back	October 31, 2008 RSS

Bye, Bye, Roma!

It's starting to feel like goodbye in the MINI Lounge. The weather has improved again, and everyone's a little bit melancholy, given that the festival has now concluded. However, there is also a feeling that much has been accomplished, and a hope that everything has been done well. After the storms of recent days, an English rain accompanies the final stages of the festival, and brings it to its unavoidable end. It won't be easy to get the images of the films, and the festival, out of our heads. When we close our eyes, we can still see the flashing of the photographers wanting to immortalize the look of the stars on the red carpet. Truly, nothing was missing: There was high society, debates, parties, rain, music, student protests and, first and foremost, film. Just as Al Pacino had the honor of opening this fourth edition of the festival, Gina Lollobrigida had the honor of closing it. She received the golden Marco Aurelio for lifetime achievement. The images presented on the big screen in the Sala Sinopoli told not only of a great and beautiful actor, but also of an all-round artist. A woman who, aside from an extraordinary cinema career, also managed to cultivate a passion for photography, painting and sculpture. In the process, she created things far beyond the level of an amateur. She stepped onto the stage to a predictable ovation from the audience, put her hands to her face and declared her emotion in a few simple words: "I've won a lot of prizes. But here we are in Rome, and it's my home." And we all know that it's especially difficult to triumph in one's own country, and that such deeds seldom occur. More standing ovations followed, then Massimo Ranieri and Maurizio Scaparro appeared on stage to present L`ultimo Pulcinella, a film which ran outside the competition and closed the evening in the auditorium.