Clooney's latest to open Venice Film Festival

The new film directed, produced, written by and starring George Clooney will open this year's prestigious Venice Film Festival. The Ides of March, based on the off Broadway play Farragut North, is a drama about 'dirty politics', which tells the story of a press secretary who will stop at nothing to get his candidate elected.

The drama will be Clooney's fourth film as director following Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night and Good Luck and Leatherheads.

Other films set to debut at the Venice Film Festival include, Roman Polanski's Carnage and David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method.