Brian De Palma's 'The Black Dahlia' has been chosen to open the Venice Film Festival in Italy next month.
The thriller stars Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank and Josh Hartnett.
It is based on the novel by James Ellroy, which was in turn inspired by a brutal real-life murder of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles during the 1940s.
The film is set in 1947 and tells of two policemen assigned to investigate the murder.
The 63rd annual festival runs from 30 August to 9 September.
