THE SYLVIA

Acclaimed artist and Rome, Georgia, native Julia Knight created an exquisite bronze sculpture exclusively for the Rome International Film Festival. This gleaming work of art, known as “The Sylvia,” is RIFF’s most profound symbol of cinematic achievement. Each year, RIFF presents The Sylvia to the recipient of the Juried Awards.

The statue takes its name from Rhea Silvia, the Roman goddess of the forest and the mother of Romulus and Remus, the mythic founders of Rome.

The statue is symbolic not only because of its link to Roman mythology, but because it is also representative of the filmmaking process. An Idea is conceived. A long period of development follows that requires nurture. Finally, the idea is birthed and the film can take on a life of its own.

Just as Rhea Silvia carried the seeds of a future empire, the filmmaker carries the fragile spark of a new world. The idea grows in the dark, forms in secret, and transforms under constant care. When it arrives and finally opens its eyes to an audience, a new cinematic life has begun.