The 72nd Venice Film Festival, which is organized every year by La Biennale di Venezia, will take place this year from September 2 to 12 at the Lido in Venice. The purpose of the festival is to raise awareness and promote various aspects of international film in all its forms - as art, as entertainment and as industry - in the spirit of freedom and dialogue. As a contribution to a better understanding of the history of film, the festival also organizes retrospectives and tributes to major artists. This year, the festival will be opened by the film Everest, signed by the Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur.