Rome Gearing Up for Film Festival

Rome`s first international festival looks to compete with Venice`s esteemed Lido competition, hosting movie stars on the red carpet and offering a little bit of everything for movie lovers. There will be screenings of around 100 films that will include American, European and Asian productions, along with several retrospectives paying tribute to Italian cinema, as well as one dedicated to actor Sean Connery.

Mainly funded privately, Rome`s international festival will offer a more down to earth approach than its Venice compatriot and looks to gain recognition and possibly sponsorship in the future by inventing a whole new concept. Mayor Walter Veltroni is said to be behind the idea of the film festival, fulfilling a dream he has of presenting his city with a high profile film event. He aims for the "Festa del Cinema" to be spectator-focused and an all around good time at the movies.

Dignitaries set to attend Rome`s film festival include Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Richard Gere, Viggo Mortensen, Monica Bellucci -- who stars in two films showing at the festival -- and Harrison Ford.

                                 

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