The Venice Film Festival kicks off this week, rolling out the red carpet for Julia Roberts and George Clooney in a flurry of worldwide premieres at the glitzy celebration on the sandy Lido.

A cavalcade of cinema A-listers will arrive by water taxi to Venice's seaside resort for the festival beginning Wednesday, from Jude Law to Emma Stone, drawing hundreds of fans hoping for a glimpse of their favourite stars.

Among the acclaimed directors at the festival's 82nd edition are Werner Herzog, Jim Jarmusch, Kathryn Bigelow, Gus Van Sant and Park Chan-wook, who returns to the festival after 20 years.

Venice, a highlight of the international film circuit, serves up both big budget films with box-office potential -- such as Benny Safdie's "The Smashing Machine" starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnso

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