Feature: Why are you at Venice Int'l Film Festival?

The Venice International Film Festival which will close here on Saturday has attracted thousands of visitors. Xinhua has interviewed a few of them to learn what their feelings, interests or objectives at the festival are.

Anna Manni is a student and was curious to see how the Red Carpet looks like.

"We were having a holiday in Venice and we knew there was the film festival at the Lido of Venice, so we could not miss coming here," she said while standing by the Red Carpet with her friend.

"Unfortunately we did not manage to see any famous actors but we are happy to be so close to the Red Carpet," she added.

"We came to the Lido of Venice to watch some films, we bought a few tickets, but first of all we wanted to take a look at the Red Carpet tonight. We did not meet any really famous stars, by the way we saw some Mexican actors and we enjoyed the atmosphere," said another girl, Monica Villa.

Renata Durando came to the festival with a completely different objective. She is the manager of a movie theater in Brescia, a city in northern Italy.

"I am here to take a look to the last products of the international cinema, I have to decide which films are suitable for us," she told Xinhua.

Durando said she particularly liked Everest by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and The Danish Girl by British director Tom Hooper.

She found, however, that many films competing at the festival were "quite boring and not suitable for audiences which seek entertainment."

"Many films just seem not to communicate with viewers. They are not touching, they are too rational or exclusively focused on the director's ego," Durando went on saying.

Helene Digne is just a cinema passionate. "I come from France, Marseille, I am a former Italian language teacher, and now I am retiree so that I can dedicate to my passion: films," she told Xinhua.

Digne said she loves the Venice International Film Festival because "in a short lapse of time it allows me to watch many films, and especially films that I will not find in commercial networks, they will disappear from the market."

Not only Digne comes to Venice almost every year, but also likes to go to the Marrakech International Film Festival.

"And of course I go to Cannes, which is close to where I live. It is difficult, however, to get an accreditation there. I prefer Venice because it is more viewer-friendly and you can easily get tickets," she pointed out.

For security guard Andrea Taddio, the Venice festival is more a matter of hard work.

"I have been working at the Venice International Film Festival every year in the past 15 editions. We work a lot of hours a day, at least 10," he told Xinhua.

"Of course, we do not watch films, my duty for this year is to protect an actress. She is Spanish. But this September the weather is less hot than in the past editions and so I feel lucky, considered that I have to be in suits all the time," he added.

Andrea Marzulli, the head of cinema section at the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (Siae), told Xinhua he was also very busy with the various initiatives and awards supported by Siae at the festival.

"I am presiding over all these events. Yet everything is proceeding smoothly, our schedule is intense and very exciting," he said.

There are also wild-eyed fanatics at the festival.

"I am part of the fan club of Vasco Rossi (a famous Italian singer). This morning I left from Latina (a city near Rome) at 5:00 a.m. and I drove around six hours to reach Venice and see him," Davide Mattiuzzo said.

"I came here with my wife, we had a walk in Venice and now we are waiting for him at the Lido of Venice. I cannot wait to see him arriving. Even though I saw Vasco Rossi many times, waiting for him is always a strong emotion," he told Xinhua. Endit