Orlando Bloom will be honored in Venice next month as the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings star prepares to unveil his latest film at one of cinema’s biggest international festivals.
Orlando Bloom will be honored in Venice next month as the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings star prepares to unveil his latest film at one of cinema’s biggest international festivals
The 49-year-old actor will receive the Filming Italy International Award on September 6 on the Lido during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which runs from September 2 to 12.
The award is separate from the festival itself and comes as Orlando joins the cast of Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard, which will compete for the Golden Lion and receives its first public festival screening on September 3.
Tiziana Rocca, who heads Filming Italy and has also served as artistic director of the Taormina Film Festival, said: “It is a great honour for us to welcome Orlando Bloom to the latest edition of the Filming Italy Venice Award.”
Tiziana described Orlando as “an actor of extraordinary charisma, capable of captivating audiences around the world with his elegance, talent and versatility,” adding he had “achieved international fame thanks to his participation in two of the greatest film sagas of all time – The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.”
The honour recognises a career stretching back more than 25 years and containing two of the defining blockbuster franchises of the 2000s.
Orlando became an international star as the elf Legolas in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy before returning to the role for The Hobbit films.
He also played blacksmith-turned-pirate Will Turner alongside Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
His more recent work has included Sean Ellis’ boxing drama The Cut, which Orlando also produced through his Amazing Owl production company, and the British action comedy Deep Cover.
The latter, directed by Tom Kingsley, stars Orlando alongside Bryce Dallas Howard and Nick Mohammed as improvisational actors recruited to infiltrate London’s criminal underworld.
His arrival in Venice follows another development in his personal life.
Orlando was photographed in Italy in July with Swiss model Luisa Laemmel, with the pair seen together at a beach in Forte dei Marmi.
They were first linked earlier this year, following Orlando’s split from singer Katy Perry, 41, in 2025. Orlando and Katy share daughter Daisy Dove.
The Venice trip will put the focus back on Orlando’s film career through Bucking Fastard, written and directed by Werner Herzog.
The 109-minute drama also stars sisters Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, alongside Domhnall Gleeson.
Kate and Rooney play Jean and Joan Holbrooke, sisters who are so inseparable they speak in unison, share the same dreams and fall in love with the same man.
Orlando plays Gareth Mulroney, the object of the sisters’ shared affection.
The official Venice synopsis says Jean and Joan’s unconventional lives bring them into contact with the courts and the press, as well as people seeking either to help or exploit them.
The film was shot in Ireland, including city streets and underground caves, with Werner’s longtime collaborator Peter Zeitlinger serving as cinematographer.
Bucking Fastard is competing in the main Venezia 83 competition and will screen at the Sala Grande on September 3.
The festival lists Ireland and the US as the countries behind the production.
The Filming Italy Venice Award ceremony will follow three days later.
The organisation says the prize recognizes figures whose talent and careers have contributed significantly to the international growth and reach of cinema and audiovisual work.
The award event also supports initiatives opposing violence against women and is dedicated to females working throughout the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera.