Venice Film Festival offers grit, glamor and George Clooney

In this April 26, 2017 file photo, actor-director George Clooney arrives at the 60th anniversary of the Omega Speedster watch in London. Clooney directs the upcoming film, "Suburbicon," written by starring Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore. (AP)

VENICE: The Venice Film Festival is kicking off the fall cinema season with searing drama, serious glamor and a crop of new movies vying for attention, awards and acclaim.
The world’s oldest cinema festival is a key showcase for films hoping to dominate Hollywood’s awards season. In recent years, Venice has been a launch-pad for Oscar winners including “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “La La Land.”
This year’s edition opens with Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing,” a science fiction-tinged drama starring Matt Damon as a man who hopes to minimize his problems by shrinking himself.
Other films competing for the festival’s Golden Lion prize include George Clooney-directed heist movie “Suburbicon“; Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical “The Shape of Water” and Darren Aronofsky’s secrecy-shrouded thriller “Mother!“
The 74th Venice Film Festival runs Wednesday to Sept. 9.