Riz Ahmed © Markus Nass

The 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival (29 August – 8 September) will open with the out-of-competition screening of Mira Nair’s thriller THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST which stars in the leading role Riz Ahmed, UK SHOOTING STAR 2012, as well as Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Live Schreiber and Martin Donovan.  The film is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story about a Pakastani man (played by Riz Ahmed) working on Wall Street who is caught between his professional aspirations, a hostage crisis, and his loyalty to his native country. Filming took place in Delhi, Istanbul, New York, Atlanta, and Lahore in Pakistan.

The film will represent the fifth time the India-born Nair on the Venice Lido, who won Venice’s coveted Golden Lion prize in 2001 for Monsoon Wedding. EFP introduced Riz Ahmed as one of the Shooting Stars of 2012 at the annual Berlin International Film Festival. He lately worked with Michael Winterbottom on Trishna and Chris Morris on Four Lions.