Alberto Barbera

Alberto Barbera (born 20 February 1950) is an Italian film critic and festival curator, who currently serves as 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, and later collaborated with several publications, including La Stampa, as well as with radio and television programs. 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.

Between December 1998 and April 2002 Barbera served as president of the Venice Film Festival, heading three editions (1999, 2000 and 2001). In 2004, he was nominated director of the National Museum of Cinema in Turin. In December 2011, Barbera was appointed president of the Venice Festival for the second time. He was confirmed in this role for two more mandates, with the last term set to expire in 2024. In May 2024, his last mandate was extended until 2026.