Encouraged by the success of the 2nd edition which was attended by a total of 40 thousand people including the general public, press and members of the trade, and which presented works from 24 different countries, the RomaFictionFest 2009 “” to be held in Rome and the provinces of the Lazio region from 6th “” 11th July “” will be packed with initiatives and new features.

Starting with the debut of RomaTvScreenings (as announced by Cinema & Video in the last issue), the rendezvous dedicated to national TV drama aimed at the schedulers of the most important international television networks, which aims to promote the export of Italian-made products.
Curated by Carlo Macchitella, the Screenings “” which will be placed alongside the tried and tested Pitching & Speed Dating, a regular international market of ideas “” will be held from 6th “” 7th July 2009 in the LUMSA area (adjacent to Castel Sant’Angelo) and the Auditorium Conciliazione.

The real gem of the 3rd edition of the RomaFictionFest will be the retrospective “Giallo in bianco e nero”, an extraordinary collection of “noir” works, filled with suspense and twists, which were broadcast by the Rai between 1954 and 1977.
The line-up “” which will include every type of thriller, from the great classics to parodies, to the traditional Italian “Carosello” advertising slots “” includes the timeless “Nero Wolfe”, “The adventures of Laura Storm” and the Quartetto Cetra parodies “La Biblioteca di Studio Uno”. Thirty hours of programming curated by Fabrizio Accatino, Alessandro Boschi and Claudio De Pasqualis, in collaboration with RaiTeche and RaiSat Premium, where the public will also be able to meet the big stars of those unforgettable seasons.

The event’s headquarters will, once again, be the 10 screen Multisala Adriano where the conferences, special events and screenings of the works in the International Competition (none of which has been seen before in Italy) will be held, and where the big names from the world of TV drama will hold Masterclasses for the public.
The Auditorium Conciliazione (which seats 1,750) will be the venue for the Festival’s big Italian premieres, one of the most glamorous events of the RomaFictionFest.

For the third consecutive year, the provinces of the Lazio region will also be involved with a packed bill of screenings, meetings and special events.
The parallel Noon@Night section, showing all the best in horror, science fiction and transgression, and the Piloti section, reserved for the presentation of the best pilot episodes of Italian and international television series, have also been confirmed, as well as the window on the Lavori in corso [Work in progress], one of the last editions’ most successful and acclaimed events.

This big rendezvous with TV drama, directed by Steve Della Casa, will be celebrated by all the top names in Italian television and the best-loved faces from many international series who will be treading the orange carpet (in honor of the color of the festival) during the event. It will be an exciting occasion for enthusiasts of TV movies, mini-series and long-running series, who will be able to enjoy episodes which have never been screened before from the most popular Italian, European and US drama series, witness a parade of the most highly acclaimed stars of the small screen and discover the talents of television productions which are geographically far away and inaccessible.

The third edition has a 6 and a half million Euro budget (5 million 500 thousand from the Regione Lazio and 1 million from the Chamber of Commerce of Rome, with contributions from a number of sponsors also expected), compared to the overall allocation of 7 million Euros last year, signaling the “desire to realize a qualitatively important event, albeit “” given the current situation “” with a certain amount of moderation”, as Francesco Gesualdi explains.