'Hanna' to open Sydney Film Fest

A Cate Blanchett movie has been announced as the opener for the Sydney Film Festival.

Espionage thriller Hanna, which is directed by Joe Wright and also stars Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan, will kick off the event on June 8 this year.

Festival director Clare Stewart told AAP: "Of course we're very excited to be opening with Hanna... and to have Sydney Film Festival's patron Cate Blanchett on the red carpet for our opening night event."

Stars flying in for the event include Jack Black and Lucy Liu, who are coinciding their visit with the Kung Fu Panda 2 promotional tour.

Stewart added: "[There will be] a new big screen at Martin Place, where you'll be able to see trailers from the festival films, coverage of our red carpets and interviews with some of the filmmakers.

"So I think there'll be a much more vibrant presence for the festival in the streets, which is an important thing given that, of course, most film festivals happen in the dark."

The event will run for 11 days and will feature 161 movies, including 29 Australian productions. The closing night movie will be Ewan McGregor's Beginners.

Earlier this year, Blanchett launched a short film competition to campaign against youth homelessness in Australia. She said she wanted Aussies to make "films that raise awareness, tell really inspiring stories and provide solutions that not only touch our hearts, but provoke us into making real action".

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