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

To them it is more than an occupation, it is a calling and their partners in this way of life are of the four-legged variety. These friendships seem to endure far more regularly than the ones with fellow humans. They are completely content with their dogs, nature, and the hunt.

There is humour in much of what they do and a hard-headedness that drives them to solitary pursuits. There are also moments that draw parallels between seller and buyer that mimic drug deals and the level of addiction is similar. They both seem to enjoy the fix with finding, consuming, and selling the tasty fungi.

Like all good documentaries, The Truffle Hunters lets you live in an unfamiliar world, if only for 84 minutes. With the advancing age of all the players, one is left with the notion that truffle hunting and its participants might become a dying breed. So if you ever desired to acquire the taste of the rare white truffle, now is the time.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS

The ST. ALi Italian Film Festival will open with a new live-action version of the classic fairy tale PINOCCHIO. From the Director of Gomorrah and Dogman, Matteo Garrone’s seven-time Nastro d’Argento award-winner is an enthralling gothic fantasy starring Roberto Benigni as the woodcutter Geppetto.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary – and in honour of the late great Ennio Morricone, one of the world’s greatest film composers – the Festival will close with Giuseppe Tornatore’s MALENA (Malèna) starring Monica Bellucci.

The Centrepiece selection for the 2020 programme is Marco Bellocchio’s multi award-winning crime drama THE TRAITOR (Il traditore), which was the big winner at Italy’s 65th David di Donatello Awards – the country’s equivalent of the Oscars. The absorbing film sees Pierfrancesco Favino deliver a powerhouse performance as Tommaso Buscetta, a Sicilian Mafia boss-turned-police informer.

There will also be two Special Presentations this year: Ferzan Ozpetek’s award-winning new film THE GODDESS OF FORTUNE (La dea fortuna), featuring an all-star cast including Stefano Accorsi, Edoardo Leo and Jasmine Trinca. This will screen nationally along with the short film BEING MY MOM, the directorial debut of aforementioned actress Jasmine Trinca, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Maayane Conti, which is currently in competition at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

The second Special Presentation screening is MARTIN EDEN, by acclaimed writer and director Pietro Marcello. The award-winning drama provocatively transports Jack London’s 1909 novel about a self-taught and outspoken writer to a pivotal moment in Italy’s pre-war history.

The programme also comprises of two films to share with your family. For kids fifteen years and older is MY BROTHER CHASES DINOSAURS (Mio fratello rincorre i dinosauri). Inspired by a true story, this is a joyous and poignant film about the fear of being judged. And for the whole family, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE WORLD (Il giorno più bello del mondo) – a modern-day fairy tale in which a down on his luck theatre manager receives a strange inheritance – custody of two children, and discovers that one of them has amazing telekinetic powers.

Other highlights for the 2020 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival include:

7 HOURS TO WIN YOUR HEART (7 ore per farti innamorare) about a desperate journalist who enlists the aid of a seduction expert to regain his ex-girlfriend in a hilarious Neapolitan romantic comedy starring Giampaolo Morelli and Serena Rossi.

BAD TALES (Favolacce), set in a southern suburb of Rome and starring Cannes award-winner Elio Germano, this dark tale sees tensions unfold in a small community during a sweltering summer.

FEEL YOUR MEMORIES (Tornare), a captivating psychological drama which follows a woman returning to her childhood home in 1990s Naples. Featuring a stellar performance from Giovanna Mezzogiorno.

GOLDEN MEN (Gli uomini d’oro), a crime comedy starring Fabio De Luigi, Edoardo Leo and Giampaolo Morelli in which a group of desperate men in Turin attempt an armoured truck robbery.

HAMMAMET recounts the last year of controversial politician Bettino Craxi’s life as he lived in exile following corruption charges and features an astonishing performance from Pierfrancesco Favino.

I HATE SUMMER (Odio l’estate) sees much-loved Italian comedians Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo star in a hilarious story of friendship in which three families accidentally book the same holiday rental.

LETSCLEANAPP (TuttAPPosto) – featuring hilarious performances by Luca Zingaretti and Roberto Lipari, this comedy sees a student upending favouritism and corruption in his university with an app for students to rate their professors.

ONCE UPON A TIME…IN BETHLEHEM (Il primo Natale) sees the famous comedy duo Ficarra and Picone star as a thief and a priest who are magically transported to year zero, Palestine, where they’ll have to make sure that the birth of Jesus will follow its course.

