The 2021 Rome Film Fest will honour cult movie directors Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton with Lifetime Achievement Awards when the festival takes place later this year, according to a preview announced by the organisers today. The festival's artistic director Antonio Monda confirmed that the annual event would return to the Auditorium Parco della Musica and other locations from 12-24 October.

Tarantino and Burton will both participate in 'Close Encounters' - public interviews in front of a live audience - at the 16th edition of the festival. Burton, known for directing films such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman and Big Fish, said of the news: “Federico Fellini, Mario Bava and Dario Argento have been important sources of inspiration in my life. Collecting this award in Rome, a place I love, a city that makes you feel the protagonist of your own film, is very exciting for me.”