Rome: Madonna`s film about King Edward VIII`s relationship with an American divorcee and Roman Polanski`s ‘Carnage’ are set to be among highlights at the 2011 Venice film festival.
Twenty-one films will vie for the top Golden Lion award at the 68th edition of the world`s oldest film festival, which runs from Aug 31 to Sept 10 this year on the Lido seafront.
Madonna`s directorial debut on a feature film, ‘W.E,’ is a drama that compares a modern day relationship with the controversial love between the king and divorced American Wallis Simpson, and will screen out of competition.
The king abdicated in 1936 in order to marry Simpson.
French-Polish director Polanski`s latest film is an adaptation of Yasmina Reza`s hit play ‘God of Carnage’ and stars Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster.
Other highlights include Tomas Alfredson`s adaptation of John Le Carre`s Cold War thriller ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ and David Cronenberg`s hotly anticipated psychological drama ‘A Dangerous Method’ starring Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen.
British director Andrea Arnold`s remake of Emily Bronte`s ‘Wuthering Heights’ and Ami Canaan Mann`s "Texas Killing Fields" starring Sam Worthington, also feature in the lineup for the festival, which often serves as a launching pad for the Oscars.
Organizers earlier announced that George Clooney`s ‘The Ides of March’ about the US presidential race set in the near future would open the festival.
The Hollywood star, a regular on the red carpet in Venice, wrote and directed the political drama, which is based on Beau Willimon`s play ‘Farragut North.’
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.