Founded in 1932, the annual Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica) is the oldest film festival in the world and remains one of the most prestigious. For 11 days in late summer the glitterati of the film industry, plus their entourage of press and fans, take over the Lido. The main venue is the marble-and-glass Palazzo del Cinema, where official competition screenings take place. Other screens can be found in the Palazzo del Casinò, the striking red box of the Sala Giardino and the 1,700 seater Palabiennale marquee.
Many screenings are open to the public, with tickets from as little as €5 (in 2017) available online until two days before the event; multi-ticket subscriptions are also available. Note that competition films are likely to sell out quickly. Further details, including a full programme of screenings, are available on the official Biennale website.