Rome was once the center of the world, and recently was the center of the film world for a few days. Although the Venice Film Festival is Italy's largest cinema-related event, the 8th annual Rome International Film Festival is also a major event for the film industry and cinema fans.
The festival ended yesterday, with Italian-Croatian director Alberto Fasulo winning the top prize for his documentary-style movie
Tir, according to
Hollywood Reporter. The entertainment industry website noted that
Tir is the second Italian documentary film to win accolades at a major film festival within the past three months.
Sacra GRA, directed by Gianfranco Rosi, won top honors at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Variety reported that Italian comedy
Fifth Wheel opened the festival on November 8, with the festival's advance ticket sales up by 20 percent in 2013. This is great news! An increase in ticket sales is not only a surge in tourist economy for the Eternal City, but I think it also means that the film festival is building a bigger name.
Two familiar names also had a successful trip to Rome. Actors Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson won top acting awards, according to
UPI.
I would love to see some of the Italian entries, such as Fifth Wheel, and hope these films come to the United States soon. Congratulations to all who participated in the 8th Annual Rome Film Festival!
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