Paul Schrader, at 80, Premieres 'The Basics of Philosophy' in Venice — and Says Three More Films Are Coming
Paul Schrader turned 80 in July. On 4 September 2026, his latest film as writer-director, The Basics of Philosophy, screens at the Venice Film Festival, out of competition (The Hollywood Reporter; La Biennale di Venezia).
That a man born in 1946 is still premiering new work on the Lido is remarkable enough. Schrader says he has three more films in the pipeline, all written on spec — scripts he wrote on his own, before any financing was attached (The Hollywood Reporter).
The Basics of Philosophy runs a lean 94 minutes. Jack Huston plays professor John Jorrisen, a man hiding a dark secret from his past. The cast includes Sofia Boutella, Daniel Zovatto, Bill Pullman, Dana Delany, Shiloh Fernandez and Karl Glusman (La Biennale di Venezia; La Biennale di Venezia). Film Maudit produces, with Braxton Pope as producer (La Biennale di Venezia).
The film explores transgressive behaviour and what the festival catalogue calls "the architecture of conscience" (La Biennale di Venezia). That is familiar ground for Schrader. His work has long circled a figure he has described as the "Man in the Room" — a solitary male character trapped with his own guilt, first manifested in Travis Bickle, the character Schrader wrote for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) (The Hollywood Reporter).
Schrader was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and traces those obsessions to a strict Calvinist upbringing — a worldview in which human nature is fundamentally broken and redemption is never guaranteed (The Hollywood Reporter). That theology has fuelled a body of work spanning five decades, from American Gigolo (1980) to First Reformed (2017) and beyond.
His previous film, Oh, Canada (2023), starred Richard Gere and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (The Hollywood Reporter). Venice's out-of-competition slot — reserved for films the festival wants to showcase outside its prize race — gives The Basics of Philosophy a high-profile platform without the pressure of the main competition.
The film screens first on 4 September at 21:45, with a second screening on 5 September at 17:00 at the PalaBiennale (La Biennale di Venezia; La Biennale di Venezia).
For a film-maker who has spent his career writing men alone in rooms, Schrader shows no sign of leaving his own.
