The super-serious actor, who is best known for his straight-faced roles in films like Schindler's List, The English Patient, Great Expectations and Skyfall, was all smiles and full of fun as he premiered his new movie A Bigger Splash at Palazzo del Casino.

Fiennes busted a move and appeared to be paying tribute to famous dance moves from films like Saturday Night Fever and even Psy's Gangnam Style video.

His dancing was so good, the actor won applause from the crowd and co-star Tilda Swinton.

In A Bigger Splash, the remake of cult French film La Piscine, Fiennes plays a former rock star.

Joking aside, the celebrities at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday were keen to address Europe's ongoing immigration issues as refugees from Syria continue to flee to the continent.

Swinton, whose new film features a subplot involving people coming ashore on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, said, "May I just suggest by the way that we all get out of the habit of calling anybody migrants in this situation. We're dealing with refugees, war refugees."

And director Tom Hooper, who was at the festival promoting his new film The Danish Girl, added, "We live in a deeply divided world. I mean, what's happening on the shores of Europe at the moment, the extraordinary refugee crisis that reaches out to us at the moment, is an appeal to our hearts."