Clooney to shoot film in Italian earthquake city

L'AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) - Actor George Clooney visited the earthquake-devastated Italian city of L'Aquila on Thursday and said he would make a film there in September to help boost the region's economy.

"We'll shoot a film here at the end of September, in which I will act," Clooney told journalists, saying he hoped the project would help revive the economy of the region following an earthquake in April which killed more than 300 people.

"I think this is the best way to lend a hand and boost the economy, " said Clooney. "We're here to draw attention to this tragedy." He did not name the film.

Clooney, 48, who has a home near Lake Como in northern Italy, arrived in L'Aquila by helicopter. He also opened a small cultural centre inside one of the tents still being used to house thousands of people who lost their homes in the April earthquake.

The city is currently hosting the G8 meeting of the eight major industrialized nations.

The Oscar-winning star of "Syriana" and "Ocean's Eleven" is a United Nations "messenger of peace" and has recently used his fame to draw attention to the plight of refugees from Sudan's violence-torn Darfur.

(Reporting by Antonella Cinelli; Editing by Jill Serjeant)