Michael Keaton as 'Riggan' and Edward Norton as 'Mark' in a still from the movie Birdman.
Credit: Reuters/Fox Searchlight
As well as "Birdman", starring Michael Keaton as a fading action hero, 19 other films are in the main competition, including "Manglehorn", starring Al Pacino, "Good Kill" with Ethan Hawke as a disillusioned military drone pilot and Fatih Akin's "The Cut" with Tahar Rahim, star of Jacques Audiard's 2009 thriller "A Prophet".
Oscar winner Barry Levinson also directs Pacino in "The Humbling", showing outside the main competition.
Abel Ferrara's biopic "Pasolini", with Willem Dafoe playing the Italian writer and director who was murdered in 1975 and Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad's "Tales" will also be vying for the coveted Golden Lion award.
"There are lots of films that make reference to war. Sadly we are living in a moment in which the specter of war is rising dramatically again," Barbera told reporters as the lineup was unveiled in Rome.
The world's oldest film festival opens on Aug 27 and runs to Sept 6 with jury president Alexandre Desplat heading a judging panel that includes British actor Tim Roth, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman and Italian actor Carlo Verdone.
Out of competition, mischievous Danish director Lars Von Trier presents "Nymphomaniac Vol II", the long version director's cut of the controversial first "volume" shown in Berlin earlier this year.
American actor-director James Franco shows "The Sound and the Fury", an adaptation of William Faulkner's 1929 stream of consciousness novel with Seth Rogen and Jon Hamm, while the veteran Peter Bogdanovich offers "She's Funny That Way", a comedy with a cast including Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.
(Reporting by Isla Binnie)
Birdman's Net Worth: $160 Million in 2014
The Forbes Five: Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2014
The Forbes Five: Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ reign as hip-hop's wealthiest mogul continues (full coverage here). Who else made this year’s rap rich list? Click through the gallery to find out.Bryan “Birdman” Williams
Age:
45
Estimated Net Worth:
$160 million
Source:
Music, Spirits, Clothing
Summary:
Birdman’s number would be well over $300 million if he didn’t share his fortune with brother Ronald “Slim” Williams, with whom he cofounded Cash Money Records two decades ago. The label continues to grow with a roster that includes Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne; diversification is on the way with Cash Money Content, a YMCMB clothing line and GT Vodka.
Additional Reading:
The Lyrical Portfolios Of Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artists
The Cash Money Way: Drake, Jay Sean and Birdman Explain
Birdman’s Billion-Dollar Dreams
For more about the business of music, check out my Jay Z biography and my next one, Michael Jackson, Inc, which will be published in June. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
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Venice Film Festival: Birdman leads gala line-up
Birdman stars Michael Keaton (l) as a washed-up actor who used to play a superhero
Birdman will head this year's line-up for the Venice Film Festival, which has been announced by organisers.
The film, starring Michael Keaton and made by Mexican
director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, will open the gala with its world
premiere on 27 August.Other movies vying for the Golden Lion award include Andrew Niccol's Good Kill and Abel Ferrera's film about Italian director Paolo Passolini.
The festival runs in the Italian city from 27 August to 6 September.
The competition features a selection of cinematic work from around the world, which will be shown to public audiences for the first time.
New films from Turkish director Fatih Akin and Sweden's Roy Andersson are among the line-up, with a smattering of titles from France and Italy.
Other movies from Hollywood's stall to be competitors at the festival include Manglehorn, which stars Al Pacino, while Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes features British actor Andrew Garfield.
Birdman also features British actresses Andrea Riseborough and Naomi Watts.
Chinese actress Wei Tang stars in festival closer The Golden Era
Actor-director James Franco's new film will be screened at the event
This includes The Sound and The Fury by Hollywood actor-director James Franco, an adaptation of William Faulkner's novel.
Controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier will also be in Italy to show a lengthier director's cut of Nymphomaniac Volume II, after the original was screened at last year's Berlin Film Festival.
A contemporary take on Shakespeare's Cymbeline, starring Milla Jovovich, Ed Harris and Ethan Hawke is also due to be screened at the event.
The closing film for the festival has been confirmed as The Golden Era by Hong Kong director Ann Hui, which recounts the story of Xiao Hong, a radical writer from the 1900s.
Last year's gala featured the likes of Gravity and Philomena, which went on to enjoy success at the Academy Awards.
But the Golden Lion was scooped by Italian documentary Sacro GRA, the first of its genre to win at the Venice Film Festival.
