MUMBAI: The International Rome Film Festival‘s board has officially approved a plan to shift the 7-year-old festival‘s dates to November. Accordingly, the festival that was to be held from 27 October to 4 November will now be held from 9 to 17 November.

With the announcement of the new dates, the Rome festival has avoided a direct conflict with the 30-year-old Turin Film Festival that will take place from 23 November to 1 December.

The organisers of the Rome festival believe that by changing its dates to November, the festival‘s The Business Street market event will gain stronger footing as a halfway point between the big markets at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and the Berlin International Film Festival in February. They are also in a hope that with a late-in-the-year date the festival might serve as a new springboard for winter releases either vying for Oscar eligibility or the Christmas time box office.

The Rome festival board also approved the festival‘s budget that is expected to be $14.3 million, lower than in previous editions of the festival but in the same range as more established festivals including the rival Venice Film Festival.