Teresa (Galatéa Bellugi) is a young servant girl at a musical school for orphans. She is mute but seems to love music, she also appears to be suffering from some sort of trauma. When she discovers a brand new pianoforte in a storeroom that was gifted to the school, she sits down and begins to tickle the ivories.

Teresa has real musical skills but they come out in a most peculiar way (for the times). When four other students hear her playing in the middle of the night they join forces to play music that is simply enjoyable, not the kind of music drummed into them by their teachers. This runs afoul of the wishes of Perlina (Paolo Rossi), the school director.

The film takes liberties with almost every convention of the times and paints the girls in the school as simple teens possessing talents, hopes and dreams not seen or acknowledged by their superiors. When the school is tasked with presenting a musical programme for the Pope, what results is fantastically entertaining and more than a little rebellious.
Rob Hudson

Gloria! screenings in Brisbane
Palace Barracks
26th September 8:30pm
29th September 3:50pm
3rd October 10:30am
5th October 6:10pm
7th October 3:40pm
11th October 10:40am
13th October 3:40pm
15th October 6:10pm
16th October 3:40pm

Palace James Street
25th September 10:30am
27th September 10:00am
28th September 8:40pm
2nd October 6:00pm
4th October 6:00pm
6th October 2:45pm
10th October 3:40pm
11th October 6:10pm
12th October 6:00pm
14th October 11:00am

2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival runs in Brisbane from 19 September – 16 October, and will take place at the Palace James Street and Palace Barracks cinemas.

Click here for more information about the festival, or head to the official website for more information and to book your tickets!
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

The basic story revolves around the life of a teacher named Pietro, played by Elio Germano. He appears to be a great teacher with a unique teaching method and is loved by all his students. That is the initial impression you are given, yet the addition of more information will tilt your perception of both his character and morality.

This information comes via a large number of scenes that suggest much but confirm little. This technique at first is somewhat off-putting as it makes you crave a solid foundation to hang your thoughts on. The longer this subterfuge exists the more you accept it and look within yourself to create a narrative. It even causes you to filter events through your own moral compass.

By the film’s end, you are left with more information and fewer answers. Filter the events presented on screen through your own sensibilities and you will come up with a conclusion. Luchetti’s greatest success with Trust is that the conclusion will be more of your making than his
Rob Hudson

Trust screenings in Brisbane
Palace Barracks
Friday 20th Sept – 10:00am
Sunday 22nd Sept – 3:10pm
Wednesday 25th Sept – 7:00pm – Prosecco Premiere
Saturday 28th Sept – 3:20pm
Tuesday 1st Oct – 1:10pm
Thursday 3rd Oct – 12:50pm
Saturday 5th Oct – 1:00pm
Monday 7th Oct – 10:30am
Saturday 12th Oct – 3:00pm

Palace James St
Saturday 21st Sept – 5:45pm
Wednesday 25th Sept – 6:30pm – Prosecco Premiere
Friday 27th Sept – 3:00pm
Sunday 29th Sept – 3:00pm
Monday 30th Sept – 8:15pm
Thursday 3rd Oct – 3:00pm
Saturday 5th Oct – 10:30am
Sunday6th Oct – 5:10pm
Monday7th Oct – 6:30pm
Sunday13th Oct – 10:30am
Wednesday16th Oct – 11:00am

2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival runs in Brisbane from 19 September – 16 October, and will take place at the Palace James Street and Palace Barracks cinemas.

Click here for more information about the festival, or head to the official website for more information and to book your tickets!
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

Salvatore Todaro (Pierfrancesco Favino – World War Z and Angels & Demons) was a real-life World War II veteran, who even though he was saddled with a severe back injury continued to serve in the Italian army. He was given command of the submarine Comandante Cappellini and asked to join the Battle of the Atlantic.

That battle, which was the longest continuous military campaign of the War was a horrendous campaign and led to an unimaginable number of casualties both civilian and military. During the mission, the Comandante Cappellini sinks a Belgian cargo ship called the Kabalo and Todaro goes against orders and rescues the surviving crew members and takes them to safety.

Favino plays Todaro as an almost mystical character and the film is filled with his eloquent musings. His strong morality is tested time and time again and he proves to be up to the task. The tight confines of life on a forties-era submarine and its claustrophobic nature are played as a strong contributor to the story, especially when he takes on board the rescued crew members.

