Hollywood stars Fran Drescher, Jane Seymour, Luke Wilson, and Joe Manganiello are the latest high-profile additions to the lineup for the eighth edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna festival. The event, which celebrates both film and TV, will take place from June 19-22 on the island of Sardinia.
Other stars expected to attend include Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Serkis, and Mischa Barton of The O.C. The festival is known for highlighting women in the entertainment industry and fostering connections between the Italian and U.S. film sectors.
Also attending are Alec Baldwin, who has recently appeared in the troubled Western Rust, and Heather Graham, star of The Hangover and Chosen Family. Both will serve as jury members for the festival’s competition, which focuses on short films by female directors.
Festival chief Tiziana Rocca told Variety that the event offers significant support to aspiring filmmakers. “Filming Italy Sardegna helps young filmmakers in practical ways,” Rocca explained. The winning short film will not only screen at the Venice Film Festival but will also receive €8,000 ($9,200) in equipment support from Panalight.
The festival will also feature masterclasses aimed at around 2,000 Italian film students from over 20 universities. Jane Seymour, an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, will lead one of the sessions. Seymour is known for roles in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, East of Eden, Live and Let Die, and more recently, The Kominsky Method on Netflix. Other stars hosting masterclasses include Simon Baker, Fran Drescher, and Luke Wilson.
As previously announced, the festival’s opening film will be Poveri Noi, a friendship-themed Italian feel-good movie directed by Fabrizio Maria Cortese. Other international films premiering at the event include Steven Soderbergh’s horror film Presence, starring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan; Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s Reflection in a Dead Diamond, starring Italian legend Fabio Testi; and the U.S. martial arts movie Karate Kid: Legends, directed by Jonathan Entwistle. Gia Coppola will also attend to present her film The Last Showgirl and will be honored with the festival’s Women Power Excellence Award.
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