The organisers of the 82st Venice International Film Festival have announced its lineup. Among the selection are five African films from Tunisian, Libyan, Moroccan, Nigerian and Algerian filmmakers, Kaouther Ben Hania, Jihan K, Maryam Touzani, Olubunmi Ogunsola, and Rachid Bouchareb.

Their films, The Voice of Hind Rajab, My Father and Qaddafi, Calle Malaga, Saint Simeon, and Boomerang Atomic, will debut in the Competition, Out of Competition (Non-Fiction), Venice Spotlight, Orizzonti Short Films International Competition, and the Out of Competition (Short Films) categories, respectively. Also Werner Herzog’s Angolan-set documentary, Ghost Elephants will also be screened at the festival. The film festival will be held from August 27 – September 6, 2025.

Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab is a compelling story of Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year along with six of her family members. The film’s official synopsis reads: January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab. While speaking about the film, Hania shared, “The heart of this film is something very simple, and very hard to live with. I cannot accept a world where a child calls for help and no one comes.”

Director K’s My Father and Qaddafi makes history as the first Libyan title to be featured at Venice in over 13 years. The film chronicles Jihan’s search for her father Mansur Rashid Kikhia, a former Libyan foreign minister, UN ambassador, and vocal non-violent opponent of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime. Commenting on her film, she said: “In my documentary film, My Father and Qaddafi, I delve into the memories of others to create a clearer picture of my father, a man I do not remember. Making this documentary helps me understand the importance of a father figure and the impact of losing a father on a family, a community, and even a country.”

Touzani’s Calle Malaga follows Maria Angeles (Maura), a 79-year-old Spanish woman living alone in Tangier. Her quiet life is disrupted when she discovers that her daughter, (played by Marta Etura) is planning to sell her house. The film shows how Maria fights to keep her property and rediscover love. Produced by Nabil Ayouch, Calle Malaga is a multinational co-production involving Ali n’Productions (Morocco), Les Films du Nouveau Monde (France), Mod Producciones (Spain), One Two Films (Germany), and Velvet Films (Belgium).

Ogunsola’s Saint Simeon is also on the festival lineup in the Orizzonti Short Films International Competition. The film stars Kanayo O. Kanayo, Ego Ihenacho, and Victor Obioha.

Bouchareb’s Boomerang Atomic will be competing in the short films category. The film from the French-Algerian filmmaker will compete against Charlie Kaufman’s How to Shoot a Ghost and Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Origin for the grand prize.

Other notable Black actors set to feature in films selected for the festival include Ayo Edebiri, Dwayne Johnson, Idris Elba, and others. This year’s Venice International Film Festival international jury, chaired by Alexander Paye will include Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Julia Ducournau, Mohammad Rasoulof, Fernanda Torres, and Zhao Tao.