Even though several crew members fit the description of the usual suspects, the soulful cook, the dedicated second in command and the sacrificing crew members, the film never degenerates into cliche scenarios. Even though World War II provides the backdrop, the heart and soul are provided by the men and their unwavering humanity in this time of war.
Rob Hudson

Comandante screenings in Brisbane
Palace Barracks
Friday 20th September 3:10pm
Tuesday 24th September 8:30pm
Friday 27th September 1:00pm
Monday 30th September 6:00pm
Friday 4th October 8:30pm
Tuesday 8th October 3:20pm
Sunday 13th October 10:30am

Palace James St
Sunday 22nd September 10:00am
Thursday 26th September 1:10pm
Monday 30th September 5:40pm
Tuesday 1st October 10:15am
Friday 4th October 1:10pm
Friday 11th October 3:30pm
Monday 14th October 5:50pm
Tuesday 15th October 8:30pm
Wednesday 16th October 4:10pm

2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival runs in Brisbane from 19 September – 16 October, and will take place at the Palace James Street and Palace Barracks cinemas.

Click here for more information about the festival, or head to the official website for more information and to book your tickets!
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

Opening the festival is GLORIA! the directorial debut of dynamic Italian singer, songwriter and actor Margherita Vicario, who also co-wrote the film which depicts the ebullient, music-filled story of a maid at a Venetian refuge whose hidden talent helps inspire an uprising.

Margherita will be visiting Australia as a special guest of the festival to introduce the film at Opening Night Gala events in Sydney and Melbourne. Joining her will be festival Ambassador Silvia Colloca, multi-talented Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer and host, who is about to release her latest book ‘The Italian Homecook’.

Closing the 2024 festival is the Papal thriller CONCLAVE. Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci lead a brilliant ensemble cast including Sergio Castellitto in director Edward Berger’s stunning adaption of Robert Harris’ high-stakes drama, in which Cardinals gather at the Vatican to elect a new Pope.

The Festival Centrepiece is PARTHENOPE, the new film from Academy-Award winner Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth, The New Pope) is a visually and aurally stunning, decades-spanning romantic drama about a Neapolitan woman named after the mythical siren who once lent her name to the city of Naples.

Festival Special Presentations include the playful comedy from acclaimed writer/director Christophe Honoré, MARCELLO MIO, led by acting royalty and real-life mother-daughter duo Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni, focusing on the legacy of the great Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni; plus Italy’s biggest film of 2023, THERE’S STILL TOMORROW (C’è ancora domani), the directorial debut of Paola Cortellesi who also stars in the film. Set in post-war Rome, it follows a woman breaking traditional family patterns and aspiring to a different future.

Daniele Luchetti’s award-winning psychological thriller TRUST (Confidenza), scored by Thom Yorke of Radiohead, follows a fiery love affair and a dark secret, featuring an all-star cast including Elio Germano, Federica Rosellini and Vittoria Puccini.

The 2023 Venice Film Festival opener COMANDANTE is a gripping maritime thriller starring festival favourite Pierfrancesco Favino. Favino delivers a powerhouse performance as a Naval Captain who commands the Italian Royal Navy submarine Cappellini in the Battle of the Atlantic and is faced with a moral dilemma.

Blending elements of film noir, legal drama and investigative mystery, A DARK STORY (Una storia nera) sees a separated family reunite for a child’s birthday but secrets come to light when the father disappears, and an investigation commences. Also set to thrill audiences is neo-noir drama WE WERE CHILDREN (Eravamo bambini), a captivating combination of revenge thriller and coming-of-age tale featuring a stellar ensemble cast.

In celebration of 25 years of the festival, there will be special screenings of the much-loved, inaugural Opening Night festival film, BREAD AND TULIPS (Pane e Tulipani). Enjoying an extended run during its original release in 2000, the film tells the heartwarming story of Rosalba, a neglected housewife who starts a new life in Venice and finds romance and self-discovery against the city’s charming backdrop.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic, Academy-Award winning THE GODFATHER PART II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film continues the Corleone family’s saga, exploring Michael

Corleone’s consolidation of power and moral struggles, alongside Vito Corleone’s rise from immigrant to crime lord and will be shown in a lavish 4k restoration, including intermission.

The 2024 lineup features a strong selection of new Italian dramas including the gripping and emotionally charged MIA starring Edoardo Leo as the protective father of fifteen-year-old Mia, whose world is forever altered when she crosses paths with an enigmatic older boy; ensemble drama FAMILY MATTERS (Sei fratelli), led by Riccardo Scamarcio, which explores the relationships in an extended and dysfunctional family; Italo-French co-production MARIA MONTESSORI (La Nouvelle Femme) starring Jasmine Trinca as the famed Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, whose revolutionary methods are still used across the globe today and GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARY (Vangelo secondo Maria), a fascinating tale of love, destiny, duty, and rebellion, starring Benedetta Porcaroli and Alessandro Gassmann as the biblical couple Mary and Joseph.

