Rome Film Festival Unveils First Edition Under New Management; Fetes James Ivory, Launches International Competition
deadline.comThe Rome Film Festival has unveiled its first line-up under the new management team of former Rai executive Paola Malanga as artistic director and Cineteca di Bologna director Gian Luca Farinelli as president, who were both appointed to their roles last March.“Putting together a festival in five months was a big challenge.
If we succeeded its thanks to the extraordinary team and the institutions,” Farinelli said at a news conference in Rome on Thursday.The festival’s 17th edition, October 13-23, will host 130 titles on 28 screens across the Italian capital.Highlights include a career tribute for James Ivory and the launch of an international competition strand under the banner “Progressive Cinema – Visions Of Tomorrow’s World”, showcasing 16 new films.“We tried to bring recognition to the festival on the international scene… guided by a simple polar star.
The festival is not Cannes, Venice or Berlin. So what is it?” said Farinelli.“It’s a pluralist, international festival, which is also a party for Rome.
The title of the competition is not by chance. The committee has looked for independent, international cinema, by new auteurs, who tomorrow will perhaps be at Cannes, Venice and Berlin.”The inaugural competition line-up comprises Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Pavel Giroud’s El Caso Padilla (Cuba), Lila Neugebauer’s Jennifer Lawrence-produced Causeway (U.S).
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