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12th Annual Lavazza Italian Film Festival
The oh so seductive charms of Italy are set to beguile us once again, when Palace presents the 12th Annual Lavazza Italian Film Festival around Australia from mid-September until late October. An event proudly sponsored by Lavazza, who have been delighting coffee aficionados for over a century, Palace Cinemas will be screening over 1000 sessions across five cities, creating the biggest Italian Film Festival in the world, outside Italy!
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“Choosing films for our program is always a very personal experience,” said Festival Director, Elysia Zeccola Hill, “as there are so many movies that we long to share with our patrons, particularly as Italian cuisine, fashion and art have become such a vital part of Australian
culture.”
Highlights of the 2011 Festival include: BASILICATA COAST TO COAST winner of Best New Director at the 2011 Italian Academy Awards; Marco Bellocchio’s SORELLE MAI; the hilarious box office hit WELCOME TO THE SOUTH, an Italian take on Dany Boon’s French comedy Welcome to The Sticks; the brilliantly witty WE HAVE A POPE, fresh from Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, directed by and starring Nanni Moretti; whilst renowned dramatic actor, Toni Servillo, stars in four films - the slow-burn thriller A QUIET LIFE, GORBACIOF, THE JEWEL and the award-winning, star-studded epic WE BELIEVED, screening in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification (known as Il Risorgimento).
Audiences will also be captivated by the on-screen pairing of screen legend Robert de Niro (showcasing his fluent Italian) and the luscious Monica Bellucci who dazzle in THE AGES OF LOVE, the third installment in the wildly popular MANUAL OF LOVE series (also starring beloved comedic actor, Carlo Verdone), whilst 20 CIGARETTES, an ironic drama which has garnered a slew of awards, offers an unconventional take on the Iraqi war. John Turturro’s PASSIONE, an exuberant tribute to the music of Naples is also a must-see film, it has been selected for the Festival’s Closing Night Special Event.
Following are some highlights of the festival...
Welcome to the South
Welcome to the South, an Italian take on the French hit Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Sticks), is the hilarious box office sensation that that has grossed over 30 million euros at the Italian box office alone, proving that the north-south rivalry is alive and kicking!
Alberto (Claudio Bisio) is a postal worker hoping to transfer to Milan, the city of his dreams, but instead he is sent to Castellabate in the south. He arrives with preconceptions, prejudice and a bullet proof vest firmly in place. His wife, Maria (Angela Finocchiaro), is too terrified to accompany him to what she imagines is a hot and dirty hilltop town swarming with mafia.
Soon, however, Alberto falls for the natural beauty and the charming locals, including the postman (Alessandro Siani) and a postal clerk (Valentina Lodovini), who introduce the northerner to the joys of southern life. The spirit of this feel-good Opening Night selection is captured in the wise words of one of the characters: "When an outsider comes to the south, he cries twice - when he arrives and when he leaves."
20 Cigarettes
Based on director Aureliano Amadei's 2003 experiences in Iraq, 20 Cigarettes is the gripping story of a twenty-eight year old anarchist and anti-war activist who receives an offer to fly to Iraq as assistant director on a film about the Italian military "peace mission".
Thrust into the middle of a military world he doesn't approve of, Aureliano is surprised to discover a brotherhood and shared values amongst the people he meets.
Before Aureliano has the chance to finish a packet of cigarettes he finds himself a victim of sectarian violence and, as the sole civilian survivor and witness, becomes an unlikely hero.
With its ironic humour, this film offers a different take on the war in Iraq than American movies. It's clear to see why this is also one of only a handful of European films that explores this subject matter.
The Passion
A big box office hit in Italy, The Passion is the story of Gianni (Silvio Orlando), a washed-up director who is blackmailed into staging a Tuscan village's Good Friday pageant.
A leak in Gianni's apartment has ruined the 16th century fresco of the chapel next door and he is forced to direct the celebrations in exchange for legal immunity. The retelling of the Passion is a tradition that still occurs in small towns all over Italy but Gianni's task is a monumental one with no script, talent or costumes. Worst of all he has a deadpan local weatherman playing Jesus.
When ex-con Ramiro (Giuseppe Battiston) joins the production as an assistant director, he could make things a whole lot worse – or he could be its saviour. Ramiro seems to be the only one that believes in Gianni, but is his cat burglary a thing of the past?
This quirky comedy is brimming with offbeat characters and situations, but the questions it raises about talent versus pragmatism and commercialism versus art elevate the film to something very special.
We Believed
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Risorgimento – the movement that created modern Italy from a group of disparate states – the festival is proud to present the premiere of Mario Martone's starstudded We Believed, an epic reconstruction and re-imagination of the political and social forces that led to Italian independence.
The film is set during the nation's difficult birth from the 1820s to the 1870s when conflicting interests – north against south and monarchist against republican – made the path to unity a fraught and often violent one. Three young men – Domenico (Edoardo Natoli), Salvatore (Luigi Pisani) and Angelo (Andrea Bosca) – dream of a unified Italy but their idealism soon turns to disillusionment, paranoia and murder.
This beautifully crafted and engrossing saga is threaded with the music of the time, including Verdi and Rossini, but the historical drama is only a background to the characters' personal struggles.
To this day Italy is confronted with the repercussions of Risorgimento. The title, We Believed, expresses the loss of innocence and hope during a crucial time in Italy's history and raises questions for a new generation.
This film will screen with a 10 minute intermission.
12th Annual Lavazza Italian Film Festival
Dates and Venues:
Melbourne 14/09–08/10/11 Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Kino Cinemas and Palace Westgarth
Sydney 15/09–05/10/11 Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Chauvel Cinema
Brisbane 05–23/10/11 Palace Centro Cinema and Palace Barracks Cinema
Adelaide 12-30/10/11 Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Perth 13–26/10/11 Cinema Paradiso and Luna on SX
Official Site: www.italianfilmfestival.com.au
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