Arab Designers Take Center Stage as Stars Shine at the Venice Film Festival

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival is under way, bringing some of the biggest names in cinema to the Lido di Venezia until September 12. Founded in 1932, the world’s oldest annual film festival remains one of the industry’s most important events – and an equally significant fixture on the fashion calendar. This year, designers from across the Arab world have been particularly visible, dressing everyone from Hollywood stars to leading regional filmmakers.

Geena Davis attended the world premiere and screening of The Basics of Philosophy in a custom black-on-black Elie Saab gown at the 2026 Venice Film Festival. The fitted gown, with a deeply scooped neckline, was covered in black-on-black sequins for a sophisticated sheen. Davis's September 4 appearance at the Sala Grande coincided with celebrations of her career, including receiving an Empowerment Award at the Elle BNP Paribas Women in Venice ceremony. A red-carpet mainstay, Saab has long been a go-to for Hollywood and regional stars at film festivals, awards shows and galas, making the Lebanese designer a natural choice for Davis.

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, a Venice Film Festival regular alongside her husband, actor George Clooney, also opted for Elie Saab. This year, she wore a draped snakeskin skirt from the designer’s spring/summer 2026 collection, paired with a black vest and cognac belt worn low on the hips.

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania arrived at the opening ceremony in an all-gold gown by Nee A Tunis. The festival jury member, who won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in 2025, chose a corseted, floor-sweeping design inspired by Mediterranean light and motifs, with metallic olive fronds and leaves framing the neckline. On social media, the label described the Zita dress as “a tribute to the Mediterranean landscape. To the olive trees, the light, and the living cultures that shape its identity,” adding that it had now “entered one of the world’s most iconic stages”. Ben Hania’s choice of an emerging Tunisian label is particularly fitting, as one of the Arab world’s most prominent contemporary filmmakers who frequently uses her work to explore human rights and politics while championing her North African heritage.

Actress Sydney Sweeney arrived at the Venice Film Festival in an archival Georges Chakra look from the Lebanese designer’s spring/summer 2003 couture collection. It paired a sheer Chantilly lace halter top with a frilled neckline and low-waisted silk taffeta Bermuda shorts, both in muted beige. Sweeney was in Venice for an Armani Beauty event, having served as an ambassador since 2023.