View of Venice's St. Mark's Square as the city prepares for the first major global film festival in the post-coronavirus era.

The 77th Venice International Film Festival, set for September 2-12, has been hailed as a "sign of hope" for the movie industry after months of closed cinemas, shuttered film sets and canceled galas. More than 50 countries and regions will participate in the in-person festival and 18 film titles, compared to 21 last year, are in the lineup for the Golden Lion award for best film.