This was selected as the opening-night film for the 13th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival.

On the one hand, the opening-night film is a kind of mystery thriller.

Dust was the opening-night film of the Venice Film Festival.

Initially, "Shadow of Silence" was meant to be the festival's opening-night film.

The festival's opening-night films have always been more mainstream than most at Sundance, and often too sincere for their own good.

Recent comedies include the opening-night film, "Living Out Loud," directed by Richard LaGravanese, with Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito.

"Dust and Ashes," the major opening-night film, suffers from a lulling narrative, which assumes a clicheed "objective" tone (as if every documentary does not have some point of view).

Ms. Bates stars in the opening-night film, "A Home of Our Own," in which Mr. Campisi also appears.

It is a festival rule that the opening-night film be a North American premiere.

This year's hot potato is "Frisk," the festival's opening-night film.