VENICE, Italy, July 9 (UPI) -- Survival epic Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley has been chosen to launch the 72nd Venice Film Festival in Sept..
The film, directed by Icelander Baltasar Kormakur, follows the 1996 true story of two expeditions on Mt. Everest hit by one of the most powerful snowstorms ever documented. The climbers battle mountainous elements including lack of oxygen, freezing weather and harsh terrain in order to survive their way down the mountain and overcome the obstacles set before them.