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BRIAN De Palma's "The Black Dahlia" opened the 63rd Venice Film Festival yesterday, the first of 21 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion award that will also be making their world debuts here, the Associated Press reported.

The all-premiere competition is a first for the festival, which traditionally kicks off the fall movie going season with a dose of European glamour ahead of Toronto later in September.

This year, there has been controversy over a new international festival being launched in Rome just two months after Venice that has threatened to eclipse the lagoon city's prestige.

But the sun shone too strongly on Venice's beaches for the new rival to cast much of a shadow.

"The best response," festival director Marco Mueller told an opening news conference, "is to watch the films in the competition. Last year, there was a lot of discussion about the film selection -- and then came the Golden Globes and Oscars."

Films shown at Venice last year won an unprecedented 23 Oscar nominations.

Catherine Deneuve, who made her first appearance in Venice in 1967 for Golden Lion-winner "Belle du Jour," is heading the jury that will award the top prize on the festival's closing day, September 9.

"Venice is a special festival, both for its location and for being international. It has had its high seasons and low seasons, but today it is experiencing a very high season. I think that the festival is at the vanguard for European festivals," Deneuve told a news conference.

One of the first stars to arrive at Venice this year was Scarlett Johansson, who said she modeled her role in "The Black Dahlia" on "a glamorous sort of housewife."

"Of course it's nice to be considered sexy, as a young woman. I try not to think about it," Johansson said.

Also in town on the festival's opening day were "Black Dahlia" co-stars Mia Kirshner, Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart, as well as director Cameron Crowe, who is sitting on the jury, and director Oliver Stone, in town to present "World Trade Center," which is being screened out of competition.

Four US films were competing for the Golden Lion -- one more than rules usually allow, but festival director Davide Croff said an exception was made to include festival opener "The Black Dahlia."

Other Golden Lion contenders from Hollywood are "The Fountain," starring Hugh Jackman as an immortal seeker, "Hollywoodland," a film exploring the mysterious death of the star of TV's "Adventures of Superman," and "Bobby," Emilio Estevez's look at the last day of Robert Kennedy's life.

Five films from Asia are being screened in competition, including an animated film from Japan, "Paprika." Thailand is making its debut with "Sang Sattawat."

As usual, European films dominate the competition, with Italy contributing three, and France and Britain two each. Director Paul Verhoeven ("Basic Instinct") returns to Dutch-filmaking with "Black Book."

A film about civil war in Chad, "Daratt," marks Africa's return to the festival.

The festival also features many films outside of competition, notably this year Stone's drama about the Sept. 11 terror attacks and Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke. A Requiem in Four Acts," a four-hour HBO documentary.

David Lynch, who will present his new movie, "Inland Empire," will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)