Rome Film Festival Funding in Question after Governor Resigns

The ex-governor of the Lazio region was to back the festival to the tune of $3 million in money the government probably doesn't have

Last week's resignation of Lazio Regional Governor Renata Polverini could call into question Lazio's significant financial backing of the International Rome Film Festival, Italian newspapers reported Friday.

Polverini, a one-time ally of Italian billionaire media tycoon and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, resigned Sept. 25 amid scandals within Berlusconi's People of Liberty political party, as well as the Regional Council she headed that in part involved massive budget shortfalls. After she stepped down from the post, Polverini vowed to "expose" the wrongdoing she had witnessed.