Italian filmmaker Comencini dies

Luigi Comencini was also known as "the children's director"

Filmmaker Luigi Comencini, who was one of Italy's greatest post-war directors, has died aged 90.

In a statement, Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni described him as: "A master, one of the great and unforgettable directors in the history of film."

The family said Comencini had died after a long illness, according to the Ansa news agency.

He was often referred to as "the children's director" for his popular children's works.

In 1972 he directed Le avventure di Pinocchio, (The Adventures of Pinocchio) for television.

In addition to films such as Pane, amore e fantasia, (Bread, Love and Dreams) starring Gina Lollobrigida and Vittorio De Sica, Comencini was one of the founders of the Cineteca Italiana - the first film archive in Italy.

"We loved him, more than anything else, for his delicate and intense vision of the world of infancy," Mr Veltroni said.

Comencini is survived by his wife and four daughters.