French screen icon Juliette Binoche has premiered her new movie "L'Attesa" ("The Wait") at the Venice Film Festival.

The star was joined on the red carpet by the film's director Piero Messina and co-star Lou de Laag.

The movie, which is showing in competition at the festival, sees Binoche star as Anna, a grieving mother, struggling to cope with the death of her son.

Set in Sicily, de Lagg plays Jeanne, the son's French girlfriend, who arrives to visit him - unaware of the sad truth.

Caught off-guard by Jeanne's arrival, Anna decides to hold off admitting the truth and instead uses Jeanne to sustain the illusion that her son isn't really gone.

Binoche says she had tried to prepare for the role but had not found a way to approach the character. In the end, she decided to stop her pre-shoot preparations and follow her instinct on set.

"There was something quite physical about this role that I liked. And always thinking that's the moment I'm going to tell her the truth and not being able to say the truth. And the contradiction between those two and the ambivalence she's going through was kind of a very interesting experience to live as an actress. There was something new about acting that I like and when you discover something new as an actor you think, okay, good, you can carry on."

"L'Attesa" is one of 21 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion award at the 72nd Venice Film Festival.

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