Out of competition films: Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children, Tsui Harks Seven Swords (Qi jian), the opening film , and The Art of Love, Mine Ha Ha by John Irvin set the Venezia 62 in motion August 31. Tsui Hark explained why he has made another martial arts film. Because ‘the stories are still compelling’. Seven Swords is concerned with the origins of martial arts in 1600 China when peasants wanted to defend themselves from rogue bandits. Both Charlie Young and Honglei Sun evoke the stro...

62nd Venice International Film Festival opens today and runs from 31st August till 10th September 2005.For 2005, the director, Marco Müller, presents an official selection of about 60 films. This was the line already proposed by Müller after the last Festival and approved by the Biennale's Board on 9th February. "We have decided to render the programme more legible", explained Müller, "in order to avoid any confusion between different rich and complex sections." Thus, the Festival will offer ...

Hong Kong Tsui Hark's epic martial arts fantasy Seven Swordswill open the Venice Film Festival, and will be screened out of competition. The Venice fest is slated for Aug. 31-Sept. 10 and Dante Ferretti, Oscar-winning set designer of The Aviator will be president of the juryA special "wuxia" martial arts theme party is planned on the Excelsior Hotel beach, the meeting place for journalists, cast and crew, for a celebration of 100 years of Chinese cinema.Asian films will predominate this year's ...