Italian sellers are hoping that the second edition of Rome's Business Street (Oct 18-21) will prove a successful launchpad for a slew of local titles.

Sales outfit Adrianna Chiesa Enterprises is going to present the first market screenings including a Mafia drama, war documentary, 3-D animation and black comedy.

Chiesa says Rome is a good lauch pad for her slate. 'I am completely concentrating on this festival and on The Business Street because it is presenting the films in the best possible way not only because it is 'at home' but because it is a very good European meeting place,' she explains.

Her slate at Business Street includes Andrea Porporati's mafia drama The Sweet And The Bitter (Il dolce e l'amaro); Toronto world premiere relationship drama Days And Clouds (Giorni e Nuvole), starring Margherita Buy; Barbara Cupisti's documentary Mothers, about mothers in Israel, Palestine and Gaza (she is working on a second part, Children); Riccardo Milani's Piano Solo, a music biopic based on the book by Rome's mayor Walter Veltroni and starring top Italian actors Kim Rossi Stuart and Jasmine Trinca; 3-D animation The Story of Leo by Mario Cambi; black comedy A Dream House Nightmare (Nero Bifamiliare) by Federico Zampaglione; and Rome-based Tunisian director Mohsen Melliti's Me, the Other (Io, l'altro) starring Raoul Bova about misunderstandings that arise from terrorism.

Chiesa had a strong first run at Business Street in 2006, handling the world premiere of Giuseppe Tornatore's The Unknown. 'It has gone on to be Italy's Oscar candidate and sold to around 80 territories,' she said. 'But I am investing in this market because it has been one of my dreams to have a platform in Europe, which we have been looking for since Mifed [ended]. We can give our films the right atmosphere here.'

New sales outfit Fandango Portabello Sales will be presenting Rome Fest competition title The Right Distance, produced by Fandango and directed by Carlo Mazzacurati about an young journalist who gets involved in a dramatic situation while learning the tricks of the trade.

Valeria Licurgo of Fandango told ScreenDaily.com: 'We couldn't be happier to have a film in competition and a market to sell it at,' she said citing the Business Street market screening in addition to the festival screenings.

Fandango has other titles in the production pipeline, including Lecture 21, which will be lauded writer Alessandro Baricco's first foray into directing.

Other titles in the pipeline are Calm Chaos by Antonello Grimaldi starring Nanni Moretti and Valeria Golino as well as Matteo Garrone's next feature Gamorra.

Fandango has three others in the festival line-up: Francois Gerard's Silk, Rolf De Heer's Dr. Plonk, and Ascanio Celestini's How Right you Are (Parole Sante).

Finally, Istituto Luce is presenting Mimmo Calopresti's L'Abbuffata in its market premiere at Business Street. The film is also the Fest's out-of-competition closing film and stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Gerard Depardieu in the story of three youths who travel from Calabria to Rome to shoot a film.

Luce's other titles on the Rome Fest line up include The Private Man (L'uomo privato) by Emidio Greco, in competition and Saverio Costanzo's documentary Auschwitz 2006 in the Extra sidebar.

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