LATEST: Iconic filmmaker MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI has been laid to rest in his native Italy, with stars including director WIM WENDERS and actress DANIELA SILVERO in attendance.
Antonioni - renowned for his Oscar nominated 1966 movie Blow-Up - died peacefully at his home in Rome on Monday (31Jul07) at the age of 94.
His funeral was held on Wednesday (01Aug07) at Ferrara's San Giorgio cathedral in northern Italy with his actress wife Enrica Fico leading the hundreds of mourners who had turned up to pay tribute to the director.
Referring to his filmmaking skills, Fico told the mourners at the ceremony, "His look was very special, truly unique." German moviemaker Wenders hailed the 1995 film Al di la Delle Nuvole, which he had co-directed with Antonioni, as an experience "beyond the clouds".
He says, "Michelangelo introduced me to Ferrara. I realised how much light came to his mind and to his eyes from this place.
"It's hard to summarise what the maestro left. Certainly, he created a new image of the 20th-century man." Blow-Up star Silvero also paid her respects to the director, saying, "He was a great friend. For cinema, especially Italian cinema, he represented everything." Antonioni has been buried next to his parents' grave in the town's cemetery.