George Clooney Gives Powerful Speech at Venice Film Festival 2026, Calls Out 'Authoritarians' While Being Honored with Golden Lion Award | Just Jared
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George Clooney just received a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award!
The Oscar-winning actor, 65, was presented the Golden Lion Award during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Venice Film Festival on Wednesday (September 2) in Venice, Italy.
George, who wore Giorgio Armani, was joined by his wife Amal, who stunned in a Tom Ford gown.
George Clooney has been attending the Venice Film Festival for years!
George‘s first movie at the festival was Out of Sight back in 1998. In the years since, he has screened Michael Clayton in 2007, Burn After Reading in 2008, and Gravity in 2013.
His movie Good Night, and Good Luck played at the festival in 2005 and won George the Best Screenplay prize.
George and Amal later got married in Venice in 2014.
Laura Dern presented the award to George Clooney
Laura Dern praised George as a co-star and director.
“You immediately become a better actor. He is a lifeline to pure truth. You are on set with a master. He watches his fellow actors like a hawk. You can feel George rooting for you,” she said (via THR). “He only wants everyone to win, and like a camp counselor, he shows up every day reminding us that movie making is a bliss-filled privilege.”
George Clooney called out authoritarians during his speech
George pointed out how movies bring people from around the world together and there is no language for emotion.
“Nobody laughs in a different language. Nobody cries in a different language. Parents worry the same. Kids dream the same. Love looks remarkably similar in language, which makes it hard to believe that we’re as different as we’re constantly being told. We’re living through a moment in time where people in charge, the people with the most money are telling us to fear one another,” George said (via THR). “But we know better than that, don’t we?”
George continued, “The first people that authoritarians tried to shut down are not politicians. They’re journalists who ask questions. They’re the artists who refuse simple answers. They’re the filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians who insist that someone you have never met is deserving of your empathy. Stories are always dangerous to people who peddle in fear. The people who are afraid of books and music and stories, they’re never the heroes in history. So yes, movies don’t stop wars. They don’t lower inflation. They don’t fix elections, but they do do something remarkable. They remind us that a stranger is never a stranger and that he might just be the hero in somebody else’s story. And if we can still sit together in the dark and care about people that we have never met, I think maybe we’ll be OK.”
George spoke out about some controversies earlier in the day during his press conference.
Posted To:2026 Venice Film Festival Amal Alamuddin Clooney amal clooney Event Photos George Clooney Laura Dern venice film festival
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