Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The Venice Film Festival is happening now in Italy. It runs from September 2 to September 12, 2026. The festival is on the Venice Lido.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an actress from America. She is also a filmmaker. This year, she is the president of the jury. The jury picks the best films.
Gyllenhaal talked to reporters. She said only two women directors have films in the competition. She said, "There's a systemic problem." She said it is hard for women to get money for their films.
Alberto Barbera runs the festival. He said the films from women were "not enough" this year. The festival opened with a movie called "Ink" by Danny Boyle. Other jury members are Johnnie To, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Shahrbanoo Sadat.
- festival
- A special event where many films are shown over several days.
- jury
- A group of people who watch the films and choose the winners.
- president
- The leader of a group, like the jury.
- director
- The person who makes a film and tells everyone what to do.
- competition
- A contest where films try to win a prize.
- actress
- A woman who acts in films or plays.
- filmmaker
- A person who makes films.
- reporter
- A person who asks questions and writes news stories.
Level 2 — Elementary
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival is taking place from September 2 to September 12, 2026, on the Venice Lido in Italy. Every year, a jury watches the films and chooses the winners.
This year, the jury president is Maggie Gyllenhaal, an American actress and filmmaker. She is only the third woman to lead the Venice jury in the last five years, after Isabelle Huppert in 2024 and Julianne Moore in 2022.
At a press conference around September 2, Gyllenhaal noticed that only two women directors had films in the main competition. She told reporters, "There's a systemic problem," and explained that it is much harder for women filmmakers to find money to make their films.
Festival director Alberto Barbera answered that the quality of the films submitted by women this year "was not enough" to include more of them. The festival opened on September 2 with Danny Boyle's film "Ink," and Gyllenhaal's jury also includes filmmakers Johnnie To, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Shahrbanoo Sadat.
- festival
- A public event, often lasting several days, where films are shown and judged.
- jury
- A group chosen to watch the entries and decide which ones win awards.
- competition
- The group of films chosen to compete against each other for prizes.
- director
- The person in charge of making a film, guiding actors and the crew.
- filmmaker
- Someone who creates films, often as a writer, director, or producer.
- systemic
- Affecting an entire system, not just one isolated case.
- financed
- Given the money needed to pay for something, such as making a film.
- lineup
- The full list of films or people included in an event.
Level 3 — Intermediate
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival opened on September 2, 2026, and will continue through September 12 on the Venice Lido, once again positioning itself as one of the most closely watched events on the international film calendar.
Presiding over this year's jury is Maggie Gyllenhaal, the American actress and filmmaker who becomes only the third woman to head the Lido jury in five years, following Isabelle Huppert in 2024 and Julianne Moore in 2022, a pattern that has drawn attention to gender representation at the top of the festival itself.
At a press conference held around the festival's opening, Gyllenhaal raised concerns about the lineup she now has to judge, pointing out that just two women directors had films selected for the main competition. "There's a systemic problem," she told reporters, arguing that women filmmakers face much greater difficulty securing financing for their projects than their male counterparts.
Festival director Alberto Barbera pushed back, insisting that the quality of submissions from women directors this year "was not enough" to justify a larger presence in the competition. Gyllenhaal will weigh these questions alongside fellow jurors Johnnie To, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Shahrbanoo Sadat, while the festival itself opened with Danny Boyle's "Ink."
- preside
- To be in charge of a group or event, such as a jury.
- representation
- The presence and inclusion of a particular group among the whole.
- lineup
- The complete set of films or entries chosen for an event.
- financing
- The money and funding needed to complete a project.
- submission
- A film or piece of work sent in to be considered for selection.
- counterpart
- A person who holds a similar position or role in a comparable group.
- justify
- To give good reasons for a decision or action.
- competition
- A structured contest, or the set of entries competing within it.
Level 4 — Advanced
Venice's 83rd International Film Festival, running September 2 through 12 on the Lido, opened this year not only with a slate of anticipated premieres but with its jury president publicly interrogating the very selection she has been tasked with judging.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, the American actress and filmmaker chairing the international jury, is only the third woman entrusted with that role in five years, following Isabelle Huppert in 2024 and Julianne Moore in 2022, an alternation that has made the question of gender at Venice difficult to ignore even before a single award is handed out.
At a press conference around the festival's opening, Gyllenhaal pointedly noted that a mere two women directors had films selected for the main competition, telling reporters, "There's a systemic problem," and arguing that access to financing, rather than talent, remains the decisive obstacle for women attempting to get films made at all.
Festival director Alberto Barbera countered that the quality of submissions from women directors this year "was not enough" to warrant greater representation in the lineup, a defense that leaves the underlying imbalance unresolved even as Gyllenhaal, alongside fellow jurors Johnnie To, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Shahrbanoo Sadat, prepares to render judgment on a festival that opened with Danny Boyle's "Ink."
- interrogate
- To question closely and critically, often in a probing way.
- entrust
- To give someone responsibility for an important task or role.
- alternation
- A repeated pattern of switching between different people or states.
- pointedly
- In a direct, deliberate way meant to draw clear attention to something.
- decisive
- Having the most important or deciding influence on an outcome.
- obstacle
- Something that blocks progress or makes an outcome harder to reach.
- warrant
- To justify or provide sufficient grounds for something.
- imbalance
- A lack of proportion or fairness between two or more groups.
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