CINEMA: FOUR ITALIANS COMPETING IN VENICE

(ANSA) - Rome, July 29 - Four Italian films will be competing for the Golden Lion in Venice this September, organisers said Thursday.

The four are: La Passione by Carlo Mazzacurati with Silvio Orlandi and Cristiana Capotondi; Noi Credevamo by Mario Martone with Luigi Lo Cascio, Toni Servillo, Luca Zingaretti and Anna Bonaiuto; La solitudine dei Numeri Primi by Saverio Costanzo with Luca Marinelli, Alba Rohrwacher and Isabella Rossellini; and La Pecora Nera, a debut work by Ascanio Celestini with Giorgio Tirabassi, Celestini himself and Maya Sansa.

The 67th edition of the world's oldest film fest will open on September 1 with Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, in competition, and close on September 11 with Julie Taymor's The Tempest, out of competition.

Both will be world premieres.

Cult US director Quentin Tarantino is chairing the jury.

This year's lifetime achievement award will go to Asian and Hollywood director John Woo.