RomeFilmFest changes name and expands competition
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With the arrival of the new president Gian Luigi Rondi in June come changes to the RomeFilmFest. The name of the event, to be held from October 22-31, has been changed to the Rome International Film Festival and the films of the two main sections, Cinema 2008 and Première, will all take part in the official competition.
Rondi announced further changes this morning.
There will be a Golden Marc'Aurelio Award (€75,000) for Best Film, chosen by festival audiences, and the Critics Prize for Best Film (also €75,000), awarded by an international jury. The latter will also present awards for Best Actress and Best Actor.
The newly elected president reaffirmed that the festival will be dedicated to “entertainment cinema” and will involve audiences and critics alike, “without competing with the Venice Film Festival” (which Rondi previously headed).
The sections Extra (renamed L’atro Cinema, or The Other Cinema) and Alice in the City, for youth films have been re-confirmed.
Other events announced for the event’s third edition include three tributes to three greats of Italian cinema: Alida Valli, Nino Manfredi and Dino Risi, along with the world premiere of David Cronenberg’s exhibit Chromosomes, a collection of 50 stills from his films.
Lastly, the festival, whose budget has been reduced from €17m to €15.5m, will bring together directors, producers, distributors and institutions for the General State of Italian cinema. The latter, added Rondi, is intended to help “understand where the industry is going and focus on piracy, a true plague to cinema”.
Camillo de Marco