The 67th Venice film festival launched Wednesday with the premiere of Darren Aronofsky’s thriller “Black Swan,” starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as competing ballet dancers. As reported in London’s “Guardian,” much of the early controversy swirled around jury president Quentin Tarantino who was grilled about his friendships with some of the festival’s filmmakers including Robert Rodriguez (“Machete”) and Sofia Coppola (“Somewhere”). To his credit, Tarantino stood firm against the cries of favoritism.
“I hope my integrity speaks for itself,” Tarantino said. “There are many directors I know well. The fear, however, is that the friendship will get in the way and they will not come to be appreciated for their real value. I do not have these qualms. It doesn’t matter who made a film.”
Other films in competition include Vincent Gallo's "Promises Written in Water." Ben Affleck's crime drama "The Town" and Tran Anh Hung’s "Norwegian Wood.”
Notably absent from the festivities is Iranian director Jafar Panahi who had been invited in support of his short film "The Accordian." Jafar has been jailed for the three months in Iran after his arrest while shooting a film about Iran's disputed 2009 presidential election.
The 67th Venice Film Festival runs through September 11 with 79 feature premieres from 34 countries.
