VENICE. – The 69th Venice International Film Festival will be held from Aug. 29 to Sept. 8 this year. The jury will be headed by director Michael Mann. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mira Nair will open the festival, while The Man Who Laughs by Jean-Pierre Ameris will close the program.

Works of directors Brian De Palma, Takeshi Kitano and Terrence Malick will be included in the official selection.

Italian director Francesco Rosi will be awarded a Golden Lion for his significant achievements in cinematography.

The main innovation of the festival will be the online global streaming concurrently with the official screenings. The chief award is the Golden Lion which will go to the best film. Silver Lion goes to the best director. The Volpi Cup goes to the best actor or actress, while the Marcello Mastroianni award goes to the best young actor or actress.