July 23, 2010 15:33

'Black Swan' premiere to open 67th Venice Film Festival

Natalie Portman leads cast in Darren Aronofsky's ballet thriller

The 67th Venice Film Festival will open with a premiere of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller Black Swan. The hotly-anticipated film stars Natalie Portman as a cutthroat New York City ballet star with Forgetting Sarah Marshall/Family Guy actress Mila Kunis as her new rival, reports the BBC

The film will premiere on the Lido di Venezia as part of the festival's competition in Venice on September 1, with director Quentin Tarantino heading up this year's jury.

Aronofsky has previously enjoyed success in Venice, winning the top prize, the Golden Lion with his last film The Wrestler in 2008, which starred Mickey Rourke. He also premiered The Fountain at the Lido in 2006, which fared less well commercially.

Black Swan also stars Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder and Barbara Hershey, who will all be attending the premiere.

"The cast and crew of Black Swan are both excited and humbled by the selection committee's invitation," Aronofsky said of the film's Venice date. "It is an honour to walk the great red carpet on the Lido, and we are excited to premiere our film to the wonderful audiences in Venice."

The Venice Film Festival runs from September 1 to 11.