ORDINARY JUSTICE (Palazzo di giustiziaI) is a quietly impactful drama from newcomer Chiara Bellosi, which examines the emotions behind the legal machinery at work in the courtroom following an attempted armed robbery.

SAY IT LOUD (Cambio tutto), a new hilarious comedy from Guido Chiesa (director of Let Me Introduce You to Sofia) which follows one woman’s quest to gain control over her life.

THE BIG STEP (Il grande passo), a bittersweet tale of brotherhood, and believing in your dream, no matter how far-fetched it may seem featuring Giuseppe Battiston and Stefano Fresi.

This year the Festival is also launching the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival eTicket Bundle. Escape to Italy with 5 eTickets for $55 or 10 eTickets for $100. The ticket bundle is available to buy online only from September 10 until September 30 and is valid for the duration of the 2020 Italian Film Festival. This is a Movie Club exclusive offer.

ALL TICKETS NOW ON SALE. For more information visit: www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

The 21st ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Sydney: 29 Sept – 18 Oct, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinemas, Palace Central
Melbourne: *TBA, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Kino Cinemas, The Astor Theatre
Canberra: 1 Oct – 18 Oct, Palace Electric Cinemas
Brisbane: 1 Oct – 18 Oct, Palace Barracks and Palace James Street
Adelaide: 29 Sept – 13 Oct, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Perth: 1 Oct – 14 Oct, Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Leederville and Windsor
Byron Bay: 2 Oct – 14 Oct, Palace Byron Bay

* The 2020 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival dates for Melbourne will be confirmed as soon as cinemas can safely re-open.

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival screens in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Byron Bay from 17 September.

The OPENING NIGHT selection, THE CHAMPION (Il campione) is a beautifully balanced blend of the spectacular and the intimate. This stunning debut starring Stefano Accorsi (Italian Race, LIFF16) delivers a moral lesson that is both identifiable and strikingly moving. Set in the glossy world of professional, millionaire footballers and featuring an extraordinary Andrea Carpenzano (Boys Cry LIFF18), The Champion is a story of friendship and learning who to trust.

The 20th edition of the festival will feature two SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: from the director of Indivisible, Edoardo De Angelis’ powerful and award-winning new film THE VICE OF HOPE (Il vizio della speranza) stars Pina Turco (Gomorrah TV series) as a woman striving to escape a life of vice and criminality, De Angelis masterfully creates another gritty tale from the Camorra-infested northern Neapolitan neighbourhood made famous by Dogman; and following last year’s presentation of the international theatrical cut of LORO, this year audiences have the opportunity to see the director’s cut of one of the most-talked-about opening night films in the festival’s 20-year history.

The festival is excited to host the WORLD PREMIERE of PROMISED with red carpet screenings in Melbourne and Sydney, and a Special Event screening in Brisbane. Directed by Nick Conidi and featuring a stellar Italian-Australian cast, including Daniel Berini, Antoniette Iesue, Paul Mercurio and Tina Arena, this is a romantic drama that is certain to hit home.

The CLOSING NIGHT selection is the Australian premiere of Ron Howard’s highly anticipated biopic PAVAROTTI. Howard’s access-all-areas documentary looks back at the life, relationships and the remarkable performing career of the world’s most famous tenor who became an international superstar, from the early 1960s until his death.

A programme of Italy’s best contemporary films will feature in the NEW ITALIAN CINEMA section:

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (Like Crazy) and Marcello Fonte (Dogman, LIFF18) star in the affecting drama ASPROMONTE – LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN (Aspromonte, la terra degli ultimi), about a neglected village and the townspeople’s fight to build a connecting road to the neighbouring town.

Winner of the Berlin Film Festival FIPRESCI prize, DAFNE is a poignant drama about a family struck by a tragedy, anchored by a breakout performance from Carolina Raspanti.

A teenage boy’s dreams of soccer stardom are threatened by a chaotic home life in IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS (Un giorno all’improvviso), an achingly naturalistic portrait of a young man striving to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds.

Direct from its Locarno Film Festival premiere, Ginevra Elkann’s Italo-French comic drama IF ONLY (Magari) is a gentle and honest exploration of a broken family, that boasts an ensemble cast including Alba Rohrwacher and Riccardo Scamarcio.

