"Brotherhood," Danish director Nicolo Donato's tale of a homosexual love affair within a neo-Nazi gang that targets gays and Arabs, took top honours Friday at the Rome international film festival.
"We've been working hard for this movie for four years," Donato said as he accepted the Golden Marc'Aurelio award from jury president Milos Forman. "This is a dream come true."
Oscar-winning British actress Helen Mirren won best actress for her role as the wife of 19th-century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy in Michael Hoffman's "The Last Station".
Best actor went to Italy's Sergio Castellito for "Alza la Testa" by Alessandro Angelini, in which he portrayed a father whose sole dream is to see his son become a prize fighter.
Hollywood veteran Meryl Streep received a Golden Marc'Aurelio Acting Award for her life work.
"At this moment in my life, after being an actress for more than 30 years, and having paid off all my student loans, all I feel is gratitude," said the 60-year-old two-time Oscar winner.
Launched four years ago with hopes of rivalling Cannes and other top international festivals, the Rome event this year featured only 14 films in competition, against 20 last year, on a reduced budget.
