ROME, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The 16th Rome Film Fest ended here on Sunday without featuring official awards for films as planned since current artistic director Antonio Monda took the reins in 2015.
Focused on a strong interaction between cinema professionals and the public, the non-competitive Fest offered many varied chances to see movie stars, during the so-called "Close Encounters," plus debates on the latest trends of audio-visual creation, and tributes to famous masters of cinema.
This edition -- which opened one day after Italy's anti-pandemic rules were lifted for cinemas and allowed them operate at full capacity again -- saw several stars warmly welcomed by the Roman fans on the red carpet.
Among them were Alfonso Cuaron, Oliver Stone, and , the American veteran director who was honored a Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday.
Burton's best known works include "Edward Scissorhands", "The Nightmare before Christmas"and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
Addressing the audience during a Close Encounter, Burton said historic Italian directors such as Mario Bava, Federico Fellini, and Dario Argento were among his major inspiration sources. Thus, receiving such award in the Italian capital was for him "a very special feeling," he said.
Earlier this week, a first Lifetime Achievement Award had been bestowed to American director Quentin Tarantino, twice Oscar winner and best renowned for films such as "Pulp Fiction", "Kill Bill", and "the Hateful Eight".
The Audience Award was bestowed to "Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea" by Marcel Barrena, a Spain-Greece production on the drama of the thousands of migrants who risk their lives trying to cross the sea from the African coasts to Europe.
This edition of the Rome Film Fest -- which opened at the multi-functional public music complex Auditorium Parco della Musica in northern Rome on Oct. 14 -- counted 23 films and documentaries in the official selection. Enditem