From director Andrea Zaccariello comes the super stylish and absorbing murder mystery I’M NOT A KILLER (Non sono un assassino) in which Italian cinema heavyweight Riccardo Scamarcio stars alongside Alessio Boni (The Tourist, 2010) and Edoardo Pesce (Dogman, LIFF18).

What happens when a 23-year-old runs for mayor in one of the biggest cities of Southern Italy and records his entire campaign with a hidden camera? Find out in THE MAYOR: ITALIAN POLITICS 4 DUMMIES (Il Sindaco: Italian Politics 4 Dummies).

MY OWN GOOD (Il bene mio) is a poignant drama, warmly received at the Venice Film Festival, in which Sergio Rubini plays the last remaining inhabitant of an Italian ghost town that has been destroyed by a devastating earthquake.

Based on the bestselling graphic novel Zerocalcare, THE ARMADILLO’S PROPHECY (La profezia dell’armadillo), a melancholy comedy, cleverly embodies a generation faced with uncertainty through its depiction of a young man’s friendship with an imaginary armadillo.

Sergio Rubini directs and stars THE GREAT SPIRIT (Il grande spirito), an offbeat Taranto-set dramedy including southern favourite Rocco Papaleo (Basilicata Coast to Coast, LIFF14), as two men whose unexpected run-in results in the unlikeliest of friendships.

Director Stefano Mordini’s taut thriller THE INVISIBLE WITNESS (Il testimone invisible) sees a slick businessman (Riccardo Scamarcio) employ an undefeated veteran attorney to prove his innocence after he wakes up next to his murdered mistress (Miram Leone).

Marco Giallini and Valerio Mastandrea star in TOMORROW’S A NEW DAY (Domani è un altro giorno) – an exceptional remake of the award-winning Spanish-Argentinian favourite Truman, which follows a bittersweet reunion of two friends as they wander the streets of Rome to examine their lives and ponder the future.

And TWIN FLOWER (Fiore Gemello), a nuanced and profound drama set against the beautiful Sardinian landscape is an exploration of companionship, lost innocence, and shared destiny as two troubled teenagers journey towards a new life.

In the festival’s funniest section, see new hilarious box office hits in COMEDY, ITALIAN-STYLE!

Italian comedy royalty reunites in Alessandro Genovesi’s hilarious new comedy 10 DAYS WITHOUT MAMMA (10 giorni senza la mamma) about a father (Fabio de Luigi) left in charge of his three children while mum goes away on holiday.

A stunning Mediterranean backdrop and an all-star cast including Alessandro Gasmann and Fabrizio Bentivoglio feature in AN ALMOST ORDINARY SUMMER (Croce e delizia) a delightful comedy about two very different families who discover that they have been brought together for a chaotic seaside holiday to celebrate a surprise wedding – between their patriarchs.

Winner of Best Comedy Film at the Nastri d’Argento Awards 2019, BANGLA, is a romantic comedy with a huge heart. Director Phaim Bhuiyan’s debut is a fresh and spirited portrait of the complications of young love caught between very different beliefs. With a script based on the director’s own experiences and a central character played by the director himself this is a witty cross-cultural rom-com set in Rome.

In DON’T STOP ME NOW (Ma cosa ci dice il cervello) dynamic duo Paola Cortellesi and her husband, director Riccardo Milani, team up to deliver this Bond-style comedy in which an international spy sets out save her friends from their boring lives.

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO SOFIA (Ti presento Sofia) sees a frazzled father in hot water as he tries to hide his daughter from his new girlfriend in this hilarious comedy-of-errors starring Fabio De Luigi and Micaela Ramazzotti.

A humorous contemplation on life, ORDINARY HAPPINESS (Momenti di trascurabile felicità) sees director Daniele Luchetti (Those Happy Years, LIFF17) transform the short stories of Francesco Piccolo into a charming metaphysical comedy starring Pierfrancesco “Pif” Diliberto (The Mafia Kills Only in Summer, LIFF14).

And in WELCOME BACK MR. PRESIDENT (Bentornato Presidente), Peppino (Claudio Bisio) must return to Rome to win back his love and defeat a plot that could ruin Italy in the sequel to 2013’s box-office smash hit Welcome, Mr President.

Our schools’ session and family film – THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS WITCH (La Befana vien di notte) is an Italian fable, with a feminist twist. Paola Cortellesi plays a famous character, La Befana, in this Italian box office hit that is pure fun for the whole family.

