BRIAN DE PALMA - CONTROVERSY DOGS OPENING OF VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The Venice Film Festival appeared awash in controversy Wednesday as it kicked off with the world premiere of Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia, starring Scarlett Johansson. Organizers of Rome's film festival, scheduled for Oct. 13, were up in arms over comments by Venice festival director Marco Muller that the festival in Rome would feature films that "neither Cannes nor Venice wanted." They called Muller's remarks "an incredible offence to the filmmakers who are showing their work in Rome." Italian Heritage Minister Francesco Rutelli attempted to tone down the bickering. In Venice for the festival and for a series of meetings with local government leaders, Rutelli said, "Let's stop talking and show the films." He indicated that at the end of the festival he would work to separate the two festivals by more than the current one month so that they would not conflict with one another. He said his current meetings with local officials will focus on how their communities could contribute to restoring and improving the site of the Venice festival, including the construction of a new "film palazzo."

31/08/2006