A host of cinema legends are set to gather in Rome next month, for the second edition of the Italian capital's international film festival.
Among the names slated to attend are actors Sophia Loren, Jane Fonda, Gerard Depardieu and directors Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola and Terrence Malick.
Unveiling the festival, entitled Extra, the event's director Mario Sesti said there would be 16 films competing for the main 'Cult Prize'.
For most of the entrants, nearly all of which are documentaries, the screening will mark their European or international premiere.
The King of Kong, by Seth Gordon, is a documentary exploring 1980s arcade mania, looking at the efforts of one man to beat the world's top score for the game Donkey Kong.
Natural Born Star by young Norwegian director Even Benestad reconstructs the downhill spiral of Scandinavian actor Fred Robsahm, who starred in spaghetti westerns and married Italian actress Agostina Belli.
Forbidden Lie$, by Australia's Anna Boinowski, recounts the tale of Jordanian-born author Norma Khouri, accused of one of the greatest literary frauds of history.
The festival, which runs from October 18-27, will also screen a number of other films not competing for the main prize.
Among these are Pop Skull by US director Adam Wingard, described by Sesti as "one of the best low-budget horror movies of recent years".
Other non-competing entries include a documentary about post-Katrina New Orleans by Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme, entitled Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward. There is also a film exploring the life of Clint Eastwood by French director Michael Henry Wilson.
Italian contributions to the festival include Parole Sante by Ascanio Celestini, which looks behind the scenes at a call centre, and Zero, an investigation into September 11, by Franco Fracassi and Francesco Trento.
Niente e'come sembra, by Franco Battiato, is an exploration of philosophy, spirituality and music, while Donne Assassine is a pilot episode for a TV series by Fox International about female assassins.
One Italian entry generating considerable pre-festival excitement is a documentary dedicated to the legendary comic genius Toto, which includes previously unseen footage.
In addition to the film screenings, the festival will also stage several meetings with major figures from the world of cinema.
Five time Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola will discuss his latest film, Youth Without Youth, a love story and mystery set in the run-up to World War II.
The retiring cult American director Terrence Malick has also agreed to give a talk - something of a coup for the organizers of the festival.
"It took us over a year to persuade him, and he only agreed on condition there were no photographers and he was allowed to talk about Italian cinema, which he loves," said Sesti.
Bernardo Bertolucci will attend a screening of his 1976 classic 1900, along with the film's French star, Gerard Depardieu.
Jane Fonda, along with Shirley Knight and Cloris Leachman will all speak at a meeting focused on women actors in the 1970s.
Finally, Sophia Loren will attend the event to receive the festival's Acting Award.
