Rome Film Fest 2017: Genre Cinema, Women, and Few Italian Films

The 12th edition of the Festa del Cinema di Roma runs from October 26 to November 5, 2017, under the artistic direction of Antonio Monda, confirmed for another three years. Monda emphasizes continuity, identity, and variety, aiming for cross-genre contamination involving music, animation, and literature. The festival opens with Scott Cooper's western 'Hostiles' starring Rosamund Pike and closes with Paolo Genovese's 'The Place' featuring Valerio Mastandrea, Marco Giallini, Sabrina Ferilli, Vinicio Marchioni, and Silvia D'Amico. A horror highlight is Daniele Misischia's 'In un giorno la fine' with Alessandro Roja, produced by Manetti Bros. Documentaries include one on Bob Dylan and another on Maria Callas. 'Incontri Ravvicinati' events feature Chuck Palahniuk and Vanessa Redgrave, who also presents her directorial debut 'Sea Sorrow' about migrants. The festival boasts a strong female presence in staff and selection, with films like Natalia Beristain's 'Los Adioses' (biopic of Rosario Castellanos), Kathryn Bigelow's 'Detroit', and Barbara Albert's 'Mademoiselle Paradis'. Few Italian films are programmed, contrasting with the Venice Film Festival; notable exceptions include Donato Carrisi's 'La ragazza nella nebbia', the Taviani brothers' 'Una questione privata' with Luca Marinelli, and Andrea Mastrovito's 'Nysferatu – Symphony of a Century'. The festival represents 31 countries.