Contenders for the Golden Lion film award

ROME: The Venice film festival opening on the famous lagoon on Wednesday and running until September 8 will bring together the best of Hollywood as well as up-and-coming talent from around the world.

Here are the 18 contenders for the coveted Golden Lion award:

-"Apres Mai" ("Something in the air") by Olivier Assayas: France

- "At any price" by Ramin Bahraini: Britain/USA

- "Bella Addormentata" by Marco Bellocchio: France/Italy

- "La cinquieme saison" by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth: Belgium/France/Netherlands

- "Lemale Et Ha'Chalal" ("Fill the Void") by Rama Burshtein: Israel

- "E' stato il figlio" by Daniele Cipri: France/Italy

- "Un Giorno Speciale" by Francesca Comencini: Italy

- "Passion" by Brian de Palma: France/Germany

- "Superstar" by Xavier Giannoli: Belgium/France

- "Pieta" by Kim Ki-duk: South Korea

- "Outrage Beyond" by Takeshi Kitano: Japan

- "Spring Breakers" by Harmony Korine: USA

- "To the Wonder" by Terrence Malick: USA

- "Sinapupunan" by Brillante Mendoza: Philippines

- "Linhas de Wellington" by Valeria Sarmiento: France/Portugal

- "Paradies: Glaube" ("Paradise: Faith") by Ulrich Seidl: Austria/France/Germany

- "Izmena" ("Betrayal") by Kirill Serebrennikov: Russia

- "The Master" by Paul Thomas Anderson: USA. (AFP)