Italian actors and filmmakers gathered in Cannes on Wednesday to help kick off 6oth anniversary celebrations for the world's most famous film festival.
Although there are no Italian films in the main Palme d'Or competition this year - a fact which has raised some eyebrows - the Italian presence will nevertheless be felt.
Italy's contribution is also glaringly evident in the official festival merchandising featuring all past winners' names written in brightly coloured letters: Luchino Visconti, Elio Petri, Francesco Rosi and Vittorio De Sica are among those in the Cannes roll call of top honours.
Over the years, Italian productions have won the second highest number of top prizes at Cannes a total of 12 prizes - preceded only by the 18 won by the mammoth US film industry.
Italy will still be playing a part in the Palme d'Or since director Marco Bellocchio last here in 2006 with his film The Wedding Director is sitting on the main jury, led by Britain's Stephen Frears of The Queen fame.
At the Un Certain Regard sidebar event, young actress Jasmine Trinca (The Caiman) is serving as juror. One of the the films she will be judging will be Daniele Luchetti's My Brother is an Only Child, starring Elio Germano and Italian teen heart-throb Riccardo Scamarcio.
Scamarcio is also appearing in Abel Ferrara's film, Go Go Tales, an Italian co-production also being shown on the Croisette.
PLENTY OF ITALIAN CONNECTIONS AT THE FILM FEST.
There are plenty of other Italian connections on the Festival programme: past winner Ermanno Olmi is here presenting his new film The Lark Farm as one of just four directors in the special tribute section for Cannes 60th anniversary.
Festival 'darling' Nanni Moretti, who snatched the Palme d'Or with The Son's Room in 2001, was called in to help Cannes celebrate its special anniversary.
Film Fest Director Gilles Jacob chose him as one the 35 renowned international filmmakers contributing to the collective short film to celebrate the 60th edition, called To Each His Own Cinema.
In keeping with anniversaries, the Italian brother directing team, Vittorio and Paolo Taviani, are in Cannes to present the DVD of their film Father and Master on the 30th anniversary of its Palme d'Or award.
On Thursday, actor Sergio Castellitto will take the stage for the Actor's Masterclass, a very prestigious showcase which has in the past honoured French leading leady Catherine Deneuve.
This year's Cinema Masterclass - where great filmmakers reminisce about the highlights of their career - will be given by recent first-time Oscar winner Martin Scorsese.
Cannes, though, is not just about star spotting and watching films but also about buying and selling, with some serious business already underway at the Market.
Italian exporters will be pushing domestic productions like The Unknown by Giuseppe Tornatore, the animated Italian co-production, Noah's Ark by Juan Pablo Buscarini, the recently-released Notturno Bus by Davide Marengo and Mario Canale's documentary "Marco Ferreri: The Director who Came from the Future".
