Phoebe Bridgers, the Gallagher brothers and more stars arrive at the 2026 Venice Film Festival

By Tanya Fevzi, CNN

The Venice Film Festival, which typically sees Hollywood A-listers travel by boat to the little island of Lido every September, is well underway. So far, much of the fashion at the 10-day event has been muted, elegant and pared-back. Black gowns have been abundant on the red carpet — from the festival’s jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal to actors Chase Sui Wonders, Laura Dern, Vittoria Ceretti, Amal Clooney and Rooney Mara. There have been some bright spots, though — such as Kendall Jenner’s Venice debut in golden archival Fall-Winter 1995 Armani, and John Malkovich’s joyfully irreverent Shakespearean-style frilly collar by Dior.

Exemplary duo dressing has been everywhere, too. From the his-and-hers Tom Ford looks worn by George and Amal Clooney on opening night, to the monochromatic clashing of Rooney and Kate Mara, who arrived at the premiere of Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard” in Louis Vuitton and Armani Privé respectively. It culminated on Saturday night when Britpop legends Noel and Liam Gallagher made a rare joint appearance on the red carpet, eschewing their trademark streetwear for low-key, all-black looks.

The event has come to be seen as an early finger in the wind ahead of the Oscars. This year, the movies in the running for the Golden Lion prize are deep, dark and, politically charged. Danny Boyle’s “Ink” – an adaptation of the acclaimed play about the early years of Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) and his acquisition of London tabloid paper “The Sun” – kicked off the festival. “Primetime,” the thriller biopic about Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” presenter Chris Hansen, starring Robert Pattinson and musician Phoebe Bridgers, followed; and on Wednesday, attendees will see Florian Zeller’s “Bunker,” in which real-life partners Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem play a couple whose marriage becomes strained after the husband agrees to build a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire. However, the lineup has drawn criticism for its lack of female directors — this year just two films, May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown” and Rachel Szor’s “NAZA,” directed by women are in the main competition for the grand prize.

“There’s a systemic problem. It’s much harder for women to get their films financed,” said Gyllenhaal, “Who decides what’s good and valuable?” The director is also screening a short Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Dakota Johnson and Ellen Burstyn, though it’s not competing.

Scroll down to see this year’s best and boldest looks

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