Why Are Studios Ghosting Film Festivals?

Plus: A “Twist of Fate” Changed Princess Diana’s Last Summer

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September 1, 2026

With earlier sunsets and a hint of chill in the air, it’s almost Moira Rose’s favorite season: awards. The sprint toward the Oscars unofficially begins with a trifecta of September festivals, the first of which opens tomorrow—though, as Rebecca Ford points out, this year’s Venice Film Festival seems a little more muted than last year’s. Why? Put frankly, it may be because a bunch of the big movies that debuted at Venice last year wound up crashing and burning on their quest for Academy Awards. Please read her juicy analysis while sipping on your drink of choice. Perhaps an Aperol Spritz? Elsewhere, Nick Remsen profiles tennis phenom Ben Shelton, Chris Murphy previews Venice’s most noteworthy debuts, and VF looks back at fest’s most fashionable entrances of all time. (Say it with me now: Lady Gaga on a water taxi!) More tomorrow.

HILLARY BUSIS FEATURES EDITOR

Fewer Stars, Higher Stakes: What’s Really Behind Venice’s Slimmed-Down Slate   By Rebecca Ford Why isn’t Hollywood showing up on the Lido this year? Sources blame last year’s flameouts, soaring costs, and social media’s looming effects. Read more

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CIAO BELLA   What to Expect From Fall’s First Major Film Festival   By Chris Murphy   A sneak peak at what’s to come from the 83rd Venice Film Festival, including buzzy titles like Primetime, Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, NAZA, and more. Read more

SPORTS   Is Ben Shelton Tennis’s Next Big Celebrity?   By Nick Remsen   At 23, Shelton’s got a thundering serve, the support of girlfriend Trinity Rodman, and Patrick McEnroe’s vote to win the US Open. Read more

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The Venice Film Festival’s 40 Most Fashionable Entrances Ever   By Kenzie Bryant and Kase Wickman   There are few things more glamorous than a red carpet, but the Venice Film Festival 2025 has found a way to level up the whole idea of making an entrance: Do it on a boat. Held on the barrier island of Lido, just outside Venice proper, stars attending the Venice Film Festival don their finest fashion for red-carpet premieres and then make the most chic entrance imaginable, arriving not in a stretch limo or chauffeured SUV or even on a litter carried by shirtless attendants, but literally gliding into the scene, ferried on a little wooden water taxi or a flashy speedboat. Float with us through the best VIP arrivals in the film festival’s history. Read more

A “Twist of Fate” Changed Princess Diana’s Last Summer—and Altered History In late August 1997, a planned trip to Italy with a girlfriend fell through, and Princess Diana found herself taking up Dodi Al Fayed’s offer for a Mediterranean cruise instead.

Kate Middleton Wore Dazzling New Chandelier Earrings to Church at Balmoral Prince William, Princess Kate, and other members of the royal family gathered for a church service during their annual summer holiday to Scotland.

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