Amitabh Bachchan has attended Italy's River to River Film Festival in Florence. The event honoured Bachchan by screening cinema projects including Sholay, Deewar and Black. Bachchan said: "Tonight at the River to River Film Festival Black and a Q&A with the audience last night was wonderful.

The Deputy Mayor of the city of Florence presented me the keys of the City... honoured and humbled." In its 12th year, the festival is also showing India's first feature film, the 100-year-old Raja Harishchandra.

Cineworld Cinemas Bollywood editor Ashanti Omkar is part of the event in 2012, giving a talk on Bollywood and the expression of emotions in today's India, alongside Franco La Cecla.

Omkar told Digital Spy: "It is such a pleasure to be invited to this prestigious festival, in this gorgeous city of Florence, Italy. It has already captivated my heart, with warm people and a genuine love for Indian cinema and culture.

"Interacting and meeting Amitabh Bachchan outside London was a thrill I cannot describe in words. As usual, he regaled the press in the afternoon, and all the crowds who came to catch a glimpse of him, in the flesh, in the evening, with his meticulously crafted words of wisdom."

The festival runs in Florence from December 7 to 13, before transferring to Rome between December 14 and 16.