2010 Taormina Film Fest – Cinema Under the Stars

Italy’s principal summer film event, the Taormina Film Fest, celebrates its 56th year from June 12 to 18, 2010, against the stunning backdrop of the Teatro Antico of Taormina, one of Sicily’s most important and well-preserved monuments from the ancient Greek era.

The festival is a major showcase for film premières from Hollywood and around the world. Each year the festival presents a careful selection of just 21 new features, chosen from the most significant recent production. A number of the films first screened in Taormina have been subsequently chosen to represent their countries as Oscar © candidates; others have gone on to win Emmys, Golden Globes and other major awards for their directors, producers, actors and actresses.

Prizes include the Golden Tauro for best film and the renowned Taormina Arte Awards given to outstanding members of the film community. This year Robert De Niro will be honored for his work.  On June 13 , the award-winning actor will hold a Master Class for festival-goers and, later that night, receive the prestigious Taormina Arte Award on the stage of Taormina’s 2,300-year-old Teatro Antico.   The designer Valentino will also be presented with an award, presumably for the perfect tan.

Check the festival’s website for a full program of events.