RUSSIAN FILM TRIUMPHS IN FIRST ROME FILM FESTIVAL

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 21, 2006 Saturday 10:38 AM EST

DPA CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT Italy Culture Film Russian film triumphs
in first Rome Film Festival Rome

Izobrajaya Zhertvy (Playing the Victim), a dark comedy by Russian
director Kirill Serebrennikov, won the Best Film

Award at Rome’s first International Film Festival on Saturday.

The film, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, was
picked from 16 vying for the award by a popular jury of 50 ordinary
movie-goers led by Italian director Ettore Scola.

The Best Actress Award was given to Ariane Ascaride for her starring
role in Le Voyage en Armnie (Armenia) by French director Robert
Gudiguian while Italy’s Giorgio Colangeli (L’Aria Salata) was given
the Best Actor Award.

Shane Meadows’s This is England won the Special Jury Award.

The awards ceremony took place in Rome’s Auditorium on the last day
of the festival, which was to close later on Saturday with a preview
screening of Robert De Niro’s latest film, The Good Shepherd.

After the screening, De Niro was expected to answer questions from
the audience.

The city’s first ever international film festival is the brainchild
of Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, a well-known cinema buff.

International stars who have attended include Nicole Kidman, Sean
Connery, Harrison Ford and Leonardo Di Caprio.