Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, once Hollywood's most celebrated couple, are both attending the Venice International Film Festival.

The festival begins today, September 1, and will be on till September 11.

Cruise and Kidman are there to promote their films, Collateral and Birth respectively.

Other stars expected to make waves at the festival are Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

Jolie, Smith and De Niro will promote their computer-animated Shark Tale.

Johansson (Lost In Translation, A Girl With A Pearl Earring) and Mirren (Raising Helen, Calendar Girls) are on the jury to decide the Golden Lion Award.

The Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals are considered the official launch of the Oscar season. 

Toronto will be on from September 9 to September 16.

From India, there is Mani Ratnam's Yuva (Midnight Section) and Gautam Ghose's Impermanence (Digital Cinema Section). The star, though, is Mira Nair, whose Vanity Fair will be screened in the Competition Section.

Three years ago, her Monsoon Wedding won the Golden Lion at Venice. Will Vanity Fair win her the Lion, too?