Venice, Italy - Burn After Reading, a film by Oscar-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen, will open the 2008 Venice Film Festival which runs from August 27 to September 6, organizers said Monday. A world premiere of the film which stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins, will be screened on the evening of August 27, the organizers said.
In interviews Joel Coen has described Burn After Reading as a spy- comedy about the US Central Intelligence Agency and the culture of physical fitness in Washington, as well as Internet dating.
The Coen brothers' last film, No Country for Old Men, won four Academy Awards in 2007 including Best Picture.
The Venice Film Festival, the world's oldest cinema competition, was first held in the Italian lagoon city in 1932. This year it marks its 65th edition.
