Hollywood royalty walks Romes red carpet

Rome is prepareing to lay down the red carpet for its first ever film festival, scheduled Oct. 13 to 21. Among the 16 films competing in the festival are the Italian drama A Casa Nostra by Francesca Comencini and Gardens in Autumn by acclaimed Georgian moviemaker Otar Iosseliani. But the competition almost risks taking a back seat to the numerous film premieres, screenings, exhibitions, book presenta-tions and other events that have been planned to fill out the festival.Nicole Kidman has been signed up to open the event with the world premiere of her film Fur, based on the life of photographer Diane Arbus and directed by Steven Shainberg. Another screen beauty, Italys Monica Bellucci, will be present for the premiere of N: Napoleon and Me, by Paolo Virzi, which is set on the island of Elba during Napoleons exile.Other major premieres include Martin Scorseses The Departed, a remake of a Hong Kong crime thriller starring Jack Nicholson, Leon-ardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon; the noirish La Sconosciuta by Italian Oscar-winner Giuseppe Tornatore; and The Namesake, a tale of immigration by internationally feted Indian director Mira Nair.