Knightley and Kidman films to screen at Rome festival

"Last Night", starring British actress Keira Knightley, will open the International Rome Film Festival which runs from October 28 to November 5, organizers said.

The movie, directed and written by Massy Tadjedin, also stars Eva Mendes, and is described by the festival as "a romantic tale of sexual attraction, betrayal, and jealousy."

Also showcased at the 2010 event, which is seeking to rival the much older Venice film festival held a few weeks earlier, is "Rabbit Hole", directed by John Cameron Mitchell and starring Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest and Aaron Eckhart.

The movie tells the tale of a couple who grapple with the sudden loss of their child as their already troubled marriage is further tested by the bereavement.

The Focus Section of the Rome festival will spotlight Japanese cinema and culture and will hold a special event dedicated to filmmaker Akira Kurosawa on the centenary of his birth.

The festival will screen the restored version of Kurosawa's masterpiece, "Rashomon".