The International Rome Film Fest expands its format by bringing cinema to the entire territory of the capital, transforming the city into a large stage. These are the ideas of Fondazione Cinema per Roma President Gianluca Farinelli and Festa del Cinema Artistic Director Paola Malanga.
A year-long work that has several new features, and does not stop at just the fall kermesse.
“We have worked to be ready right away, to show a festival that wants to continue in its groove but also to amaze, the city and the cinema,” Farinelli explains, announcing the busy program that starts already in the summer. Among them, the tenth edition of Cinema al Maxxi will kick off from June 16, a review of restored versions of masterpieces will be held from July 20 at the Parco degli Acquedotti, while the Floating Theatre’s floating arena at Eur, conceived by Alice nella città, will host a program of films from August 18 in collaboration with the Rome Film Fest. In addition, on Sunday, July 24, Via Veneto will be transformed into a large movie theater with the screening of the restored version of William Wyler’s Roman Holiday.
The 17th edition of the Rome Film Fest will be held this year from October 13 to 23 and will introduce precisely the official competition, renamed Progressive Cinema. There will then be four other non-competitive sections: Freestyle, which will welcome a series of titles of free format, style and duration, including also TV series and video clips; Gran Public, dedicated to the mainstream; Best of 2022, which will host the best titles that have already passed through other international festivals; Restorations and Retrospectives.
Also changing are the meetings with the public, which will now be hosted in the Paso Doble section, where two authors will dialogue with each other, and Absolute Beginners, dedicated to reenacting the debut of an established author in the world of cinema.
“The film sector,” said Rome Culture Councillor Miguel Gotor, “is the most interesting sector, because the industry is the one that for various reasons has had the opportunity to transform the epidemic into new productivity. The last few years have changed the way cinema is enjoyed, and it is important for all of us administrators to defend an idea of cinema: communal, social and shared.”
In conclusion, as of January 1, 2023, the splendid location of the Casa del Cinema di Roma in Villa Borghese will be taken over by the Foundation, which will also be in charge of its annual programming with the aim of making it more lively and open to major events and important screenings.
