David O. Russell, 'The Great Beauty' to Headline Los Angeles-Italia Film Fest

1:53 PM PST 2/10/2014 by Eric J. Lyman

David O. Russell
Austin Hargrave

Nobody can talk like David O. Russell. He talks about his borderline attention deficit disorder ("I'm an ADD guy, kind of a little; I'm not a stranger to the notion"); he talks about Harvey Weinstein ("I love Harvey; he's so passionate"); he talks about writing every day, plowing on for years without recognition: "I wrote several scripts, and I would write them 20, 30 times [to] find out how many ways I could write something and make it better."

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The last major film event before the Oscars highlights Italian and Italian-American filmmakers and entertainers.

ROME – American Hustle director David O. Russell will headline the lineup at the upcoming Los Angeles-Italia Film Festival, organizers said Monday.

Also on tap for the event that highlights the work of Italian and Italian-American filmmakers and entertainers will be film director Roberto Faenza, actress and director Valeria Golino, and famed Italian singer-songwriter and poet Francesco De Gregori.

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It will also include special tributes to Italian playwright Eduardo De Filippo, who died 30 years ago, and noted actor Giuliano Gemma, who died last year at age 75, just months after being honored at the previous edition of the Los Angeles-Italia Fest.

The event, which takes place at the TLC Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd., runs from Feb. 23 to Mar 1. It is the last major film event before the votes are cast for the Oscars.

Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty (La Grande Belezza), a finalist for the foreign language film Oscar, will open the event, which will also include the U.S. premiere of Faenza’s acclaimed Anita B, and LA Italia Excellence Awards for Russell, whose mother is Italian and whose latest film, American Hustle, was nominated for ten Oscars and to Rainman actress Golino whose directorial effort Honey (Miele) was shortlisted as Italy’s Oscar candidate.

The full program for the week-long event is available online.

Twitter: @EricJLyman

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