Entertainment - Reuters

Woody Allen to Open, Attend Venice Film Fest
Sun Jul 20,10:30 PM ET Add Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Nick Vivarelli

ROME (Hollywood Reporter) - Woody Allen (news)'s "Anything Else" will
open the 60th Venice International Film Festival, with the comedy's
top stars -- including Allen, Christina Ricci (news), Jason Biggs
(news) and Danny DeVito (news) -- expected to attend the Lido
kickoff, festival organizers said.



While story details of "Anything Else" have been kept under wraps,
Allen's latest picture is believed to be the tale of a struggling New
York artist (Allen) who gets sentimentally entangled with a younger
girl (Ricci). Biggs plays Ricci's boyfriend, and DeVito plays her
father.


"I'm delighted that Woody Allen has made his film available for
Venice," fest chief Moritz de Hadeln said. "It will be a great
pleasure for all of us to welcome him here."


DreamWorks will release "Anything Else" in the United States on Sept.
19, and it will go out in October in Italy via distributor Medusa.


Allen's out-of-competition Venice launch marks his return to the Lido
after choosing the Festival de Cannes to bow "Hollywood Ending,"
which opened Cannes last year.


Before "Hollywood Ending," Allen's previous eight titles had all
premiered at Venice, yet Allen has never attended the Venice fest.


"I'm looking forward to going to the festival," Allen said. "Venice
has been so generous and supportive to me, and I love it so much that
it will be a great honor."


The Venice fest runs Aug. 27-Sept. 7.


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter