ROME, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Scottish actor Sean Connery is to be recognized by Rome's inaugural film festival with its golden Marco Aurelio prize for career achievement in film.
The Italian festival, which will officially start Friday and run through Oct. 21, will present the 76-year-old actor Thursday with its first career achievement prize and present a film retrospective of his numerous cinematic endeavors over the years, said the Italian news agency ANSA.
A series of world premieres will also be screened at the debut festival, including Martin Scorsese's crime drama "The Departed," Italian Oscar-winner Giuseppe Tornatore's "The Stranger" and Indian director Mira Nair's immigration film "The Namesake."
Several celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford and Monica Bellucci have already confirmed they will be visiting the festival in the Italian capital.
The festival also has 16 international films in the running for its top film award with Alessandro Angelini's "Salt Air," "Primo Levi's Journey" by Davide Ferrario and Francesca Comencini's "Our Home" representing the only homegrown contestants, ANSA said.
