August 7, 2025 | By Lisa Hatzenbeller

Venice this year isn’t just a red carpet—it’s a chessboard. On one side, Netflix has arrived with a full arsenal, making an aggressive play to dominate awards season. On the other, Amazon is hanging back, playing it cool, as if confident it can win without making a splash in the Lido’s competitive waters.

Netflix’s strategy is unmistakable: three in‑competition films, three big swings at Oscar glory, and a lineup designed to remind voters of its greatest Venice‑to‑Oscar hits—Roma, Marriage Story, The Power of the Dog. Each premiered here, earned major nominations, and proved the festival can be a launchpad for awards season dominance. 2025 feels like a deliberate attempt to rerun that playbook with a fresh twist.

The in‑competition trio covers every base. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, starring Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, delivers gothic prestige with a pulse—a fable about humanity wrapped in shadow and style. Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite explodes with political urgency, Idris Elba leading a taut ensemble through high‑stakes intrigue. Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly offers warmth, wit, and the bittersweet charm of George Clooney and Adam Sandler road‑tripping across Europe. Different genres, different tones—one mission: claim Venice’s unstoppable momentum… and its Golden Lion.

Amazon’s move is entirely different. Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt—a taut academic drama with Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri—opted out of competition entirely. Instead, it will open the New York Film Festival. No jury votes. No Venice verdict. Just a well‑timed, stateside premiere. Which begs the question: what do Amazon/MGM and Guadagnino know that we don’t? Is this confidence in the film’s awards chances—or a signal they’re playing an entirely different game?

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Why This Contrast Matters

Scope and Ambition
Netflix floods the Lido—multiple films, multiple styles, multiple shots at glory. Amazon keeps its powder dry, banking on one meticulously crafted arrow.

Strategic Mindsets
Netflix is betting that sheer volume and variety will yield at least one breakout contender, the way it has in years past. Amazon is betting that After the Hunt doesn’t need Venice’s competitive spotlight to shine. Maybe they’re sidestepping the noise. Maybe they’re dodging the risk. Or maybe—just maybe—they’re about to pull off the stealth move of the season.

Narrative Weight
Netflix’s approach says: we can own the conversation from the Lido to Oscar night. Amazon’s says: the right story, at the right moment, can steal it back.

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For Movie Lovers

Venice is part glamour, part gladiator arena. Netflix has marched in with an army, intent on making history repeat. Amazon’s entered with one sword, certain it knows exactly when—and where—to strike. The only question now is whose story will still be standing when Oscar night rolls the credits.

What’s your take on the Venice lineup?
Do you think Netflix will dominate, or will Amazon pull a surprise? Reply on X @OscarObsessADHD or drop your thoughts on today’s Instagram post @OscarObsessedADHD. I’ll be tracking every move from Venice to the Oscars — let’s see whose strategy pays off.

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