The 66th Annual Venice Film Festival Opens In Italy

The 66th Annual Venice Film Festival opened in Italy today. The festival runs September 2 to 12, and will feature Taiwanese American film director Ang Lee as this year’s President of the Jury. Ang Lee was behind such high-profile movies as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk and Brokeback Mountain. The Venice festival is the oldest film festival in the world. This year, fourteen countries are represented. Twenty three movies are in the line-up for the coveted Leone d'Oro, or Golden Lion. Last year, American movie The Wrestler with Mikey Rourke in the lead role won the top prize.

Italian movie Baaria directed by Giuseppe Tornatore will open the Festival today. Baaria is an epic tale that turned into the most expensive Italian made movie ever. Italy's PM Silvio Berlusconi called the movie a "masterpiece."

Starring in some of the movies out of the competition are Matt Damon and George Clooney. There are speculations that Sylvester Stallone will be honoured with a special award at the festival.

Michael Moore will present his new documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story." Another documentary film-maker from Iran -- Hana Makhmalbaf will preview her film about protests that followed Iran's election.

The movies in he line-up include: 

Baaria - La porta del vento
Soul Kitchen
La doppia ora
Accident
White Material
Mr Nobody
A Single Man
Lourdes
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
The Road
Between Two Worlds
The Traveller
Lebanon
Capitalism: A Love Story
Women Without Men
36 Views from the Pic Saint-Loup
Survival of the Dead
Life During Wartime
The Bullet Man
Prince of Tears
Persécution
Lo spazio bianco
Il grande sogno
Chengdu, I Love You