Venice (Italy), Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The 62nd Venice International Film Festival begins on Wednesday evening, with screening of the world premier of Qi Jian (Seven Swords), the new film by Chinese film director Tsui Hark.

    Nineteen films are competing for the Golden Lion at this year'sVenice International Film Festival including the second directorial effort by Hollywood heart throb George Clooney, according to the Festival organizators.

    This year's film festival runs at the Lido until Sept. 10.

Chinese actress Charlie Yeung (L), Kim So Yeun (C) and Zhang Jingchu arrive at the Cinema Palace in Venice August 31, 2005. The actresses are starring in Chinese director Tsui Hark's movie 'Seven swords' being shown at the Venice film festival. (Reuters)

    Heading the jury this year is Italy's Oscar-winning set designer Dante Ferretti, who will be joined by Chinese author Ah Cheng, French film director Claire Denis, German director Edgar Reitz, Icelandic musician and actress Emiliana Torrini, whose father is Italian, and American independent producer Christine Vachon, Isreali Amos Gitai.

    Clooney will be presenting his film "Goodnight and Goodluck", which comes three years after his directorial debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind".

    Also competing will be "The Brothers Grimm", by ex-Monty PythonTerry Gilliam; Abel Ferrara's "Mary"; "Romance and Cigarettes" by actor John Turturro; Ang Lee's "Brokenback Mountain", and "Proof" by John Madden.

    A record 11 English language films will be screened at this year's festival.

    The films competing for the top award include: "The Constant Gardener" by Fernando Meirelles (Britain/Kenya/Germany); Jo o Botelho's "O Fatalista" (Portugal/France); "Vers le sud" by Laurent Cantet (France/Canada); "Garpastum" by Aleksey German Jr, (Russia); Stanley Kwan's "Changhen ge" (China/Hong Kong); "Espelhomagico" by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal); and Park Chan-wook's "Chin-jeol-han Geum-ja-ssi" (Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, South Korea).

    Another 40 or so films will also be shown in the "Out of Competition" and "Horizon" sections and one dedicated to the Secret History of Asian Cinema, which will focus on the "invisible" cinema of the Far East, including China and Japan.

    During the Wednesday's opening ceremony, special security measures are adopted in the wave of the recent wave of international terrorist bombings. Enditem