Emmy Awards 2025, Venice Film Festival and unmissable summer series

Summer 2025 streaming picks are here: Emmy-nominated series, major festival premieres, and platform highlights you won’t want to miss.

As the 77th edition of the Emmy Awards 2025 unveils a record-breaking list of nominations, the Venice Film Festival will gather the biggest names in global cinema from the end of August, while streaming platforms ramp up their announcements for a high-voltage fall season.
Here’s our full critical breakdown — with all the official teaser links included.

Venice Film Festival 2025: A Lab for Contemporary Auteur Cinema

The 2025 Venice selection sketches the contours of an international cinema in search of meaning, oscillating between postmodern melancholy and political engagement.
Under the presidency of Alexander Payne, the festival offers an eclectic program where established masters meet emerging voices.

Paolo Sorrentino opens the festivities with La Grazia, reaffirming his status as a visual poet of Italian disillusionment.
After Parthenope, the director of La Grande Bellezza returns to his baroque roots, blending aesthetic splendor with existential bitterness.

Guillermo del Toro revisits the myth of Frankenstein with Oscar Isaac, promising a modern gothic reinterpretation of Mary Shelley’s foundational novel.
The Mexican filmmaker — master of horrific fantasy — is expected to deliver a film poised between dark poetry and reflection on artificial humanity.

François Ozon adapts Camus’ The Stranger, a titanic challenge that questions the relevance of translating one of French literature’s most introspective works into cinema.
This adaptation will be closely watched, as Camus’ writing traditionally resists visual storytelling.

Yorgos Lanthimos continues his exploration of contemporary absurdity with Bugonia, a cerebral paranoid thriller starring Emma Stone.
The Greek filmmaker confirms his status as the enfant terrible of European cinema, capable of turning the simplest premise into an existential nightmare.

With After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino, the gray area between memory and responsibility takes center stage.

Julia Roberts plays a college professor confronted with an accusation made by a brilliant student (Ayo Edebiri) against a colleague — while a secret from her own past threatens to surface.
Backed by a stellar cast (Andrew Garfield, Chloë Sevigny, Michael Stuhlbarg), this film is one of the most anticipated psychological dramas of the festival.

This selection reveals a mature European cinema, fully embracing its role as a cultural counterweight to Hollywood.
Venice 2025 promises to be a narrative experimentation lab, where form and substance engage in a constant quest for artistic renewal.

Detailed Release & Content Guide

Here is a critical overview of the series competing at the 2025 Emmy Awards, the films in competition at the Venice Film Festival, and the best summer streaming releases.

2025 Emmy Awards: Detailed Nomination Breakdown

Severance leads the race with 27 nominations, followed by The Penguin with 24 nominations, then The Studio and The White Lotus with 23 nominations each.

Full nomination ranking:

• Severance s2 (Apple TV+) – 27 nominations
• The Penguin (HBO Max) – 24 nominations
• The Studio (Apple TV+) – 23 nominations
• The White Lotus s3 (Apple TV+) – 23 nominations
• The Last of Us s2 (Prime Video) – 16 nominations
• Andor s2 (Disney+) – 14 nominations
• Hacks s4 (Netflix) – 14 nominations
• Adolescence (Netflix) – 13 nominations

Focus on Major Categories:

In Best Drama Series:

• Severance (Apple TV+): Ben Stiller’s unsettling vision of corporate alienation and fractured consciousness.
• The Last of Us (Prime Video): A highly anticipated, emotional post-apocalyptic sequel.
• Andor (Disney+): A Star Wars political noir, more mature and nuanced than ever.
• The White Lotus (Apple TV+): Back to a luxury Italian resort—secrets, hypocrisy, and drama abound.
• Paradise (Disney+/Hulu): In a giant post-apocalyptic bunker, agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) investigates a presidential assassination.

Best Comedy Series:

• The Studio (Apple TV+): A razor-sharp satire of Hollywood ego and chaos, led by Seth Rogen.
• Hacks (Netflix): A biting critique of the American stand-up comedy scene.

Best Limited Series:

• The Penguin (HBO Max): Colin Farrell reinvents Oswald Cobblepot in a grim, decaying Gotham City.
• Adolescence (Netflix): A radical, single-take mini-series diving into teen violence and the digital age.

