Alberto Barbera on Daniel Craig, the Oscar Circus, and Venice's Role
Every festival has its ghosts. For Alberto Barbera, the long-serving artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, one specter still lingers: Daniel Craig in Queer. A performance so raw, so fearless—heroin sweat, broken bravado, Mexico's sticky nights clinging to every frame—that Barbera bet on it for an Oscar nod. And yet, Hollywood's voting body shrugged. No nomination. Nothing.
So when Variety pressed him this year about which films in Venice's 82nd edition might shape the next Academy Awards, Barbera's answer was sharp and uncharacteristically weary: he's done predicting. “I was sure that Daniel Craig would have landed a Best Actor nomination [for Luca Guadagnino's Queer] and that didn't happen.”
It wasn't the first time the Oscar gods proved fickle. Barbera once placed his chips on The Killer and Ferrari—only to watch them stall out. He's seen “sure things” collapse (The Son, anyone?) and smaller curiosities catch unexpected fire. Venice is still Hollywood's front porch—recent years have launched Best Picture winners—but Barbera isn't willing to play crystal-ball reader anymore. The volatility, he argues, is baked into the system.
That doesn't mean Venice has lost its heat. Quite the opposite. This year's lineup (kicking off August 28 – September 7, 2025) is stacked with heavyweight names: Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Andrew Garfield. Throw in Olivier Assayas' The Wizard of the Kremlin with Jude Law embodying Vladimir Putin, plus Kaouther Ben Hania's Gaza-set The Voice of Hind Rajab, and you've got the kind of combustible mix festivals are made for—art colliding with politics, red carpets colliding with real-world unrest.
Barbera admits, though, that with an “embarrassment of riches” comes risk. “When you create very high expectations, the risk of generating disappointment is greater,” he told Variety. No kidding. Venice may be synonymous with glamour and discovery, but it's also a crucible where hype meets reality. Some films will soar, others will crumble under the weight of anticipation.
And there are practical headaches, too—skyrocketing accommodation costs on the Lido, the looming 2030 renovation of the historic Hotel Des Bains, and his own expiring mandate after the 2026 edition. Add in expected Gaza protests and a simmering debate about the lack of women directors in competition (just 26% of the lineup, a figure Barbera insists reflects the global production trend), and you realize how much this man is juggling while the cameras flash.
Still, the Craig saga hangs in the air like unfinished business. A reminder that the Oscars are not, and never will be, a meritocracy in pure form. That sometimes the performance of a career—an actor tearing himself open in a Guadagnino fever dream—gets left in the cold. And maybe that's why Barbera has chosen to step back from prophecy. Venice doesn't need to predict the future; it just needs to host it.
What You Should Know About Barbera's Venice Outlook
Daniel Craig's ‘Queer' Snub Still Stings
Barbera admits he was “sure” Craig would land a Best Actor nod—proof that even festival chiefs misread Academy winds.
Venice 2025 Runs August 28 – September 7
The 82nd edition packs star-studded premieres from Julia Roberts to Cate Blanchett, while still making space for politically charged films.
Oscar Predictions Are Off the Table
Barbera has sworn off forecasting after years of “wrong calls.” Venice, he says, is no longer a launchpad with guarantees.
Politics Will Spill Onto the Lido
Expect pro-Gaza protests, as confirmed by Barbera, alongside Jude Law's uncanny turn as Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin.
Mandate Ends in 2026
Barbera's tenure wraps after next year's edition, though he insists this isn't a role one applies for—it's one the Biennale offers.
