Andrew Freedman Public Relations

Los Angeles

Noted Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, whose film The Last Emporer (1987) received nine Oscars including Best Picture, will be honored with a coveted Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bertolucci’s star will be located in front of Mann’s Chinese Theatre and will be unveiled on February 19th, several days before the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

In making the announcement, Leron Gubler, President of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said: “Every year the Chamber gets over three hundred requests for stars of which we only approve a maximum of 25. The competition is fierce and there’s a lot of pressure from all sides, but in the end, the recipients are predominantly Americans. Thus, it is indeed an honor that the highly-respected Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci will be joining a select number of fellow countrymen including Rudolph Valentino, Anna Magnani, Arturo Toscanini, Enrico Caruso and Sophia Loren on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

As part of the celebration commemorating Bertolucci’s Walk of Fame Star, the third edition of The Los Angeles, Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest, which takes place from February 17th through the 23rd, will present a Bertolucci retrospective that will premiere with a showing of “La via del Petrolio”, (The Oil Route) ” a documentary shot in 1967 by the then 20-year old director. This marks the first time the documentary has ever been screened in the United States. Other films to be shown include: “The Conformist,” “Sheltering Sky,” “Stealing Beauty” and “1900”.

Los Angeles, Italia is produced by The Capri in the World Institute under the direction of Pascal Vicedomini in collaboration with ENI, the Italian multinational oil and gas company, the Los Angeles-based CIM Group, one of the principal real estate investors in the city, owner of Mann’s Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre, and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Fine Arts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Embassy in the United States, the Campania Region of Italy and Cinecittà Studios.

“The Capri in the World Institute was the predominant force behind Bertolucci’s star,” Gubler continued. “Our selection committee was won over by Pascal Vicedomini’s never-ending energy and persuasive enthusiasm, combined with his desire to elevate the stature of the long-standing relationship between the Italian film industry and that of Hollywood.”

Under Vicedomini’s aegis, the annual Capri, Hollywood and Ischia Global Film Festivals have rapidly grown into world-class events marrying the Hollywood and Italian filmmaking communities.

Director Lina Wertmueller, Honorary President of the recently ended Capri, Hollywood Festival, was surprised by how few Italian cinema greats have been given Walk of Fame stars, proposing a number of suggestions to Gubler including Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone and Roberto Rossellini.

In commenting on the announcement, Vicedomini noted that, “our little institute was able to achieve a big win on its own, paving the way for a new collaborative relationship with Hollywood. Maestro Bertolucci was very happy when he was told about the star on the Walk of Fame, and is looking forward to being with us in Hollywood on February 19th,” he added.

Bernardo Bertolucci, a prolific filmmaker whose motion pictures are known for their colorful visual style, was born in Parma, Italy, in 1940. He attended Rome University and became famous as a poet. He served as assistant director for Pier Paolo Pasolini on the film “Accattone!,” and made his directorial debut in 1962 with “Commare secca, La.” His second film, “Before the Revolution,” which was released in 1964, received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay. Bertolucci also received an Academy Award nomination as best director for “Last Tango in Paris,” and as best director and best screenplay for “The Last Emperor,” which garnered nine Oscars including Best Picture. Other films he directed include “1900,” “Once Upon A Time in the West,” and “Little Buddha.”