Alexander Payne’s ‘Downsizing’ Starring Matt Damon To Open 2017 Venice Film Festival

We’re just over a month away from the beginning of the fall festival season, that traditionally kicks off with the opening of the Venice Film Festival. Venice tends to land some of the key awards season pictures releasing before the end of the year and the 2017 edition is already no exception.  It’s been revealed today that Alexander Payne‘s latest directorial effort, “Downsizing,” will open la Biennale on August 30th.

Starring Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Sudeikis, and Hong Chau, the film follows an Omaha man in the not-too-distant future where humans are now able to shrink themselves to 1/8 their size as a means to battle over-consumption and the rapid depletion of earth’s natural resources.

This will be Payne’s first visit to Venice, where many an Oscar contender has launched. Along with George Clooney’s “Suburbicon,” the prestige picture is seen as one of Paramount’s major Oscar players this season.  The fact it will open Venice means screenings at Telluride and possibly Toronto are also in the works.

“Downsizing” opens on December 22nd. [Deadline]