This month I spent two weeks out of the office at the Venice Film Festival – one of the most beautiful cities in the world… to sit in a darkened cinema. Venice has become the starting line for awards season and there were plenty of gong-bothering films and performances to feast the eyes on – not least In Bruges follow-up The Banshees Of Inisherin. I got to hang out with the cast of that, who were a wholly delightful bunch and thankfully not as bolshy as the characters they play. I also got to spend time with Timothée Chalamet in the quiet before the storm (the screamfilled premiere) to talk about cannibalism, loneliness and vintage boots (he was wearing a pair of beauties). In between the chats and films, I queued (a lot) for boats, tested gelato shops to find the perfect pistachio flavour and had a front-row seat for the Don’t Worry Darling drama. It felt like cinema was back in a big way and we can’t wait to bring you all the goodness coming down the line. For now, though, you’ll find all the hot-topic, must-see movies coming out now on big and small screens in these pages. And like me in Venice, you’ll be transported. Promise.