Roman director Matteo Rovere will receive the Filmmaker of the Year award on February 21 at the awards ceremony of the Los Angeles, Italia film festival at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, for his ancient Rome epic "The First King". American director Adam McKay will also receive the award, for his film "Vice", about former US Vice President Dick Cheney, which has been nominated for eight Oscar awards.

Rovere, 37, has already won acclaim as a director for various films, including the 2016 film "Veloce Come Il Vento" starring Stefano Accorsi. As a producer, Rovere worked with Domenico Procaccio on the 2014 comedy "I Can Quit Whenever I Want" (Smetto Quando Voglio) directed by Sydney Sibilia.