Venice Film Festival 2025: Full Official Selection

From August 27 to September 6, 2025 – 82nd edition

The festival runs from August 27 to September 6, 2025, with Alexander Payne presiding over the jury. Werner Herzog will receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

Opening and Closing Films:

• Opening: La Grazia by Paolo Sorrentino – the Italian master returns with his signature visual splendor
• Closing: Chien 51 by Cédric Jimenez – a biting social satire

Official Competition:

Key International Films:

• Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro, starring Oscar Isaac – a gothic and gory retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic
• Le Mage du Kremlin by Olivier Assayas – a chilling modern political thriller
• Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos, with Emma Stone – a cerebral thriller about conspiracy and confinement
• Jay Kelly by Noah Baumbach – an intimate and familial chronicle
• The Stranger by François Ozon – bold cinematic take on Albert Camus’s existential masterpiece

Out of Competition:

• After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino, starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri – a gripping psychological drama about a college professor confronting a student’s accusation against a colleague and a dark secret from her own past

Summer Series Guide by Platform

NETFLIX

Immediate releases (July 23–31):

The Sandman – Season 2, Volume 2 📅 July 24 (episodes 7 to 11) + bonus on July 31

• Intense epilogue of Neil Gaiman’s adaptation: Dream and his siblings face the consequences of their actions in an epic finale
• Official teaser The Sandman

Happy Gilmore 2 📅 July 25

• Adam Sandler returns to his cult role to fund his daughter’s passion
• Features cameos from Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, and a tribute to Carl Weathers

August releases:

Wednesday – Season 2 📅 August 6 (Part 1) & September 3 (Part 2)

• Wednesday Addams returns with mystery, dark humor, and gothic vibes at Nevermore Academy
• Official teaser Wednesday Season 2

Night Always Comes 📅 August 15

• Vanessa Kirby plays Lynette, a fierce anti-heroine on a dangerous night odyssey through Portland
• Adapted from Willy Vlautin’s novel, directed by Benjamin Caron
• Official teaser

Hostage 📅 August 21

• British series starring Suranne Jones as the Prime Minister facing a hostage crisis during a UK-France diplomatic summit
• Official trailer

Stranger Things – Season 5 Part 2 📅 November 26

• Official teaser

Complete Series Available:

Too Much – Romantic Comedy

• Creator: Lena Dunham | Starring: Megan Stalter, Will Sharpe
• From New York to London, Jessica, a thirty-something rebuilding her life, meets Felix
• A funny, melancholic anti-Emily in Paris

Adolescence – Social Drama

• Creator: Jack Thorne | Starring: Stephen Graham
• A teen arrested for murder. Four episodes shot in single takes
• Radical direction and chilling reflection on violence and social media

PRIME VIDEO

July:

Shiny Happy People 2 – Teen Mania 📅 July 23

• Chilling dive into a controversial American evangelical group—faith, manipulation, and psychological unraveling

August:

Butterfly 📅 August 13

• Official teaser

The Map That Leads to You 📅 August 20

• Romantic film: Heather travels through Europe before starting her perfectly planned life—then meets Jack, who changes everything
• Adapted from the novel by J.P. Monninger
• Official teaser

Upload – Final Season 4 📅 August 25

• Sci-fi comedy’s final chapter about virtual worlds; this season wraps up the story in just 4 episodes

Dark Wolf 📅 August 27

• Spin-off of “The Terminal List” focused on Taylor Kitsch’s character
• Explores his origins
• Official teaser

September:

The Girlfriend 📅 September 10

• Starring Olivia Cooke and Robin Wright (also director)
• A mother tries to convince her son that his girlfriend isn’t who she claims to be
• Official teaser

Complete Series Available:

The Better Sister – Psychological Thriller

• Creator: Liz Tigelaar | Starring: Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks
• Two sisters, one murder, a hidden maternity secret

The Narrow Road to the Deep North – Historical Mini-Series

• Adapted from Richard Flanagan’s novel | Starring: Jacob Elordi, Ciarán Hinds
• An Australian doctor and WWII prisoner recalls a haunting past
• Dark poetry and a rare treatment of colonial history

DISNEY+

Eyes of Wakanda 📅 August 27

• Marvel animated series in 4 episodes, a spin-off and prequel to the “Black Panther” films
• Celebrates Wakanda’s legacy across centuries, family-friendly
• First teaser

Paradise – Complete series available

• In a giant post-apocalyptic bunker, agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) investigates the president’s murder
• At the crossroads of political thriller and sci-fi, with James Marsden
• Renewed as early as January 2025

