Rome Welcomes the Stars for New Film Festival

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

The city that gave the world La Dolce Vita and Roman Holiday is hosting a new film festival. A-list international stars and lesser know artists are taking all roads to Rome for what is described as a populist event accessible to all film buffs. Here's our A-list international star, NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.

SYLVIA POGGIOLI: The heart of the festival is the auditorium, whose outdoor plaza is now the red carpet. Behind a barrier, photographers and fans jostle for position.

(Soundbite of people clapping, cheering)

POGGIOLI: The celebrity watch started with Sean Connery, recipient of a special award. Then came Richard Gere and Leonardo DiCaprio. Nicole Kidman inaugurated the festival with the premier of her movie Fur, loosely based on the life of photographer Diane Arbus.

(Soundbite of movie, “Fur”)

Unidentified Man: What do you photograph, Diane?

Ms. NICOLE KIDMAN (Actress): (As Diane Arbus) Me? Oh, no, I'm not the photographer. My husband is.

(Soundbite of animal roar)

POGGIOLI: Kidman said film festivals are good for small films like this one. The more we have, the better.

(Soundbite of music)

POGGIOLI: It was a touch of glamour on opening night. But with a top ticket price of $13, most of the crowd was just ordinary folks. The festival is the brainchild of Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni. When he announced the project last year, he drew the ire of Venice, seat of the world's oldest film festival founded in the 1930s. But Veltroni says this is a popular festival in contrast to the elitist exhibit on the Venetian lagoon. And unlike other festivals, the 16 films in competition will be judged by a popular jury of 50 ordinary moviegoers. One festival-goer, Sedro Senatori(ph), a recording engineer, said there's no need for rivalry between Rome and Venice.

Mr. SEDRO SENATORI (Recording Engineer; Jury, Rome Film Festival): (Through translator) The Venice Festival is for those who have already made a name for themselves. This festival is much more open. It gives young filmmakers an opportunity to show their work.

POGGIOLI: The entire city is abuzz. Films are being screened in every neighborhood, inside theaters or on big outdoor screens. Leonardo DiCaprio traveled to a poor, outlying suburb to meet with students, whipping up a frenzy of excitement in an area that doesn't even have a movie theater. Events include tributes to actor Marcello Mastroianni and directors Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti.

(Soundbite of music)

POGGIOLI: The city Federico Fellini once described as the ideal location for flights of fantasy is celebrating itself. In fact, since the dawn of the cinema, the eternal city has provided an ideal backdrop for movies. While World War II was still raging, Rossellini was already shooting Rome Open City amid the rubble. And who can forget Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on a scooter in Roman Holiday? But perhaps the most indelible image of the city once known as Hollywood on the Tiber was in La Dolce Vita.

(Soundbite of movie, “La Dolce Vita”)

Unidentified Man: (Italian spoken)

POGGIOLI: It was Fellini who invented paparazzo, the name he gave to one of the photographers buzzing around Anita Eckberg playing the movie star slapped by her husband on the fabled Via Veneto.

(Soundbite of movie, “La Dolce Vita”)

Mr. MARCELLO MASTROIANNI (Actor): (As Marcello Rubini) (Unintelligible)

Ms. ANITA ECKBERG (Actress): (As Sylvia) Don't do things like that, particular in front of people.

Mr. MASTROIANNI: Go to bed.

POGGIOLI: One of the top draws at the Rome Festival was American Director Martin Scorsese. At the auditorium, Scorsese spoke of his dedication to preserving film stock and negatives.

Mr. MARTIN SCORSESE (Film Director): This is a 20th century art form. And these performances, the performances alone, let alone the films. These have to be preserved for future generations. And we have hundreds of millions of dollars going to the industry, and no one was thinking about how to preserve.

POGGIOLI: Scorsese announced he has agreed to work together with the Rome Film Festival to restore a movie each year. The first to be salvaged would be Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West.

Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

(Soundbite of music)

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