Venice Film Festival: From icy peaks to red carpets

There are 21 films competing this year for the Golden and Silver Lions. The Venice Film Festival cleverly combines art and business. Although Cannes dominates the European Festival circuit, the glamorous Venice Lido belongs in the major leagues, along with Berlin and Toronto. The festival runs from September 2-12.

The Italian festival aims to reach the peaks: It opens in the snowy Himalayas, with the mountain climber drama "Everest."

The film was directed by Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur and features a bunch of Hollywood stars, such as Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal. The story is based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, when eight mountain climbers died trying to reach the summit.

"Everest" is not included in the competition lineup of 21 films. At the head of the jury this year is the filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (who directed the third "Harry Potter" film). He is the first Mexican director to have won an Academy Award, with his science fiction thriller, "Gravity."

Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón will be accompanied by the actress Diane Kruger, as one of the members of the international jury. Kruger, who was born in Germany, starred in several Hollywood productions, including Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds." She'll definitely feel comfortable on the red carpet in Venice.

Although the media will be focusing on the films vying for the Golden Lion, the festival additionally offers a varied out-of-competition program, with many premieres and movies from all over the world.

No German director made it into the competition this year, but some German co-productions are on the list. Among them is the new film by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan (pictured). "Remember" is a present-day story about former Nazis living undiscovered and their traumatized victims. It stars Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau and Bruno Ganz..

Although Aleksandr Sokurov is Russian, it is difficult for this major film director to get his films financed in his home country. His movie "Francofonia" is a French-German-Dutch co-production. The World War II drama is about the efforts to rescue artworks from the Louvre museum in Paris.

Alberto Barbera, born in 1950, is a former film critic and now the director of the Venice Film Festival. He has contributed to upgrading the reputation of the festival by offering solid programs over the years. How will this year's selection fare?

This year's program includes a tribute to Italian director Mario Monicelli (1935-2010), who was nominated for an Oscar six times over his career. He was the creator of brilliant comedies, creating a whole new genre called "Commedia all'italiana." Monicelli was a guest at the festival in 2009.

The 72nd Venice International Film Festival opens on September 2 with stars like Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp walking the red carpet. Ten days later, the glamor and the buzz will all be over - leaving at least one happy filmmaker holding on to a Golden Lion.