Alba Rohrwacher delivers a transformative performance in compelling new drama IN THE MIRROR (Mi fanno male i capelli). An elegant homage to the legendary actress Monica Vitti, it explores the power of dreams, set to music by Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi.

Starring in THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER (La bella estate) is Deva Cassel, daughter of actors Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. Written and directed by Laura Luchetti and inspired by Cesare Pavese’s novel, the lyrical coming-of-age story captures the intricacies of friendship and love as it follows a young seamstress in the artistic world of 1938 Turin.

Lovers of Italian comedies, will delight in the box office hit A WORLD APART (Un mondo a parte) starring Antonio Albanese as a teacher who relocates to a tiny school in a remote village in Abruzzo and faces amusing challenges in his quest to adapt to small-town life; LIFE’S A BEACH (Come può uno scoglio) starring comedy duo Pio and Amedeo who reunite with Belli Ciao director Gennaro Nunziante in a laugh-out-loud adventure through Italy; and ensemble comedy VOLARE from Margherita Buy in her directorial debut, about an actress with a severe phobia of flying who decides to take the plunge and join a course to face her fears.

And for bambini and nonni alike, THE WAR OF THE NONNI (La guerra dei nonni), a fun family comedy starring Vincenzo Salemme and Max Tortora as competing grandfathers.

BAD CONSCIENCE (Cattiva coscienza) is a playful and fantastical romantic comedy about the divide between passion and reason, in which a man’s conscience must descend to Earth to bring him to his senses, starring Beatrice Grannò (The White Lotus S2).

Naples is at the heart of CARACAS starring Marco D’Amore and Toni Servillo. The nocturnal drama and enthralling portrait of Naples follows a Neapolitan writer who returns to his hometown after a long absence and finds himself drawn into the city’s dark underbelly.

The famous city is also the focus of documentary AN ODE TO NAPLES (Posso entrare? An Ode to Naples), from Trudie Styler. A fascinating journey into the soul of the city of Naples, it tells the story of the city and its people, its music and the challenges it faces.

Also showing with a special event screening in Sydney and Melbourne is THE RISE OF ESPRESSO, a documentary charting the expansion and evolution of the coffee market through a collection of personal stories.

The 2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Sydney 18 September – 16 October, Palace Moore Park, Palace Norton St, Palace Central, Chauvel Cinema
Canberra 19 September – 16 October, Palace Electric Cinema
Brisbane 19 September – 16 October, Palace Barracks, Palace James Street
Melbourne 20 September – 17 October, The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, Cinema Nova Byron Bay and Ballina 26 September – 16 October, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
Adelaide 2 October – 22 October, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth 3 October – 23 October, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

Opening the festival is GLORIA! the directorial debut of dynamic Italian singer, songwriter and actor Margherita Vicario, who also co-wrote the film which depicts the ebullient, music-filled story of a maid at a Venetian refuge whose hidden talent helps inspire an uprising.

Margherita will be visiting Australia as a special guest of the festival to introduce the film at Opening Night Gala events in Sydney and Melbourne. Joining her will be festival Ambassador Silvia Colloca, multi-talented Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer and host, who is about to release her latest book ‘The Italian Homecook’.

Closing the 2024 festival is the Papal thriller CONCLAVE. Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci lead a brilliant ensemble cast including Sergio Castellitto in director Edward Berger’s stunning adaption of Robert Harris’ high-stakes drama, in which Cardinals gather at the Vatican to elect a new Pope.

The Festival Centrepiece is PARTHENOPE, the new film from Academy-Award winner Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth, The New Pope) is a visually and aurally stunning, decades-spanning romantic drama about a Neapolitan woman named after the mythical siren who once lent her name to the city of Naples.

Festival Special Presentations include the playful comedy from acclaimed writer/director Christophe Honoré, MARCELLO MIO, led by acting royalty and real-life mother-daughter duo Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni, focusing on the legacy of the great Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni; plus Italy’s biggest film of 2023, THERE’S STILL TOMORROW (C’è ancora domani), the directorial debut of Paola Cortellesi who also stars in the film. Set in post-war Rome, it follows a woman breaking traditional family patterns and aspiring to a different future.

Daniele Luchetti’s award-winning psychological thriller TRUST (Confidenza), scored by Thom Yorke of Radiohead, follows a fiery love affair and a dark secret, featuring an all-star cast including Elio Germano, Federica Rosellini and Vittoria Puccini.

