Italian auto giant Piaggio has partnered with the 12th edition of River to River Florence Indian Film Festival, scheduled to be held from December 7 to December 13, 2012 at Cinema Odeon, Florence, Italy, securing its long Italian-Indian connect.

River to River is the film festival, which is held exclusively for films from and about India formed under the aegis of the Indian and Italian Embassy. The festival, which will commemorate the best of Indian talent, will pay tribute to the Indian Film superstar & living legend Amitabh Bachchan, who will address the opening ceremony.

The Florence Indian Film Festival would serve as a great forum for Piaggio to salute its fans located in all parts of the world, as the winning director will drive away in a new LX125, which recently made its debut in India.

The five feature films that will compete in the River to River Bitebay Audience Award include Rockstar, j'irai au pays des neiges, Alexandra David Néel, Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, son of Adam), Bhooter Bhobishyot (Future of the Past) and Chittagong.

Ravi Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director, PVPL, speaking on the company's association with the film festival said, “We salute the spirit of Indian films and encourage more such global cultural exchange. Piaggio being an Italian brand, River to River was the ideal fit.

Amongst our strong portfolio, the Vespa stands for similar attributes as in film making- that of creativity, colour, fun, trendy, different, unique and niche. We therefore found it perfectly befitting a gift to be awarded to the winning feature film director at the festival. It is a matter of great pride and honour for me to give away the Vespa.”

Commenting on the announcement, Selvaggia Velo, River to River said, “Piaggio is one of the most respected brands the world over. And needless to say, the Vespa is an iconic scooter that has its roots in Italy. It gives us immense happiness to collaborate with them and give away the Vespa as a gift to the winner.

We are looking forward to having Mr. Chopra with us at the event, it will be a memorable experience. What makes this season more special is the presence of superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Thus, we will have two icons at the festival this year- Amitabh Bachchan and the Vespa!”

River to River has decided to celebrate this year for the Indian Cinema because it will turn 100 this year. Marking the birth of the Indian film industry, River to River, in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India, will present a restored version of the first film made in the country, Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke.

The one week long festival will take India to the beautiful Roman city of Florence, providing a platform to all those Indian films that have something unique, something interesting to tell.