In addition to Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, which opens the festival, the competition includes Leonardo di Costanzo’s Elisa, Pietro Marcello’s Duse, Franco Maresco’s A Film Made for Bene and Gianfranco Rosi’s latest documentary Sotto le nuvole.

Among the international auteurs competing are Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, about a new atomic spectrum; Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated Frankenstein; Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, marking his return with Emma Stone; Jim Jarmusch’s debut in competition with the episodic film Father Mother Sister Brother; Park Chan-wook’s return, 20 years after Lady Vengeance, with No Other Choice; and François Ozon’s new adaptation of Camus’s The Stranger.

In total, 21 films are competing for the Golden Lion.

A queen among the stars has already been announced: Julia Roberts will arrive on the Lido for the first time, starring in Luca Guadagnino’s new film After the Hunt alongside Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edelbiri, presented out of competition.

The Pretty Woman, Notting Hill and Erin Brockovich star plays Alma, a respected professor at an Ivy League university who finds herself defending a colleague accused of sexually harassing a student.

“When Amazon proposed the film to us, the protagonist’s presence was obviously included,” explained Festival Director Alberto Barbera at a press conference. “It wouldn’t have made sense to present it without its lead actress.”

When asked what he expects from the star’s presence, he replied: “We’ll see, I have no idea. Luca tells me that Julia was an extraordinary person on set, extremely helpful, kind, collaborative, wonderful, and so I hope her presence in Venice reflects that.”

Roberts will not be the only target for the paparazzi. George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Jude Law, Oscar Isaac, Amanda Seyfried, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Adele Exarchopoulos, Laura Dern, Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson and Adam Sandler are also expected.

The parade of stars, which extends across the many parties and exclusive events traditionally held during the Festival, is equally reflected in the films in competition.

For example, the trio of George Clooney, Laura Dern and Adam Sandler appear in Noah Baumbach’s dramedy Jay Kelly.

Jude Law plays Putin at the height of his rise to power, as seen through the eyes of his spin doctor (Paul Dano) in Olivier Assayas’s The Wizard of the Kremlin.

Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, exploring relationships between parents and children, features Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, his long-time collaborator Tom Waits and Charlotte Rampling, among others.

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone reunite after Poor Things, with Stone once again leading his latest work Bugonia.

Amanda Seyfried plays the 18th-century preacher at the centre of Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee.

Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi star as creator and creature, respectively, in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.

Léa Seydoux and Tony Leung take centre stage in the intimate drama Silent Friend, directed by Ildikó Enyedi.

Dwayne Johnson breaks away from blockbusters with Benny Safdie’s biopic The Smashing Machine, in which he stars alongside Emily Blunt.

Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson confront a new nuclear threat in Kathryn Bigelow’s The House of Dynamite.

In other sections, Al Pacino co-stars in two highly anticipated out-of-competition titles: Gus Van Sant’s thriller Dead Man’s Wire with Bill Skarsgård, and Julian Schnabel’s ensemble film In the Hand of Dante, with a cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Martin Scorsese, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, John Malkovich, Franco Nero and Sabrina Impacciatore.

The Festival will close with Cédric Jimenez’s Chien 51, featuring a large cast of French stars, including Gilles Lellouche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Louis Garrel.

Chris Pine joins the cast of Carolina Cavalli’s second film The Abduction of Arabella. Willem Dafoe also appears in the same section, playing a hotel manager in Gastón Solnicki’s The Souffleur and a poet in Kent Jones’ Late Fame.

Noomi Rapace, among others, will portray Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Mother by Teona Strugar Mitevska.

ANSA