ROMAN HOLIDAY

Though there is a great deal of warmth and light in the film, there is also a darker historical backdrop. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for the film, was blacklisted by Hollywood during the communist witch hunt in the 40s and 50s. It was another writer, Ian McLellan Hunter, who "fronted" for Trumbo, being credited for the screenplay and taking the award. It was not until 35 years after his death in 2011 that Dalton Trumbo was given due credit for his work.

The other Oscar winner here, in addition to superstar Audrey Hepburn, was legendary costume designer Edith Head. During her career, she won a total of eight Oscars, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. The last film she won for was The Sting (1973), which is also part of this year's Oscar focus at the Kosmorama festival. It started for Head as early as 1950 with The Heiress, and continued with classics such as All About Eve (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951) and Sabrina (1954). She designed costumes for Audrey Hepburn on several occasions, including in Funny Face (1957) as well as Roman Holiday and Sabrina. She was an extremely popular figure among Hollywood's ‘leading ladies’ of the 40s and 50s (such as Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor), not only because of her wonderful costumes, but also for her close working relationships with her subjects with whom she always consulted extensively.