The 2023 Venice Film Festival opener COMANDANTE is a gripping maritime thriller starring festival favourite Pierfrancesco Favino. Favino delivers a powerhouse performance as a Naval Captain who commands the Italian Royal Navy submarine Cappellini in the Battle of the Atlantic and is faced with a moral dilemma.

Blending elements of film noir, legal drama and investigative mystery, A DARK STORY (Una storia nera) sees a separated family reunite for a child’s birthday but secrets come to light when the father disappears, and an investigation commences. Also set to thrill audiences is neo-noir drama WE WERE CHILDREN (Eravamo bambini), a captivating combination of revenge thriller and coming-of-age tale featuring a stellar ensemble cast.

In celebration of 25 years of the festival, there will be special screenings of the much-loved, inaugural Opening Night festival film, BREAD AND TULIPS (Pane e Tulipani). Enjoying an extended run during its original release in 2000, the film tells the heartwarming story of Rosalba, a neglected housewife who starts a new life in Venice and finds romance and self-discovery against the city’s charming backdrop.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic, Academy-Award winning THE GODFATHER PART II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film continues the Corleone family’s saga, exploring Michael Corleone’s consolidation of power and moral struggles, alongside Vito Corleone’s rise from immigrant to crime lord and will be shown in a lavish 4k restoration, including intermission.

The 2024 lineup features a strong selection of new Italian dramas including the gripping and emotionally charged MIA starring Edoardo Leo as the protective father of fifteen-year-old Mia, whose world is forever altered when she crosses paths with an enigmatic older boy; ensemble drama FAMILY MATTERS (Sei fratelli), led by Riccardo Scamarcio, which explores the relationships in an extended and dysfunctional family; Italo-French co-production MARIA MONTESSORI (La Nouvelle Femme) starring Jasmine Trinca as the famed Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, whose revolutionary methods are still used across the globe today and GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARY (Vangelo secondo Maria), a fascinating tale of love, destiny, duty, and rebellion, starring Benedetta Porcaroli and Alessandro Gassmann as the biblical couple Mary and Joseph.

Alba Rohrwacher delivers a transformative performance in compelling new drama IN THE MIRROR (Mi fanno male i capelli). An elegant homage to the legendary actress Monica Vitti, it explores the power of dreams, set to music by Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi.

Starring in THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER (La bella estate) is Deva Cassel, daughter of actors Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. Written and directed by Laura Luchetti and inspired by Cesare Pavese’s novel, the lyrical coming-of-age story captures the intricacies of friendship and love as it follows a young seamstress in the artistic world of 1938 Turin.

Lovers of Italian comedies, will delight in the box office hit A WORLD APART (Un mondo a parte) starring Antonio Albanese as a teacher who relocates to a tiny school in a remote village in Abruzzo and faces amusing challenges in his quest to adapt to small-town life; LIFE’S A BEACH (Come può uno scoglio) starring comedy duo Pio and Amedeo who reunite with Belli Ciao director Gennaro Nunziante in a laugh-out-loud adventure through Italy; and ensemble comedy VOLARE from Margherita Buy in her directorial debut, about an actress with a severe phobia of flying who decides to take the plunge and join a course to face her fears.

And for bambini and nonni alike, THE WAR OF THE NONNI (La guerra dei nonni), a fun family comedy starring Vincenzo Salemme and Max Tortora as competing grandfathers.

BAD CONSCIENCE (Cattiva coscienza) is a playful and fantastical romantic comedy about the divide between passion and reason, in which a man’s conscience must descend to Earth to bring him to his senses, starring Beatrice Grannò (The White Lotus S2).

Naples is at the heart of CARACAS starring Marco D’Amore and Toni Servillo. The nocturnal drama and enthralling portrait of Naples follows a Neapolitan writer who returns to his hometown after a long absence and finds himself drawn into the city’s dark underbelly.

The famous city is also the focus of documentary AN ODE TO NAPLES (Posso entrare? An Ode to Naples), from Trudie Styler. A fascinating journey into the soul of the city of Naples, it tells the story of the city and its people, its music and the challenges it faces.

Also showing with a special event screening in Sydney and Melbourne is THE RISE OF ESPRESSO, a documentary charting the expansion and evolution of the coffee market through a collection of personal stories.

Festival tickets are now on sale!

The 2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Sydney 18 September – 16 October, Palace Moore Park, Palace Norton St, Palace Central, Chauvel Cinema
Canberra 19 September – 16 October, Palace Electric Cinema
Brisbane 19 September – 16 October, Palace Barracks, Palace James Street
Melbourne 20 September – 17 October, The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, Cinema Nova
Byron Bay and Ballina 26 September – 16 October, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
Adelaide 2 October – 22 October, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth 3 October – 23 October, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au