David Gordon Green's Manglehorn - a drama featuring a promising performance from Al Pacino - is heading to the Venice Film Festival and will screen in competition. It joins Alejandro Gonzelez Inarritu's Birdman at the 71th Venice Biennale, organizers announced on Thursday.

Al Pacino ManglehornAl Pacino in 'Manglehorn'

Manglehorn tells the story of a locksmith in a small town in Texas, who never managed to get over the love of his life. Gordon Green has good form heading into this - he directed the excellent Prince Avalanche (2013) and drama Joe (2013), the latter of which made everyone remember how good an actor Nicolas Cage actually is. It was tipped up as a possible Oscar winner by Almost Sideways back in March.

Pacino will no doubt be in Venice for the premiere, as will Andrew Garfield, Laura Dern and Michael Shannon (probably) for Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes. Ethan Hawke is nailed on to appear, given that he stars in two movies debuting - Good Kill and Michael Amereyda's Cymbeline. 

Elsewhere, the Viggo Mortensen starring Loin des Hommes is in competition, as is Joe Dante's Burying the Ex, with Anton Yelchin. In an out-of-competition showcase, Frances McDormand plays Lisa Cholodenko in HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge. 

Watch the trailer for Birdman:

We already know that Birdman will be opening the festival. From the trailer that rolled out last month, we get the feeling this one is certainly going to be a contender at the awards ceremonies at the end of the year. It stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero trying to overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory. Of course, Keaton once played Batman.

The Venice Film Festival opens on August 27 and runs through till September 6. 

Next page: check out the full line-up for the Venice Film Festival