The Venice film festival may start slightly later for its 2009edition. While not officially announced, Biennale president Paolo Baratta and artistic directorMarco Mueller told foreign journalists over lunch that next year's schedule might shift slightly.

Venice could potentially kick off Weds., Sept 2, 2009.

Venice traditionally opens the Wednesday after the last Tuesday in
August and that has placed the festival's opening day somewhere
between Aug 25 and Sept. 1, depending on the calendar each
year.

The 2009 calendar would normally set Venice with an Aug 26th opening date.

The directors underscored that they are just considering the idea,with Paolo Baratta saying they would consult the Toronto Film Festivalfirst. However, Mueller underlined that Aug 26 is far too earlyto launch films, while most Europeans are still on holiday.

The current edition of the Venice Film Festival wraps Sept 6.

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