The 69th Venice International Film Festival: the selection

The 69th Venice International Film Festival is fast approaching and the selection of films vying for some of the most prestigious prizes in the world of cinema have recently been announced.

A glittering celebration

The festival will be held over ten days from 29 August to 8 September 2012. Every year it attracts some of the biggest names and talents in the film industry from all over the world. The aim of the event is to celebrate cinema in its many forms and always includes retrospectives and hommages to important cinematic figures, including Kasia Smutniak (meet her here! )

This year the Venice International Film Festival will feature a selection of 17 films from various corners of the earth, all to be shown as international premieres over the course of the festival.

The Venezia 69

This selection is known as the Venezia 69 and no, it isn't a move. All films involved will be vying for the Golden Lion (basically 'Best Film'), the Silver Lion for the best director and the Special Jury Prize. Other awards include Volpi Cups, which are presented to actors, and two Golden Osella awards, one for best technichal contribution and the other for best screenplay.