Venice Film Festival 2011 opens today

Brokeback Mountain (2005), Atonement (2007), The Hurt Locker (2008) and A Single Man (2009) are some of the latest years biggest Oscar contenders, which besides that share the fact they all premiered in Venice, Italy. In the very same pot are George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck (2005) and Michael Clayton (2007), eventually making the bed for this year's opening film The Ides of March (written, directed, starred by him), and Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler (2008) and Black Swan (2010), the man who now steps for President of the Jury (succeeding Quentin Tarantino).

Like Cannes or Berlin, the other apexes of the European film festivals holly trinity, Venice promises the most anticipated movies of the year. However, there is this particular tone, this boiling anxiety, a specific timing that seems to set up the official start for betting on 2012 Academy's nominations. From the following highlights, let's expect some will conquer the world (in no particular order).


The Ides of March, written and directed by George Clooney, with himself, Ryan Goslin, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymor Hoffman and Evan Rachel Wood.

Carnage, written and directed by Roman Polanski (based on a Yazmina Reza's play), with Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilley and Kate Winslet.

A Dangerous Method, written by Christopher Hamtpon, directed by David Cronenberg, with Keira Knightley, Vigo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender.

Alps, written by Giorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou, and directed by Giorgos Lanthimos.

Contagion, written by Scott Z. Burns, directed by Steven Soderbergh, with Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Jude Law.

Shame, written by Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen, directed by Steve McQueen, with Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender.

Dark Horse, written and directed by Todd Solondz, with Justin Bartha, Selma Blair and Zachary Booth.

Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy, written by Peter Straughan (based on a John le Carré's novel), directed by Tomas Alfredson, with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy.

Crazy Horse, documentary by Frederick Wiseman.

Chicken With Plums, written and directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, with Isabella Rossellini, Golshifteh Farahani and Maria de Medeiros.

Sal, documentary by James Franco.

Wilde Salome, written and directed by Al Pacino (based on a Oscar Wilde play), starring himself and Jessica Chastain.

I'm Carolyn Parker, documentary by Jonathan Demme.

Wuthering Heights, written by Olivia Hetreed (based on a Emile Brontë novel) and directed by Andrea Arnold, with Kaya Scodelario, Nichola Burley and James Howson.

Faust, written and directed by Aleksandr Sokurov.

Damsels in Distress, written and directed by Whilt Stillman, with Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody and Analeigh Tipton.