George Clooney's long love affair with Venice enters a new chapter

George Clooney’s relationship with Venice is deepening with a new milestone at the Venice Film Festival: he will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on the festival’s opening day. Clooney has been a fixture for nearly three decades, attending after his first Venice appearance with Out of Sight, and accumulating major moments including his wedding at Aman Venice and the premiere of Good Night, and Good Luck. The festival backdrop extends beyond film. The article recalls his Oscar-nominated directorial run with that project at the 62nd Venice Film Festival, plus a cocktail at Hotel Cipriani’s Bar Gabbiano and other Venice-linked scenes tied to his earlier works and press history.