79 World Premieres Confirmed for Venice Film Festival in September

At the annual Venice Film Festival from September 1 through September 11, acclaimed film directors Sofia Coppola and Darren Aronofsky will premiere their upcoming films and vie for the coveted Golden Lion. It has been confirmed that 79 world premieres will be shown at the 67th edition of the Venice Film Festival, and the average age of the directors who have submitted their works is the youngest in history.

Coppola, who won Best Original Screenplay at the 2003 Academy Awards for Lost in Translation, is the daughter of Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. She is set to make her long-awaited comeback with a comedic-drama film entitled Somewhere. The film stars actor Stephen Dorff, who plays the role of a struggling actor with a bad-boy persona, as well as Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro.

At the 2008 Venice Film Festival, Aronofsky won the prestigious Golden Lion award for his critically acclaimed drama film The Wrestler, which starred Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. The film that he will be submitting in early September, Black Swan, is a psychological thriller that stars Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman and Winona Ryder, according to the Associated Press.

BBC is reporting that the jury that will award a number of prizes at the annual film gala will be headed by Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantino.