Nothing says “film is still art” like a quiet Midwestern director judging Cannes' rebellious cousin.
Alexander Payne, the sharp-eyed satirist behind Sideways and The Descendants, has been named jury president for the 2025 Venice Film Festival. And while the headlines cheer, the subtext is thornier than it looks.
Payne isn't just showing up to hand out a trophy. He's stepping into a role that's become a referendum on where global cinema is heading—and who gets to steer that ship.
The Prestige, The Pressure
Payne will preside over the 82nd edition of the world's oldest film festival from August 27 to September 6. He'll lead a jury tasked with selecting the Golden Lion winner—one of the few film honors that can still mint careers or resurrect them.
“It's an enormous honor and joy,” Payne said in a statement that oozed earnest humility. “I revere the Venice Film Festival's nearly 100-year history.”
Translation: He knows the weight of this gig. And so does Venice director Alberto Barbera, who justified the pick by painting Payne as a cinephile's cinephile—equal parts scholar and storyteller. “No boundaries or barriers,” Barbera said, practically reciting the festival's mission statement.
But that's where the cracks start to show.
A Jury of Echoes
In the past five years, the Venice jury has leaned hard into prestige. Think: Damien Chazelle. Bong Joon Ho. Cate Blanchett. All celebrated, all respected—but all safely within the system. Payne, too, fits the mold: white, male, Oscar-approved.
Yes, he's made beautiful films. But is Payne's brand of thoughtful, sepia-toned storytelling what global cinema needs more of right now?
At a time when filmmakers from the Global South, queer voices, and digital-native auteurs are rewriting the rules, Payne's appointment feels both overdue and oddly offbeat. It's like inviting Wes Anderson to judge TikTok videos—charming, but disconnected.
Venice's Real Dilemma
This isn't about Payne. It's about the festival. Venice has always flirted with rebellion (Joker, Titane, Poor Things), but it's never fully married it. Cannes is the snob. Berlin is the activist. Venice? Venice is the diplomat in designer sunglasses.
By choosing Payne, Barbera might be doubling down on craft at a time when chaos might be more honest. Films aren't just getting weirder—they're getting angrier, faster, rawer. And sometimes, better for it.
Take Atlantics (Mati Diop), EO (Jerzy Skolimowski), or Happening (Audrey Diwan)—all past winners or contenders that challenged form, not just content. Would a Payne-led jury have picked them? Or would they have gone safer?
Still, Give the Man His Due
This isn't Payne's first dance with Europe. His films have long found favor overseas, where subtle satire and humanist melancholy are viewed less as slow than as sincere. And let's not forget The Holdovers—his latest hit—which, beneath its retro styling, took surprising swings at class, grief, and legacy.
Plus, his upcoming projects suggest he's not coasting: a Danish-language film, a Western, and a sequel to Election. That's not complacency. That's curiosity.
The Verdict? Jury's Out
So what should we expect in August? Probably an awards race that prizes nuance over noise. Possibly a lineup that nods to the past while inching toward the future.
The real drama won't be on the Lido red carpet. It'll be in the screening rooms—where Payne and his jury will have to decide what 2025 cinema looks like. Old soul? Or new blood?
Would you let the director of Sideways decide the future of film? Comment below.