This year, the festival spotlights the greatest artists of Italian history with FILMS ON ART: THE ITALIAN MASTERS, including: MICHELANGELO – ENDLESS (Michelangelo – Infinito), about the life and works of the incomparable genius Michelangelo Buonarroti, played by Enrico Lo Verso; and AMAZING LEONARDO (Io, Leonardo), directed by Mexican helmer Jesus Garces Lambert, the high-end biopic marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death and stars Italian A-lister Luca Argentero (Eat Pray Love) as the artist, scientist and inventor.

Rounding out the 20th edition of the festival are two retrospectives: following the passing of Bernardo Bertolucci last November, the festival will screen two highlights from his expansive filmography – 1900 (Novecento), the 1976 historical drama featuring an international ensemble cast including Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda and Donald Sutherland. The five-hour epic will screen with an intermission. Also, Bertolucci’s political thriller THE CONFORMIST (Il conformista) the visually intoxicating adaptation of Alberto Moravia’s novel returns to the big screen in a restoration supervised by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.

20 ANNI FA is a retrospective selection showcasing three of our favourite films from the festival’s 20-year history: a beautifully restored version of Marco Tullio Giordana’s acclaimed drama ONE HUNDRED STEPS (I cento passi) sees Luigi Lo Cascio in his breakthrough performance as an outspoken young man whose rebellion against the Sicilian mafia rocks his town’s stifling tradition of silence; Gabriele Muccino’s award-winning romantic drama THE LAST KISS (L’ultimo bacio) is as relevant today as upon its release in 2001, showing a perspective of love in its darkest shades; and THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOVE (Le conseguenze dell’amore), Paolo Sorrentino’s acclaimed psychological thriller.

The 20th Lavazza Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:

Sydney: 17 Sept – 16 Oct, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinemas, Palace Central
Melbourne: 19 Sept – 16 Oct, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Kino Cinemas, The Astor Theatre
Canberra: 24 Sept – 16 Oct, Palace Electric Cinema
Brisbane: 25 Sept – 16 Oct, Palace Barracks and Palace James Street
Adelaide: 1 Oct – 23 Oct, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth: 2 Oct – 23 Oct, Palace Cinema Paradiso and Luna on SX
Hobart: 17 Oct – 23 Oct, The State Cinema
Byron Bay: 26 Sept – 13 Oct, Palace Byron Bay

TICKETS NOW ON SALE! For more information visit: www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

The festival will kick off with the award winning box office smash hit, GOD WILLING(SE DIO VUOLE), a laugh out loud comedy starring the gorgeous Alessandro Gassman, Marco Giallini and Laura Morante which tells the story of an atheist surgeon with a God-complex, a charismatic priest, a dysfunctional family and an announcement that takes everyone by surprise!

The 36 day festival will close with a new restoration of the Academy Award nominated THE CONFORMIST (IL CONFORMISTA), which will see the return to the big screen of acclaimed director Bernardo Bertolucci’s visually intoxicating art deco style adaptation of Alberto Moravia’s novel about an upper-class follower of Mussolini.

Taking out the Best Actor award at the Italian Golden Globes for Luca Zingaretti, the gripping crime thriller PEREZ depicts an urban wasteland, hiding the underbelly of organised crime through the filtered lens of the justice systems. Also delving into the criminal world is BLACK SOULS (ANIME NERE), an elegant, seething and expertly-directed, award-winning thriller by Francesco Munzi which is a timeless and powerful tale about the challenges of breaking cycles of crime and violence.

Winner of multiple Best New Director awards is Francesca Archibugi’s AN ITALIAN NAME (IL NOME DEL FIGLIO). Featuring an all-star cast of Alessandro Gassmann, Valeria Golino, Luigi Lo Cascio, Rocco Papaleo, Micaela Ramazzotti, the film presents an engrossing warning against buried resentment, and a plea not to forget hopes and dreams of the past.

This year will see a string of Italian comedies light up the screen with highlight titles including LATIN LOVER, a charming and amusing new offering from acclaimed writer/director Cristina Comenciniwhich tells the story of the life and secrets of the great Italian star Saverio Crispo, a “Latin Lover” played seductively by Francesco Scianna. Winner of the Best Comedy at the Italian Golden Globes in 2015, THE LEGENDARY GIULIA (NOI E LA GIULIA) by Roman actor/director Edoardo Leo brings a fantastic cast together to tell the story of three down-on-their-luck men who meet by chance and decide to combine forces and risk everything to start a Bed and Breakfast. Warm-hearted, comedic gem DO YOU SEE ME? (SCUSATE SE ESISTO!) stars Paola Cortellesi and Raoul Bova and delivers laugh-out-loud moments to celebrate the importance of individual value and being true to oneself. Finally, MIA MADRE is the lively and brilliantly absurd comic clash from veteran director Nanni Moretti featuring John Turturro and an award winning performance from Margherita Buy as an unhinged filmmaker dealing with a personal crisis.

