The film with the biggest buzz going into the Venice Film Festival, a dark new portrait of Marilyn Monroe starring Cuban actress Ana de Armas, finally gets its world premiere on Thursday.
"Blonde" is a long-awaited biopic produced by Netflix that promises to delve deep into the childhood trauma and sexual violence that lay behind the highly sexualised image of the 20th century icon.
The choice of Armas for the lead role has not been without controversy, with online trolls slamming her slight Cuban accent when the trailer was released this summer.
Netflix had a strong presence going into the festival, with four films in the competition for the top prize, the Golden Lion.
