The International Film Festival of Rome has announced Huit/Eight and The Man Who Loves will share credits as opening films for the upcoming third edition, which runs October 22-31.

Huit/Eight, which was previously announced, will be presented out of
competition as a Special Event, organisers specified today, even
though it is in Rome's Cinema 2008 section (one of the festival's
competitive sections).

The film is a composition of eight shorts by Jane Campion, Gael Garcia
Bernal, Jan Kounen, Mira Nair, Gaspar Noe, Abderrahmane Sissako, Gus
Van Sant and Wim Wenders that address the issue of world hunger.

The UN backs the film and with Rome as hub to three UN Food agencies FAO
(The Food and Agriculture Organization); WFP (The World Food Program)
and IFAD (International Fund for Agriculture Development), the film
will likely benefit from plenty of straight international news
coverage from Rome's foreign correspondents.

The Man Who Loves (L'uomo che ama) directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi is
part of Rome's Anteprima section, in competition.

The title features Pierfrancesco Favino (Miracle at St. Anna, Night at
the Museum) in a role that highlights the male viewpoint during a
difficult break up.

The cast also includes Monica Bellucci and Ukrainian actress Kseniya Rappoport.

Few details are available for Rome's closing film L'ultimo Pulcinella
(The Last Pulcinella), a world premiere directed by Maurizio Scaparro
starring Massimo Ranieri. Organizers only say the film is inspired by
an idea of Roberto Rossellini.

On another note, Daniele Vicari's Il passato e' una terra straniera
(literally: The Past is a Foreign Country) produced by Tilde Corsi,
Gianni Romoli and Domenico Procacci with Rai Cinema will be among the
Italian titles in the Anteprima section, in competition.

Actress and 1960s cinema icon Gina Lollabrigida will be given a Golden
Marco Aurelio career honour. Al Pacino, as preciously announced, will
also receive the career honour.

As part of some changes made this summer, Rome has modified the name
of some of its sections, but their content remains the same. For that
reason, the Competition (Cinema 2008), Premiere (Anteprima) dedicated
to big red carpet stars and Gala will maintain their own identities
but operate under one 'Official Selection.'

The full line up is to be announced October 1, with the section
L'altro Cinema (The Other Cinema, previously called 'Extra') to
announce their titles September 25.