Venice Film Festival opens with "The Reluctant Fundamentalist"

From left to right, producer Lydia Dean Pilcher, co-screenwriter Mohsin Hamid, actress Kate Hudson, actor Riz Ahmed, director Mira Nair and actor Liev Schreiber attend "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" photocall during the 69th Venice International Film Festival on Aug. 29, 2012, in Venice, Italy.

/ Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

(CBS/AP) "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" opened the 69th annual Venice Film Festival Wednesday, and the film's director Mira Nair says she hopes her film will help open a dialogue about stereotypes of the Islamic world that have deepened in the last decade.

Pictures: Venice Film Festival 2012

The movie, which makes its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, tells the story of a Pakistani man with a bright future as a Wall Street analyst whose allegiances come under scrutiny following the Sept. 11 attacks. The film stars actors Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Riz Ahmed.

Nair said she was drawn to the novel by Mohsin Hamid, on which the film is based, because "it was essentially a dialogue between East and West." Nair, an Indian director who lives in New York, said she sought to "bring some sense of bridge-making."

The 69th Venice Film Festival ends Sept. 8.

61 Photos

Venice Film Festival 2012