The upcoming Los Angeles-Italia Film Fashion and Art Festival will be honoring Italian directors Paolo Sorrentino (“The Hand of God“) and Enrico Casarosa (“Luca”) as well as costume-designer Massimo Cantini Parrini (“Cyrano”) all of whom have scored nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards. 

The 17th edition of the pre-Oscars event will be held March 20-26 at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre and also online.

This year’s opening ceremony will be hosted by veteran Italian-American actor Robert Davi, who is also this year’s president of the event. Sofia Milos (“CSI: Miami”) and Hollywood acting coach Bernard Hiller will co-host.

Consul General of Italy Silvia Chiave and Italian Institute of Culture chief Emanuele Amendola will also be introducing honorees both at the Chinese Theatre and during a separate March 25 event being held at the Italian Institute of Culture.

Other Los Angeles-Italia honorees this year are ace cinematographer Dante Spinotti (“Heat,” “L.A. Confidential”) actors Riccardo Scamarcio, Benedetta Porcaroli and Filippo Scotti (“The Hand of God”) and directors Valerio Zanoli (“Not to Forget”) and Alessandro Pondi (“School of Mafia”).

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Italian talent expected to be on hand for the event include actors Michele Ragno, Esmeralda Spadea and rapper Clementino; plus composers Carlo Siliotto and Francesco Giammusso; and cinematographer Massimo Zeri. Producers Lorenzo Mieli (“The Hand of God”); Chiara Tilesi (“One of Us”); and Andrea Iervolino (“Waiting for the Barbarians”) are also expected to attend.

As previously announced, Los Angeles-Italia, which is founded and produced by Pascal Vicedomini, will pay tribute to the centennial of Gassman’s birth with a mini-retro honoring the memory of the iconic thesp who, among other accolades, won the actor prize at Cannes in 1975 for his performance as a blind man in Dino Risi’s ”Profumo di Donna,” later remade in English as ”Scent of a Woman” with Al Pacino.