George Clooney’s ‘Ides Of March’ is opening the prestigious Venice Film Festival today, which sets a political tone to the start of this year’s 10-day event.

George Clooney has been in the spotlight for the past few months due to his activism in Sudan, and interest surrounding his political ambitions behind the scenes on ‘Ides of March’. The film, which will compete at Venice against the likes of Roman Polanski and David Cronenberg has been hotly discussed throughout its production.

So far, it doesn’t look like the Hollywood actor and global icon will run to be the next American President, but it is likely his journalistic past will continue to be part of his movie career in the near future. For Italians, Clooney is more than a name from Hollywood: he’s a countryman himself, residing in the beauty of lake Como. Thanks to Clooney’s image, tourism and other industries have benefited from his appeal, as Italy gets a huge PR boost everytime he goes out of his home.

Ides of March trailer

Ides of March reveals the dirty secrets of political campaigning and follows the story of a newbie political candidate who is given the tricks of the trade to excel to the top. Starring George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Evan Rachel Wood, critics await to see whether this can match ‘Good Night and Good luck’. The 2005 directorial debut for Clooney earned him critical acclaim. Can he do it again?