Monday, July 10----Most festivals, in their debut year, have a modest agenda and try to keep expectations at a low pitch. Not so the Rome Film Fest, which is approaching its inaugural session with the velocity of an unstoppable train.

It has always seemed curious to Americans why some of Europe’s largest cities have not had a major film festival attached to them. Why, we wonder, did it take decades for Paris, the most cinephile of cities, to launch its own film event? Why are there no major film festivals in such major cities as Amsterdam, Madrid, Zurich, Oslo and Dublin? Is it because each of these countries has a long-established festival that has served as the “national event