ROME, November 26. /TASS/. The 40th Torino Film Festival kicked off in the Italian city of Turin on Friday. Over 170 pictures will participate in the competition program of the festival, dedicated to supporting independent cinema, first and second works and documentaries.

As many as 29 films, including Skazka (or Fairytale) by renowned Russian film director Alexander Sokurov, will be screened out of competition. The movie recounts World War II using fantasy, includes documentary footage and uses technical means to create animated images of Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Napoleon Bonaparte. The movie’s world premiere was held in Switzerland’s Locarno and later, it was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

The Russian filmmaker will receive an award for his contribution to cinema at a film festival in the Italian city of Avellino in early December and a special screening of his movie will take place in Rome on December 9. In addition, a special event including the movie’s screening is expected to be held at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto at the initiative of its president Vittorio Sgarbi. Skazka will have a wide release in Italy on December 22.