Plans for a new nine-day international film festival in Rome next year were officially announced by Romes mayor, Walter Veltroni, during the Venice film festival.

However the mayor of Venice, Massimo Cacciari, is concerned that the festival, scheduled for next October, will detract from the famous annual Venetian cinema event held every September, as Rome is better equipped for a large-scale happening of this sort.

Venice is in need of new cinema facilities on the Lido and although funding of 100 million has been approved by the Veneto region, the ministry of fine arts and culture says that the money may not be made available.

Many Italians involved in the film industry, including producers, directors and actors are enthusiastic about the plans for the Rome festival.