After the actors' strike, Venice welcomes back Hollywood stars for its 81st edition

After a year in which the Venice Mostra was tarnished by the absence of Hollywood performers who declined the invitation after being mired in their strike, the 81st Venice Mostra will open its doors this Wednesday welcoming back all the stars of the mecca of cinema.

This International Film Festival will open with the second part of a classic 1980s black comedy, "Beetlejuice" by Tim Burton.

The feature film, which will premiere at the Lido that evening, will not be part of the competition but will certainly be an interesting addition to everything the Mostra has to offer over the next week.

And is that, as AFP recalls, the Mostra, which this year will have 21 films in competition, is the ideal event to showcase major US productions a few months before the selection process for the Oscar Awards begins.

Although this edition is dominated by the United States and Europe, highlights include the first feature film in English by Spain's Pedro Almodóvar ("The Next Room") and two productions from Latin America: "El Jockey" by Luis Ortega and "Ainda estou aqui" by Brazilian Walter Salles.

The Mostra suffered the impact of the Hollywood strikes last year, but the payback is important: invited to the Lido are among others Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Antonio Banderas, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

'Beetlejuice' and 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' the big premieres of the Mostra

The festival's lineup kicks off with two characters of a darker humor: the wacky ghost "Beetlejuice," which brought Tim Burton great critical and box-office success in 1988, and the quintessential enemy of  the Batman, the Joker, played again by Joaquin Phoenix under the orders of Todd Phillips, in competition for the Golden Lion.

"Beetlejuice" opens the festival at 7 p.m. (local time) with the same cast as nearly 40 years ago, led by Michael Keaton, 72, in the role of a ghost who, when summoned, causes disaster in a mansion.

Joining Keaton and Winona Rider is Jenna Ortega, an actress who has already played "gothic" roles under Tim Burton, such as the Netflix series "Wednesday."

"Joker: Folie à deux" is another major Hollywood production at the Lido.

Megastar Lady Gaga plays Harley Quinn, the (unhinged) girlfriend  of "Joker" Phoenix, an acting duel that promises sparks.

Tod Phillips took home a Golden Lion for the Joker five years ago.

Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie, among the stars who will be at the Lido

Almodóvar filmed "The room next door" in New York state, after two previous short films in English and years of hesitation and tempting invitations from Hollywood.

The film, a drama full of dialogues in the purest style of the Spanish director, narrates the friendship between two women, Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, in the twilight of their lives.

Almodóvar already won an award for best screenplay at the Mostra in 1988 with "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."

For her part in the competition, Nicole Kidman stars in "Babygirl," a love story directed by Halina Reijn, with Harris Dickinson and Antonio Banderas.

The Mostra is in open competition with the world's biggest festival, Cannes, to attract top stars and productions, and on this occasion it is once again betting on the world of TV series', the format that has taken over the world of entertainment.

With Cannes, "we do the same job, certainly with a bit of healthy competition, but it's just the way it is, it's inevitable," explained to AFP Mostra director Alberto Barbera.

Mexico's Alfonso Cuaron is presenting "Disclaimer," a TV series starring Cate Blanchett.

Spaniard Rodrigo Sorogoyen signs "The New Years," a love story that unfolds over an entire decade.

And in the chapter of the documentaries highlights the Brazilian Petra Costa with "Apocalipse nos trópicos," a work on the influence of evangelism in the political life of that country.