Rome fest ticket sales off to a flying start

October 08, 2008 Ticket sales for the third edition of the Rome International Film Festival opened this week with a boom, officials said Wednesday, indicating that the public has paid little interest to the political turmoil that temporarily cast the festival's future in doubt. The world premiere of Catherine Hardwicke's romantic thriller "Twilight" was in particular demand, the festival said, with tickets gone in a few hours, prompting organizers to add a screening of the film on the festival's last day. Question-and-answer sessions with film figures including Michael Cimino, David Cronenberg and Al Pacino -- along with a dual encounter with local stars Toni Servillo and Carlo Verdone -- also attracted intense interest, the festival said.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.