Rome, Sept. 25 (Xinhua)-- A host of cinema legends are set to gather in Rome next month for an international film festival, Italian News Agency ANSA reported Monday.

    Among the names slated to attend are actors and actresses Sophia Loren, Jane Fonda, Gerard Depardieu and directors Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola and Terrence Malick.

Sophia Loren and husband Carlo Ponti arrive at the White House for a state dinner in this April 2, 1995 file photo. Ponti, one of Italy's best known film producers, has died at the age of 94, his family said on Wednesday.(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Unveiling the festival, entitled Extra, the event's director Mario Sesti said there would be 16 films competing for the main "Cult Prize."

    For most of the entrants, nearly all of which are documentaries, the screening will mark their European or international premiere.

    "The King of Kong," by Seth Gordon, is a documentary exploring 1980s arcade mania, looking at the efforts of one man to beat the world's top score for the game Donkey Kong.

    The festival, which runs from October 18-27, will also screen a number of other films not competing for the main prize.

    Italian contributions to the festival include "Parole Sante" by Ascanio Celestini, which looks behind the scenes at a call center, and "Zero," an investigation into September 11 terror attacks, by Franco Fracassi and Francesco Trento.

    Five-time Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola will discuss his latest film, "Youth without Youth," a love story and mystery set in the run-up to World War II.

    Bernardo Bertolucci will attend a screening of his 1976 classic "1900," along with the film's French star, Gerard Depardieu.

    Jane Fonda, along with Shirley Knight and Cloris Leachman will all speak at a meeting focused on actresses in the 1970s.

    Sophia Loren will attend the event to receive the festival's Acting Award.

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