Hanks, Streep on star-studded guest list

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep will top a star-studded guest list at next month's Rome film festival, organisers announced Friday.

Hanks is to receive a lifetime achievement award on the opening day and will be honoured by a retrospective of some of his most successful films at the festival, which runs from October 13-23.

Streep is coming to do a question-and-answer session for fans as part of the promotional tour for British director Stephen Frears' new film that she stars in: "Florence Foster Jenkins".

Also booked for an interactive event is US director Oliver Stone, who will be presenting -- just a few weeks before the presidential election -- his latest work "Snowden" about the American whistle-blower.

The festival opens with Barry Jenkins's "Moonlight" an acclaimed drama about the identity problems of a young gay black man in Miami, and will feature a number of world premieres.

Among them is "Naples '44", a documentary narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch based on acclaimed British travel writer Norman Lewis's experiences as an intelligence officer in the city at the end of World War II.

Other highlights include Iranian drama "Immortality", Chinese 3D martial arts blockbuster "Sword Master", Australian film "Goldstone", and Gavin O'Connor-directed thriller "The Accountant" starring Ben Affleck.

The festival closes with Kolkata-based story "Lion", which features Nicole Kidman and "Slumdog Millionaire" star Dev Patel.

Source: AFP