Alberto Barbera

Alberto Barbera (born 20 February 1950) is an Italian film critic and festival curator, who is director of the Venice Film Festival.

Life and career Born in Biella, Barbera graduated in modern literature with a thesis about cinema history, and then started collaborating with the Turin film association AIACE, being its president between 1977 and 1989. Between 1980 and 1983 he was the film critic of the newspaper Gazzetta del Popolo, In 1982, he began a long collaboration with the Turin Film Festival, first as press officer, then as secretary-general and member of the selection committee from 1984 to 1988, and finally as director from 1989 to 1998. In December 2011, Barbera was appointed president of the Venice Festival for the second time. In May 2024, his last mandate was extended until 2026. In March 2026, his tenure was prolonged, setting its new end date in 2028.

Awards and accolades 2000 — titled Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France; 2019 — ranked one of the 500 most influential persons in show business by Variety; 2021 — International Achievement in Film Award by Variety; 2022 — Special Mention at Gotham Awards.