Rome IFF: the Muller era kicks off with first and second films
- Debut and second films abound for the eternal city’s festival under the guidance of Venice Film Festival’s former director
The Marco Muller (photo) era has begun at the International Rome Film Festival which will be opening with kolossal, V ožidanii morja (Waiting for the sea) by Bakhtiar Khudojnazarov. The Russian, German, Belgian, French, Kazakh and Ukrainian coproduction took the director of Luna Papa six years to make.
After twenty-two years away and a number of controversies, the former artistic director of the Venice Film Festival is returning to his home city. As latest director for the Rome festival, he has managed to pull together his first edition in just four and a half months, which he has described as “in embryo”. To anyone who asked him during a recent press conference where all the stars and glamour were, his response was curt. Stars do not just come from Hollywood.
In spite of looming political scandal, which financially tied Muller to a regional committee, which recently stepped down after the uncovering of corruption, the films on offer show a festival half way between genre and auteur cinema.
If Quentin Tarantino may come as a surprise guest, and a Walter Hill award will bring Sylvester Stallone to the capital (lately appearing in Bulllet in the Head), the most interesting titles are far from these big names. Una pistola en cada mano by Catalan director and screenwriter Cesc Gay (Krámpack), running out of competition; Ixjana by the Skolimowski brothers; Un Enfant de toi by Jacques Doillon; Main Dans La Main, by Valérie Donzelli; Japanese Lesson Of Evil by Takashi Miike; Mexican Never Die, Enrique Rivero’s second film; Russian Nebesnye Ženy Lugovykh Mari (Celestial wives of meadow Mari) by Alexey Fedorchenko and Ukrainian Vecnoe Vozvrašcenie (Eternal Homecoming) by Kira Muratova.
Of the fifteen competing films, three are Italian: Alì ha gli occhi azzurri, Claudio Giovannesi’s second film, E la chiamano estate by Paolo Franchi and Il volto di un'altra by Pappi Corsicato.
Three others will be coming from the United States. A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III, Roman Coppola’s second film, Marfa Girl by Larry Clark and The Motel Life, a film debut by Gabriel and Alan Polsky.
(Translated from Italian)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
