Netflix

Martin Scorsese and Netflix’s The Irishman will get a centerpiece screening at the Rome Film Festival on October 21.

The film will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 27 and its international premiere at the London Film Festival in mid-October before a limited theatrical run in early November and a Netflix release later in the month.

The anticipated crime-epic tells a sprawling story that culminates in the murder of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa — played by Al Pacino — as seen through the eyes of WWII vet Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a hustler and hitman who claims he ended Hoffa’s life on orders of mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci). Hoffa’s body has never been found and Sheeran’s admission is one of numerous theories of the union boss’s demise.

“The participation of The Irishman as the centerpiece at the Rome Film Fest is a great honor for me and for everyone working at the Fest. The Irishman is the most highly anticipated film of the year and boasts an exceptional cast: the decision to present it in Rome is yet another acknowledgment of how the Fest has grown over the years,” said Rome festival head Antonio Monda.

Rome will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Murray, to be conferred by Wes Anderson, and there will be Close Encounters sessions with Bret Easton Ellis, Ron Howard, who will present his documentary on Pavarotti, Olivier Assayas, who will talk about the Nouvelle Vague, and Bertrand Tavernier who will analyze the cinema of Renoir, Bresson and Clouzot.