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The Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday on the Lido, Venice's beachfront island, with George Clooney receiving a lifetime achievement award on opening night. The 65-year-old actor is a frequent presence at the festival, the world's oldest.
The event opens as most Hollywood studios have stayed away this year, though the lineup includes films centered on high-profile figures such as Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch and the Gallagher brothers of the band Oasis.
Running through Sept. 12, the festival's program is composed largely of independent films. The main competition's sole documentary entry is "Naza," which addresses the killing of civilians in Gaza by Israeli forces, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously won an Oscar for “No Other Land."
The festival opened with "Ink," directed by Danny Boyle and centered on Rupert Murdoch's rise in British media. Other competition titles include Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine," starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, and Florian Zeller's "Bunker," featuring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
Also in competition are Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard," starring Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, and Lance Oppenheim's "Primetime," which includes Robert Pattinson.
The festival's artistic director, Alberto Barbera, addressed political themes in this year's program, saying the lineup includes four films addressing the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iran and that "there can be no doubt about where we stand on this matter."
Additional documentaries screening at the festival include "Citizen Osama," on a photojournalist in Gaza, and "Road to Jericho," directed by Amos Gitai and set in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
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