WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - RUSSIAN FILM WINS TOP HONOUR AT ROME FILM FESTIVAL

RUSSIAN FILM WINS TOP HONOUR AT ROME FILM FESTIVAL

Film director KIRILL SEREBRENNIKOV was celebrating last night (21OCT06) after his modern-day Russian film adaptation of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE's HAMLET won the top prize at the first international film festival in Rome. PLAYING THE VICTIM, a family drama which centers on a young student who uncovers the mystery of his father's death, was named the best film among the 16 entries in the competition - mostly art-house titles by new directors. An acclaimed theatre director in his native Russia, Serebrennikov says, "We still believe that cinema can change people's way of thinking and their consciences. "I think my film is an artistic portrayal of what is passing through the minds of people in Russia today: terror, hope, insecurity."