The opening of the 71st Venice International Film Festival
A start in the right direction
The first day of the Venice Film Festival began with a press conference for the new Alejandro Gonzalez directed film, Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance.
At the opening ceremony – which took place on the main island of Lido – a star-studded crowd gathered around to watch the first film to compete at the world's oldest film festival, from members of the judging panel and well-known directors, to actors and other cultural figures.
The cast of the superhero film also made an appearance, becoming the main spectacle of the evening as Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Michael Keaton posed for group pictures along the red carpet.
As part of the main competition, 20 feature films will be shown, among them Andrei Konchalovsky's The Postman's White Nights and David Gordon Green's Oscar-tipped Manglehorn, starring Scarface actor Al Pacino.
After the 11-day event and the debut of 55 films, the closing ceremony will take place on September 6 when three international juries will award the Golden Lion, the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. Other official prizes will also be presented to represent a new angle of international cinema.
