Giovanni Veronesi’s ‘Dio ride’ Set as Closing Film of Venice Film Festival

Dio ride, directed by Giovanni Veronesi, will world premiere as the closing film of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

Starring in the film are Pierfrancesco Favino, Silvio Orlando, Alma Noce, Francesco Gheghi, Maurizio Lombardi, Paolo Rossi, and Carlo Cecchi in the role of Pope Innocent X.

Set in the mid-1600s and loosely based on true events, the movie centers on freedom, the power of the truth, and the relationship between people and power, with its shadows and contradictions. With his profound humanity, the friar Frate Leopoldo will change the lives of the people he encounters.

Director Giovanni Veronesi, known for The King’s Musketeers, Manual of Love, For Love, Only for Love, said, “I struggle to express my emotions well; I find it difficult to admit when I’m thrilled or happy. However, this time, the invitation to the Venice Film Festival left me surprised and honored. I am happy—there, I’ve said it.”

Here is the synopsis: During the mid-1600s, there is a man who talks of God in a way that no one has ever done before: Frate Leopoldo da Casamacchia. While the Church preaches in Latin, Fra Leopoldo recounts the Gospel with contagious joy, bringing comfort and hope to those who listen to him. He speaks of a God who is close to the people and is even able to laugh with them. His message spreads from village to village, winning the hearts of thousands of people who begin to follow him everywhere, as the churches empty out. The clamor reaches Rome and the echo of that voice sounds dangerous to those who, by then, govern through fear. The Pope decides to entrust the case to Cardinal Maculani, the most authoritative inquisitor of his era. What begins as a trial, turns into an unexpected confrontation that is destined to challenge seemingly unshakable convictions. While Leopoldo’s destiny seems foreordained, the destinies of Maculani and those who, like him, are overcome by doubt take unexpected directions. Because you can silence a voice but not what that voice has left in others.

Dio ride will be released in Italian cinemas on October 29, distributed by PiperFilm; international sales are handled by Piperplay.

Festival Director Alberto Barbera stated, “We will close on a high note thanks to Giovanni Veronesi and his magnificent cast, to whom we owe the successful blend of irony and lightness applied to a traditionally serious topic. It is a tone that belongs to the finest tradition of a certain Italian cinema, one that has been overlooked for far too long.”

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival of the Biennale di Venezia, directed by Alberto Barbera will take place September 2 – 12, 2026. Dio ride will have its world premiere screening on Saturday, September 12, in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia, after the awards ceremony.