Can you imagine a film festival that not only showcases cinematic masterpieces but also reflects the shadows of our darkest times? Welcome to the Venice Film Festival 2023, where monsters—both real and imagined—take center stage!

When Guillermo del Toro accepted the BAFTA for Best Director in 2018, he delivered a heartfelt tribute to Mary Shelley, proclaiming her as “the most important figure from English legacy.” Del Toro eloquently expressed, “She picked up the plight of Caliban and she gave weight to the burden of Prometheus. She gave voice to the voiceless and presence to the invisible, and she showed me that sometimes to talk about monsters, we need to fabricate monsters of our own.” This sentiment resonates deeply as del Toro finally unveils his long-anticipated adaptation of Shelley’s iconic Frankenstein at this year’s festival.

Featuring star power like Oscar Isaac as the driven scientist and Jacob Elordi as the tragic monster, del Toro's film promises to reignite Shelley’s profound exploration of humanity’s fragile interplay with monstrosity. But the unveiling of this cinematic gem arrives during a year when Venice seems particularly preoccupied with monsters of every conceivable variety.

Alberto Barbera, the artistic director of Venice, has noted that this year’s festival is intricately themed around monsters. “We have films about dictators from Mussolini to Putin, about the monstrosity of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and the very real specter of the atomic bomb,” he remarked. “These stories confront us with the terrifying reality of our world, making us question who the real monsters are.”

This year’s lineup is nothing short of compelling, featuring Olivier Assayas’s political thriller The Wizard of the Kremlin, which chronicles Vladimir Putin’s rise to power with Jude Law and Paul Dano leading the charge.

In a haunting documentary twist, Jihan K’s My Father and Qaddafi unravels the mysterious disappearance of her father at the hands of the Libyan regime, while Mihai Mincan’s Milk Teeth captures the chilling last days of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship through the eyes of a young girl. Meanwhile, Pietro Marcello’s Duse paints a portrait of artist Eleonora Duse against the backdrop of Mussolini's oppressive rise.

According to Natalie Lawrence, author of Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings, our enduring fascination with monsters speaks to our collective struggles. “Monsters have always reflected our deepest fears and societal concerns, from genocidal dictators to the mythic beasts born from our anxieties,” she explains.

This year’s festival isn’t just about fictional monsters; it also confronts the very real terror of war and nuclear threat. Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, starring Idris Elba, explores the chilling reality of a missile attack on the U.S., reminding us that multiple nations hold enough nuclear power to end civilization in mere moments.

Adding to the emotional weight, Kaouther Ben Hania's The Voice of Hind Rajab tells the tragic story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli shelling, incorporating harrowing recordings of her final desperate call for help.

As if that weren’t compelling enough, Ukrainian producer Alexander Rodnyansky, sentenced to over eight years in prison for his anti-war stance, will showcase his documentary Notes of a True Criminal, reflecting the personal toll of his country’s turbulent history.

“We are living in really dangerous times,” Barbera cautioned, sharing his belief that the post-World War II era of perceived permanent peace is crumbling before our eyes. “Filmmakers are responding with a cinema of reality, questioning the very fabric of our existence. Venice is not just a showcase; it’s a space for confrontation.”

Looking ahead, a pro-Palestinian protest is set to take place at the festival, while the Venice4Palestine group calls for a boycott of actors who have supported Israel, showing that this festival is not just about films but also about taking a stand.

A total of 21 films are vying for this year’s coveted Golden Lion, with a jury led by Alexander Payne. Among the highly anticipated entries are Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia starring Emma Stone, and Noah Baumbach’s ensemble comedy Jay Kelly, featuring a star-studded cast including George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Greta Gerwig.

Additionally, Jim Jarmusch’s anthology Father Mother Sister Brother and Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice promise to keep audiences enthralled throughout the festival.

Beyond the competition, audiences can look forward to Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, featuring Julia Roberts, and Werner Herzog’s documentary Ghost Elephants, with Herzog being honored with a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, alongside the legendary Kim Novak, known for her role in Hitchcock’s Vertigo.