Dying for Sex – Drama inspired by a true story

• Starring: Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate
• Learning you’re going to die… and choosing to fully embrace your sexuality
• Raw, tender, and brilliantly performed

APPLE TV+

Chief of War 📅 August 1

• Jason Momoa plays an 18th-century Hawaiian leader facing Western imperialism
• Powerful historical series in indigenous languages, telling the unification of Hawaii
• Predominantly Polynesian cast including Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis
• Official teaser

Platonic – Season 2 📅 August 6

• Official teaser

Complete series available:

The Studio – Comedy

• Seth Rogen plays a Hollywood studio head in full crisis
• 10 episodes of biting comedy, a scathing dive behind the scenes of the film industry

Murderbot – Science fiction

• Adaptation of Martha Wells’ novels starring Alexander Skarsgård
• A security robot that hacks itself to gain free will
• 10 sharp episodes, already renewed for a second season
• Acclaimed as one of the best new series of 2025

HBO MAX

Peacemaker – Season 2 📅 August 21

• John Cena returns as the DC anti-hero in a darker, more political universe

Complete series available:

The Pitt – Medical drama

• Starring: Noah Wyle
• In a post-pandemic Pittsburgh hospital, an overwhelmed emergency department
• Sober, honest, and deeply human

Le Sens des Choses – French series

• Starring: Elsa Guedj, Manu Payet, Noémie Lvovsky
• Léa, a young rabbi, tries to bring meaning to the lives of those she guides… and to her own
• Spiritual series without being preachy

FX / HULU

Alien: Earth 📅 August 13

• Prequel to the Alien franchise, promising retro-SF ambiance and psychological horror
• Official Trailer 2

ARTE

Opération Sabre – 1 season

• Available until 23/07/2026
• In 2003, following the assassination of the Serbian Prime Minister, a large-scale operation is launched to find the perpetrators
• Well-documented political thriller, full cast awarded at Canneseries 2024

Cinema Focus: Notable Releases

Summer 2025 Releases

Fantastic Four – First Steps 📅 July 23

• Directed by: Matt Shakman
• Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
• Set in an alternate 60s universe, Marvel’s “First Family” discovers their powers and confronts Galactus
• A bold new take from Marvel: slower pace, style-forward, melancholic. Retro-futurist art direction fully embraced

Dangerous Animals – Maritime Thriller

• Directed by: Sean Byrne
• Starring: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Thomas Kretschmann
• At sea, a rebellious surfer is captured by a man who feeds sharks
• A tense survival story, a magnetic face-off, a parable about predation

Sorry, Baby – Drama

• Directed by: Eva Victor
• Starring: Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges
• Agnes, an English teacher, flees to Paris after a traumatic event
• A fragile and funny debut, a dramatic comedy about grief without pathos

Autumn 2025 Releases

Tron: Ares 📅 October 10

• Directed by: Joachim Rønning
• Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges
• A sophisticated program is sent from the digital world into the real one
• Score by Nine Inch Nails
• New official trailer

Bugonia 📅 October

• A film by Yorgos Lanthimos
• Starring: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone
• Two conspiracy-obsessed young people kidnap the CEO of a major corporation
• Official teaser

Project Hail Mary – Coming Soon

• Starring: Ryan Gosling
• Teaser

After The Hunt – Coming Soon

• Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
• Cast: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Chloë Sevigny, Michael Stuhlbarg
• A gripping psychological drama about a college professor facing an accusation against a colleague, while a buried secret from her own past resurfaces
• Watch the official teaser

Summer 2025, both on streaming platforms and red carpets, is bursting with promise—blending boldness, nostalgia, aesthetics, and political commitment. Between narrative innovations (Adolescence), high-profile event programming (The Sandman, Andor, Chief of War), and prestigious competitions (Emmy Awards, Venice Film Festival), a new golden age of storytelling is unfolding.

This summer season confirms the artistic maturity of streaming platforms, now fully capable of rivaling the traditional institutions of cinema and television. The diversity of formats—from the radical single-shot technique of Adolescence to the sweeping historical epic of Chief of War—testifies to an unleashed creativity and a bold willingness to take risks.

And you?

Which series left a mark on you this summer? Which film release are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments or on @movieintheair, and share this article with your favorite cinephiles!

Stay tuned on movieintheair.com to follow all the news, reviews, and analysis from this exceptional summer of 2025.