Italy's Cinecitta Studios has named Lamberto Mancini as its new general director, replacing Antonio More who had held the position for more than ten years.

Mancini, 40, worked in business and marketing before becoming deputy general director of the Italian studio in June 1999. The appointment was voted in by Cinecitta Studios' board of directors, which is chaired by president Luigi Abete. More, who has been general director since 1989, becomes vice president.

Cinecitta has increasingly attracted US film companies to its Rome studios in recent months, marking a hoped-for return to its heyday in the 1960s. Martin Scorsese is currently shooting his $100m period gangster title, The Gangs Of New York at the studios.

In a further move to boost foreign business, Abete and Cinecitta Holding president Felice Laudadio launched a new film commission earlier this month. Named CineROMACitta, the organisation, which is jointly run with the cultural department of Rome's local government, aims to cut down on paperwork and generally give film-makers shooting in the city an easier ride.