The Venice Film Festival opened Wednesday night with the premiere of the Coen brothers' dark comedy "Burn After Reading," giving a flash of Hollywood glamour to a festival lineup with a definite art house feel.
The 21 films competing for the coveted Golden Lion at the festival, which runs through Sept. 6, will provide a snapshot of world cinema, with entries from Ethiopia, Turkey, Algeria and a Brazilian-Chinese production.
While the lineup gives the impression of being light on celebrity-driven Hollywood fare - due both to the impact of last year's writers' strike and a late selection process for Cannes' springtime festival - festival director Marco Mueller said U.S. films are well represented, AP reported.