The 2023 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace returns to Brisbane on the 27th of September, transporting audiences to Italy with a stunning selection of the best in contemporary Italian cinema. Award-winning drama, comedies, and documentaries will feature, timed perfectly to celebrate the start of spring.
The Festival is thrilled to welcome the wonderful and talented Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer and host Silvia Colloca as the 2023 Festival Ambassador. A great film lover, Silvia will be talking about her top picks plus her Italian heritage and will be in attendance to open the Festival in Sydney and Melbourne.
Opening the 2023 Festival is the exciting drama THE LAST NIGHT OF AMORE (L’ultima notte di Amore) led by Italian superstar Pierfrancesco Favino. The stylish, Milan set thriller follows a police lieutenant (played by Favino) who is drawn into a web of crime and corruption on the eve of his retirement and was a major Italian box office hit.
The first of two Special Presentations to be announced is the searing, intense crime story of love and revenge BURNING HEARTS (Ti mangio il cuore). Set in Puglia and shot in stunning black and white, it features singer Elodie in her first acting role, in which a forbidden love rekindles an old feud between two rival families.
Festival Special Presentation CARAVAGGIO’S SHADOW (L’ombra di Caravaggio), is an eagerly anticipated historical drama from writer/director Michele Placido, starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Isabelle Huppert. It explores the struggles of the notorious Renaissance painter as he is investigated by the Vatican.
Other unmissable highlights include the latest offering from the legendary Nanni Moretti, A BRIGHTER TOMORROW (Il sol dell’avvenire). Featuring an all-star cast, Moretti’s new film direct from the Cannes Film Festival, where it screened in competition, is a meta-comedy in which a movie director struggles with his relationship and family during the production of his latest film.
Starring Toni Servillo, STRANGENESS (La stranezza) was declared Film of the Year at the 2023 Nastro d’Argento Awards and was a top box office performer in Italy. Inspired by true events, it follows playwright Luigi Pirandello on a trip to Sicily in the 1920s where he meets a pair of amateur actors – a meeting which brings great surprises.
The full programme will be released and tickets go on sale Thursday 24 August.
The 2023 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following national locations:
Sydney 19 September – 18 October, Palace Central, Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema
Canberra 20 September – 18 October, Palace Electric Cinema
Adelaide 20 September – 15 October, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Melbourne 21 September – 18 October, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, The Astor Theatre, Cinema Nova
Brisbane 27 September – 25 October, Palace Barracks, Palace James Street
Perth 28 September – 25 October, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema
Byron Bay 28 September – 18 October, Palace Byron Bay
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au
