RICCONE, ITALY- Starting any kind of film or television festival after the pandemic is a gutsy move, but based on the talent and events that were unfurled on the East Coast of Italy this week, the inaugural Italian Global Series Festival is off to an impressive start. It also doesn’t hurt when you have a guest of the festival pulling off a surprise performance of “Habanera” from “Carmen” at the opening night awards ceremony in the sunlit Teatro Galli. That memorable moment was a last-minute addition that fit into the vision of the festival’s creative director, Marco Spagnoli.

READ MORE: Mark Gatiss doesn’t think “Sherlock” movie will happen, and his time with “‘Doctor Who” is over as he’s “Two Doctors Down”

Either the 11th edition or a “new version” of the Rome Series Festival that was last held in 2016 (take your pick), the Italian Global Series Festival is being held in the picturesque seaside enclaves of Riccione and Rimini, Italy. When Spagnoli, a film critic, director and professor of film and television, took the reins, his goal was to make that event even more international than its predecessors. He also wanted to open the festival doors to everyone, and thanks to sponsorships and government grants, practically every event is free to the public.

“The first thing I wanted to turn down was barriers,” Spagnoli says. “I’m so angry when I’m in Cannes or another place, when I see, ‘Oh, you’re a VIP. O.K., I don’t care.’ This is not why we do it.”

But Spagnoli is not naive; he also remarks, “It’s still a game. But for us, it’s very important because we have a cultural mission. A cultural mission is to promote, of course, culture through the arts, television, and the talents. And also what they want is to meet people.”

That means numerous red carpet set-ups that would make some established festivals around the world envious and should pique the attention of major television players around the world for future editions. As for the talent on hand, the American guest contingent didn’t completely work out (Evangeline Lilly unfortunately suffered an injury and could not attend, and the less said about the Oscar winner on hand attempting a comeback, the better), but the U.K. and Italian talent was notable. Television impresario Steven Moffat was on hand to discuss his prolific career, his frequent collaborator Mark Gatiss launched his new series “Bookish,” “Bridgerton” lady Adjoa Andoh received an award, cinematographers Fred Elmes and Paul Deming, revisited their work with David Lynch, a unique “Vikings” meets “Rome” panel, jurors included Billie August and Debi Mazar, and social media friendly stars such as Turkish icon Jacqueline Fernandez and her 71 million followers, as well as Italian television stars Özge Gürel, and Can Yaman, among others, had fans waiting patiently for a selfie in the summer sun.

As the festival moves forward, and let’s hope it does, Spagnoli wants it to be an event for talents who wouldn’t normally come together.

“What I can tell you is that I hear the engine roaring, so I’m happy,” Spagnoli says of the reception to the festival so far. “But the way to go back to the model is long because this is a cultural project. We are funded through public money, which is a blessing and a limitation in the sense that we could have brought more stars, we could have brought down more things if we could have used the money differently. But I pay taxes. I know very well this money could go to school, kindergartens, and roads. So we’re very responsible. Also, there is a very bureaucratic system that I’m accountable for and it’s right. So, the limits for us were to turn on a spotlight on this place.”

That may be some polite modesty on Spagnoli’s part, but for any festival veteran, it’s obvious there is something special on the ground. They have the venues, the marketing materials, the talent and some notable programming. It will be intriguing to see how they can take the event to the next level in the years to come. And now that it’s established, the line of established stars willing to travel to the Italian coast to celebrate their work is likely growing by the minute.

The Italian Global Series Festival runs from June 22-28. You can find out more here.