Venice Film Festival Opens with Tribute to Abbas Kiarostami

The 73rd Venice International Film Festival kicked off with a tribute to Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who died in Paris in early July. On opening day, two of his short films and a documentary about him were screened. The Lido is heavily secured, with the entire festival area closed to traffic to prevent attacks like the one in Nice. Access is only through controlled checkpoints, and bags are prohibited. The long-planned 'Cinema Citadel' is finally complete: a new red cube screening room, the Sala Giardino, has been added to the Palazzo del Cinema, giving the festival a cohesive architectural layout. The evening's premiere is the musical 'La La Land' starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, though the full festival atmosphere is expected from tomorrow.