This is definitely Francis Ford Coppola‘s day, as he returns to the cinema after a ten-year hiatus; anticipation is running high for Youth Without Youth, in its world premiere tonight in the festival’s PREMIERE section, in the Sala Santa Cecilia. The director and stars Tim Roth and Alexandra Maria Lara, along with director of photography Mihai Malaimare Jr. and Walter Murch, who edited the film, will be walking the red carpet at 7:50pm.

And starting in the afternoon at 4pm, the premieres of three films in the CINEMA 2007 section: out of competition, La recta provincia by Raul Ruiz (to whom the FilmFest is dedicating a wide-ranging retrospective), in the Sala Sinopoli, followed by two films in competition, L’Amour cachè – Hidden Love by Alessandro Capone (Sala Sinopoli, 7pm), and Fugitive Pieces by Jeremy Podeswa (Sala Sinopoli, 10pm), concluding the evening.

The premieres in the ALICE NELLA CITTA’ section are kicking off mid-morning, starting with And When Did You Last See Your Father? by Anand Tucker (Sala Sinopoli, 10:30am), and Buda Az SharmForu Rikht – Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame by Hana Makhmalbaf (Salacinema IKEA, 10:30), while the afternoon screening sees ALICE teaming up with the PREMIERE section, for the premiere of August Rush by Kirsten Sheridan (Sala Santa Cecilia, 5pm), starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robin Williams, and Freddie Highmore, the young teen actor in Arthur and the Invisibles and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Ushering in and wrapping up Saturday are the premieres in the EXTRA section. In the evening, for EXTRA/Other Visions,  Le pere di Adamo – Adam’s Pears by Guido Chiesa (Sala Petrassi, 8:30pm) and Dr. Plonk by Rolf De Heer (Sala Petrassi, 11pm). On the EXTRA/Sophia Loren program, L’oro di Napoli – The Gold of Naples by Vittorio De Sica (Casa del Cinema – Deluxe, 6pm), followed by Peccato che sia una canaglia – Too Bad She’s Bad by Alessandro Blasetti (Casa del Cinema – Deluxe, 9pm). Starting the day off are the screenings for EXTRA/Actors Studio, first The Pawnbroker by Sidney Lumet (Studio 3, 9am) and then Black Like Me by Carl Lerner (Studio 3, 11:30am).

The first film of the day on the program of the NEW CINEMA NETWORK is Strength of Honour by Mark Mahon (Farnese Persol, 5pm), followed by Klass – The Class by Ilmar Raag (Farnese Person, 10:30pm), and wrapping up with Avril – April in Love by Gérald Hustache-Mathier (Farnese Persol, 10:30pm).

But Saturday would not be complete without the screenings in EXTRA/Tributes: for the tribute to Riccardo Freda, the screening of Ero il regista più pagato d’Italia by Giuseppe Tornatore (Teatro Studio, 2:30pm), while the tribute to Alberto Grifi features the screening of In viaggio con Patrizia (Teatro Studio, following the Tornatore film). Capping the day’s events in EXTRA, the conversation with Joel Surnow (Teatro Studio, 8pm), accompanied by the film Mujeres asesinas – Donne assassine by Herbert Simone Paragnani.