The most recent UK success at the competition was Mike Leigh's tale of abortionist Vera Drake, which won in 2004.
Justin Bieber under wing of rapper Birdman who LENDS him $2m Bugatti
Justin Bieber is under the wing of the Birdman.
On Monday he tweeted a photo with the rapper, aged 45, who also goes by the name of Uncle Stunna.
The two have grown so close, the music icon - who's reportedly worth $150m - lent the Baby singer his red Bugatti which is worth almost $2m. Initial reports were that the car was gifted to the 20-year-old singer, but TMZ claimed on Tuesday the vehicle was only on loan.
Scroll down for video...
Can he make this kid fly?: Justin Bieber has been working with rapper Birdman; here they are pictured in a Monday Instagram snap
Birdman has worked with several established musicians including Drake and Lil Wayne.
This is the first time he is collaborating with a middle America heartthrob like Bieber.
Birdman - the co-founder of Cash Money Records - let the star (who was arrested in that same city for suspicion of a DUI earlier this year) drive his expensive car on Sunday after working on new music together.
Start your engines: Bieber in Birdman's Bugatti -
one of the fastest and most expensive street legal cars in the world -
in an Instagram shot posted on Monday
The Baby singer proudly posted a picture of himself with his new toy on Instagram early on Monday morning.
The star captioned the picture: 'Uncle Stunna luv. My first Bugatti #generosity'.
Generosity made it seem as if the car was a gift, which could have been publicity hungry Bieber's motive.
Big fan: The co-founder of Cash Money Records Birdman - himself a Bugatti owner - gave the star the car
Payment? Justin is currently collaborating with one of Birdman's (centre) more recently signed artists Austin Mahone (left)
Boys and their toys: Everyone came out to have a look at Justin's new car
While hard to tell from the image, Justin's new car appears to be a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse.
The base model of the car retails for around $1.9m and is the world's fastest convertible.
Birdman is a big fan of the rare sports car and even made a song about the car maker.
Signature style: For his night- and then morning
- in the studio the 20-year-old wore a pair of baggy leather
sweatpants, a long sweater with leather around the bottom under a white
hooded jumper and giant white zip-up moon boot-inspired sneakers
The hip hop mogul - whose off shoot label Young Money Cash Money Billionaires includes artists such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Tyga and Nicki Minaj - does have his reasons for being generous.
Justin is currently collaborating with one of his more recently signed artists Austin Mahone.
The 18-year-old is being touted as the next Justin Bieber, and now that the real thing is helping him with his latest single, the star is likely to add to Birdman's already enormous wealth.
Ready to ride: Despite being given the luxury
car, the pop star chose a different set of wheels to ride around on
Monday morning, namely a skateboard
Time out: Emerging at 5.30am from the studio, the Beauty And The Beat star practiced a few tricks on a mini ramp in the carpark
Justin, of course, already has an impressive stable of expensive cars including a Fisker Karma, a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Ferrari F430.
However, despite being given the luxury car, the pop star chose a different set of wheels to ride around on Monday morning.
Taking a break from recording with Austin at the Hit Factory, Justin treated himself to a skateboard session.
Practice makes perfect: Showing off his skills,
Justin dropped into the ramp with ease doing what is known as a tail
stall at one end and then a nose stall at the other
Emerging at 5.30am from the studio, the Beauty And The Beat star practiced a few tricks on a mini ramp in the carpark.
Showing off his skills, Justin dropped into the ramp with ease doing what is known as a tail stall at one end and then a nose stall at the other.
The fact the star could skate at all on Monday morning was impressive considering the very early hour and the fact he was not really dressed for athletic activity.
Wise choice: It was probably good that the star
decided on skateboarding rather than taking his new ride out for a spin
considering Justin's history with fast cars in Miami
Important trip: The star is not just in Miami to record, he also faces court on May 5 over his DUI arrest
It was probably wise that the star decided on skateboarding rather than taking his new ride out for a spin considering Justin's history with fast cars in Miami.
Justin was at Cavalli Restaurant in Miami on Friday night with a group of ten friends who had dinner and left because the Lounge upstairs had to uphold their 21 and over rules when he and his group requested entry.
In January, the star was pulled over in Miami for allegedly street racing and was later charged with Driving Under the Influence, resisting arrest and driving on an expired license.
The singer will face court May 5 but reportedly persecutors are considering offering him a plea deal.
His own protege: Justin shared an Instagram snap on Tuesday of singer Madison Beer who he discovered on YouTube
