Jim Jarmusch’s long-awaited feature “Father Mother Sister Brother” is set to debut in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, running 27 August–6 September 2025 on the Lido.
The anthology follows three interconnected family stories across the United States, Ireland and France, and marks Jarmusch’s first narrative feature since The Dead Don’t Die in 2019. Its ensemble includes Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling, Mayim Bialik, Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat. Principal photography wrapped quietly in Ireland and France last June.
The road to Venice has been unusually circuitous. Early trade chatter tipped the film for Cannes, yet it was absent from Thierry Frémaux’s April line-up announcement, prompting speculation about a late switch to the autumn circuit. World of Reel later reported that the project “skipped Cannes” and became a leading contender for Venice after the festival’s selection committee passed on it.
Distribution is in place. Mubi boarded the film in February, taking multi-territory rights as part of a broader production pact with Fremantle and Animal Kingdom. The streamer, fresh from a $100 million investment round led by Sequoia Capital, has signalled that the picture will receive a limited theatrical rollout before landing on its platform.
Jarmusch has teased an unusually spare approach. Speaking at the Overlook Film Festival, he described the work as “very subtle…quiet, funny and sad,” adding that he may omit music entirely to preserve its tone.
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera has already confirmed that Alexander Payne will head the main-competition jury and that Werner Herzog will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, setting a high-profile backdrop for Jarmusch’s return. If the filmmaker’s ninth trip to a major European festival resonates with jurors, it could deliver the first top-tier prize of his nearly four-decade career.
