People We’re Most Excited to See at Venice

Clooney receives Venice's lifetime Golden Lion with a body of work broad enough to include movie-star charm, sharp comedy and serious directing.

Pattinson's choices remain unusually adventurous for an actor of his scale, so a Venice appearance usually points toward a project worth investigating.

Noel Gallagher brings the Oasis reunion story into an unexpected festival setting, where his dry resistance to ceremony should be part of the interest.

Guadagnino understands glamour, desire and discomfort equally well, a combination particularly suited to the scale and scrutiny of Venice.

Rohrwacher combines rural life, history and fable with a tone that belongs entirely to her, making any new Venice project immediately worth attention.

Fastvold's work has become bolder and more exact, making her presence interesting on the strength of direction rather than her creative partnerships.

Swinton treats festival appearances as part performance and part collaboration with designers, while the films usually justify the attention.

Park Chan-wook's presence raises the level of any festival because his films combine exact visual control with characters capable of ruining that control.

Cruz brings intelligence and comic precision to star power, making her a more interesting festival presence than celebrity alone would justify.

Liam Gallagher is unlikely to adopt the polished behavior expected on a Venice carpet, which makes the appearance more alive than another managed arrival.