The Venice Film Festival, officially the Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica, is the film festival of La Biennale di Venezia, held on the Lido and symbolised by its Golden Lion. It was the first film festival in history, and its first edition, from 6 to 21 August 1932, was charmingly informal: films were shown on the terrace of the Hotel Excelsior, with the audience settled in wicker chairs.
The opening night, on 6 August, screened Rouben Mamoulian’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. No prizes were planned, so the public took part in a poll instead, naming Fredric March favourite actor and Helen Hayes favourite actress, and more than 25,000 spectators turned up over the fortnight. The festival became an annual event only in 1935. Before Cannes began in 1946, Venice was simply the leading film event in the world, wicker chairs and all.