The Festival is officially recognised by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations).
The Festival aims to encourage, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance, the awareness and the promotion of all aspects of world cinema as art, as entertainment and as industry. In addition to the sections mentioned in the following paragraphs, the Festival programme will include tributes to outstanding personalities as well as retrospectives, as a contribution to a better understanding of the history of cinema.

During the festival also take place:
the 27^thSettimana Internazionale della Critica (SIC) - International Film Critics Week , promoted, organized and managed by the National Union of Film Critics “Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici Italiani” (SNCCI), devoted to first films (that therefore compete for the Lion of the Future offered by Biennale) and offer the "Veneto Region" award to one of the selected films;
the Giornate Degli Autori - Venice Days, promoted by the Italian associations of filmmakers (Anac and 100Autori) as is the Quinzaine in Cannes. European films compete for the "Label Europa Cinemas" award (exclusive for Venice Days program) while first feature films compete for the Lion of the Future - "Luigi De Laurentiis" award, together with the other debut films of the Festival
Important: as in Cannes, each event is autonomous and teherefore submission to Biennale, Critics Week and Venice Days must be done separately.