Moon landing movie "First Man" by Damian Chazelle, starring Ryan Gosling, will open this year's Venice Film Festival, organizers said Thursday.

"First Man," in which Gosling plays Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to set foot on the moon in 1969, will be screened on August 29 as one of the films competing for the top Golden Lion award.

"The announcement of the world premiere of the film comes on the eve of 49th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon," a festival statement said.

It is Chazelle's first work since the critically-acclaimed "La La Land," also starring Gosling, which premiered at the 2016 Venice Film Festival and went on to win six Oscars.

Festival director Alberto Barbera hailed the new movie as "a very personal, original and compelling piece of work, wonderfully unexpected within the context of present day epic films."

Venice hosts the world's oldest film festival, established in 1932, and usually mixes Hollywood blockbusters with art-house offerings. Its 75th edition is scheduled to run from August 29 to September 8.

Organizers are due to announce a full festival program on July 25.