MUMBAI: Amid a new controversy, Paolo Ferrari, appointed as the Rome festival‘s president on 5 March, has denied that the incumbent next artistic director of the festival, Max Mueller would be paid $1.95 million as salary for a three-year term.

Reports circulated in the Italian press said that Mueller would be paid a sum equal to the festival‘s $1.76 million deficit from last year‘s event. That reportedly has angered shareholders. Monday‘s reports returned the twisting and turning ten-week story over the future of the seven-year-old Rome event to Italian media headlines after a week hiatus.

Ferrari‘s appointment was supposed to clear the way for Mueller, who had a successful eight-year in Venice before being ousted in favour of National Film Museum president Alberto Barbera in December. Though Mueller will almost be appointed as Rome Fest‘s artistic director, the process has so far been full of bumps.

Once appointed, Ferrari and Mueller will have to work quickly to hammer out the details for their inaugural edition of the festival likely to be held in October next.

The stakeholders‘ meeting that will officially appoint Mueller to the job will take place either on Thursday or Friday.