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When in Rome Visit the Film Festival
While Rome, affectionately referred to as la Città
Eterna ("the Eternal City"), is often visited due to its
rich history, its stunning architecture or renowned
cuisine, later this month from the 18th to the 27th of
October, visitors can experience the Rome Film Festival.
Although it is only in its second year, it has attracted
a high number of private sponsors, and the City Council
of Rome, in the name of the Mayor and film-buff Walter
Veltroni, the Province of Rome and the Lazio Region all
strongly support it both in terms of institutional
communication and economic investment.
The actual title of the festival in Italian is Festa,
which could be translated as feast, not festival, and is
apt, since it is more a celebration of the joy of cinema
than a regular film festival. Indeed, though the Rome
Film Festival’s jury includes a renowned director as its
president, last year Ettore Scola, the rest of the 50
jurors are not film professionals but are, in fact,
regular moviegoers selected both in Italy and Europe.
Although it enjoys fierce rivalry with the Venice Film
Festival, The Rome Film Festival has attracted its own
audience and this year will host the world premiere of
11 new films. Among the most exciting is ‘Youth Without
Youth’ - Francis Ford Coppola's first feature film in a
decade. The film is about a timid Romanian professor who
becomes young again after being hit by lightning. The
five-time Oscar-winning director wrote the film based on
a novella by Romanian philosopher-author Mircea Eliade
and has been described as his "third renaissance" after
‘Apocalypse Now’ and ‘The Godfather’.
Coppola’s film appears out of competition, along with a
number of American films exploring the political climate
post 9/11. These include Robert Redford's ‘Lions for
Lambs’ and Gavin Hood’s ‘Rendition’. ‘Lions for Lambs’
stars Tom Cruise and
Meryl Streep and tells the story of two soldiers wounded
behind enemy lines in Afghanistan and the repercussions
back home. ‘Rendition’ is about an American woman trying
to track down her Egyptian-born husband, who is held at
a secret CIA detention centre. It also stars Meryl
Streep, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese
Witherspoon.
The 14 movies in competition for the top Marcus Aurelius
award for Best Film include ‘El Pasado’ (The Past), with
Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, ‘Li Chun' (translated
as 'And the Spring Comes') from China's Chang Wei Gu,
‘Barcelona (un mapa)’ (translated as 'Barcelona, a Map')
by Spain's Ventura Pons and Alain Corneau's ‘La Deuxieme
Souffle’ (translated as 'Second Wind'), starring Monica
Bellucci and Daniel Auteuil. Separate awards for Best
Actress and Best Actor, as well as a special jury prize,
will also be handed out.
In addition to the more mainstream fare, the festival
also boasts dedicated sections for alternative
productions and documentaries,
children films, first films by new directors and the
craft of acting.
Visitors wishing to experience the Rome Film Festival
can take advantage of cheap flights to Rome’s two main
international airports, Leonardo da Vinci International
Airport, more commonly known as "Fiumicino airport", and
Ciampino International Airport. From either airport
travellers can catch a train or bus or arrange private
transfer to get to their final destination with ease. Hotels
in Rome can be booked online in advance, which is
recommended, especially due to the popularity of the
festival. Last year’s inaugural edition attracted
half-a-million visitors and this year is looking to top
that.
Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from
Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys
travelling. Article
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