to judge works from every corner of the globe.## Venice 2025: a festival to remember
The 82nd International Art of Cinema Festival will be unmissable.
With Alexander Payne as President of the Jury, there will be extraordinary films, established directors and emerging talents ready to amaze.
Not only: the Venice Festival is more than a film festival. It’s an art, glamour, magic red carpet meetings and passionate debates. An intense experience, day by day.
What to expect from the Venice Film Festival award ceremony with President of the Jury Alexander Payne
The final ceremony on September 6 will be one of the highlights.
Under Payne’s guidance, the Jury will reveal the winners in a crescendo of emotions. And then, applause, speeches, toasts under the Venetian sky.
Imagine the magic: the lights reflected on the lagoon, the names that become legend, the future classics born right there, in that moment.
Alexander Payne: a President of irony, depth and love for cinema
Who knows Alexander Payne knows that we’re not talking about a simple director, but a true poet of human comedy.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Payne has conquered the international audience and critics with his unique style: elegant, human, funny and moving at the same time.
After graduating in Spanish literature at Stanford, he specialized in film direction at UCLA, and has since had a career full of successes and awards. His films, all comedies with a melancholic tone, have been nominated for 24 Oscars, with four nominations for Best Film and three for Best Director.And that’s not all: Payne has won two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, for Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011).
His latest film, The Holdovers - Lezioni di vita (2023), has once again confirmed his talent, and won the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
A president, in short, who promises to bring a refined, curious and boundaryless gaze, just as stated by the Artistic Director of the Biennale, Alberto Barbera.
"Alexander Payne is one of those rare breed of cineasts-cinephiles whose passion for cinema is fueled by knowledge of the past and curiosity for the present", said Barbera.
Alexander Payne president of the jury at the Venice Film Festival 2025
Even as President of the Jury, Alexander Payne never stops dreaming and planning.
He’s already working on a new film set in rural Denmark. A project that promises intimate and poetic atmospheres, in line with his unique style. And in his pocket, he’s still keeping a dream: to make a western.
Who knows, maybe after Venice 2025 will be the time to make it happen!Dear travelers and travelers, the news is clear: Alexander Payne President of the Jury at the Venice Film Festival 2025 is a choice that promises class, expertise and passion.
Now we just have to get ready to live an edition of the Festival that will be historic. With international stars, dream films and that unique atmosphere that only Venice can give.
We at Venice Insider Guide will tell you all about it, step by step.
Are you ready to join us on this wonderful journey among the wonders of cinema and the Serenissima?