The head of the Rome Film Fest, Antonio Monda, is pulling out all the stops with his Close Encounters series. At the 10-day Rome Film Festival, Monda will interview a series of leading public figures before opening up the floor to questions with festivalgoers. Oliver Stone will also make the trek to Rome to discuss American politics on the eve of the presidential elections. Over his career, Stone won two best director Academy Awards for Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. He also took home an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Midnight Express .