Other films set to deliver laughs are UNIQUE BROTHERS (FRATELLI UNICI), a delightful comedy about family and second chances starring handsome duo Raoul Bova as a man suffering memory loss, and Luke Argentero as his irresponsible younger brother; A FAIRYTALE WEDDING (UN MATRIMONIO DA FAVOLA), a whirlwind of comedic misunderstandings arise when four high school friends reconnect years later at a lavish wedding; PIZZA AND DATES (PITZA E DATTERI), shot entirely within the canals of Venice this playful comedy focuses on cultural exchanges and integration as a community of Muslims search for a new location for their mosque; SOAP OPERA, in which the kooky tenants of an apartment block experience a sudden and shocking situation when they let their private lives, past secrets and crazy passions intervene; and SO FAR SO GOOD (FINO A QUI TUTTO BENE), a touching comedy that that brings together five fantastic young actors who playuniversity graduates facing important life choices.

Films that will add further excitement into the mix delving into experimental, fantasy and documentary cinema include ITALY IN A DAY (UN GIORNO DA ITALIANI), Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores experiment portrays Italy though the eyes of Italians exposing the hopes and fears through a collage of 632 videos sent from all over Italy in a touching mosaic of life in Italy; director Matteo Garrone’s English language debut TALES OF TALES (IL RACCOTO DEI RACCONTI), featuring an all star cast of Salma Hayek, Toby Jones, Vincent Cassel, John C.Riley, Shirley Henderson and Hayley Carmichael. Not for the faint hearted, the film delves into the depths of the human psyches in a delicious dream-like visual feast brimming with imagination and mischief; and Italy’s industrial miracles of the twentieth century are explored in Davide Ferrario’sinsightful documentary THE DEVIL’S SOUP (LA ZUPPA DEL DEMONIO), through an impressive range of 100 years of archival footage.

Romantic tales are sure to delight at this year’s festival, with a selection including WONDROUS BOCCACCIO (MARAVIGLIOSO BOCCACCIO) where love triumphs over death in veteran filmmakers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s reinterpretation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s classic The Decameron; WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE (MA CHE BELLASORPRESA), a classic romantic comedy of errors from the master Alessandro Genovese, about a jilted hopeless romantic who is surprised when he is given a second chance for love; and A WOMAN AS A FRIEND (UNA DONNA PER AMICA), an hilarious romcom from Giovanni Veronesi, the director of box office sensation MANUAL OF LOVE, starring French model/actress Laetitia Casta and Fabio De Luigi.

Coming-of-age is explored in CHLORINE (CLORO) the assured debut feature from director Lamberto Sanfelice; SHORT SKIN, a surprising pleasure and profound drama that perfectly interweavesfamily drama and cheeky comedy; and ITALO, a charming tale for all ages that depicts the life-altering friendship between an extraordinarydog and a lonely child.

Other titles that form part of this year’s festival line up include the powerful GREENERY WILL BLOOM AGAIN (TORNERANNO I PRATI), made with devastating simplicity and painful realism, auteur Ermanno Olmi demonstrates he is among Italy’s most masterful and humanistic directors as he evokes the terrors of war in a short but stunningly effective hypnotising film capturing a single snowy night on World War I’s Italian front; PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SUNNY SPELLS (TEMPO INSTABILE CON PROBABILI SCHIARITE), a warm-hearted comedy with a conscience about generation clashes, new horizons and an oil discovery in a small town starring Luca Zungaretti, John Turturro and Pasquale Petrolo; and MAFIA & RED TOMATOES (LA NOSTRA TERRA), based on the real-life work of the Libera association, this recent box-office hit tackles the issue of mafia power over communities with redemptive joy and a smile; and the already announced Australian Premiere of the Venice multi award winning THE DINNER (I NOSTRI RAGAZZI), which follows the moral struggle facing two wealthy brothers and their wives in this gripping adaptation on the Dutch best-seller by Herman Koch.

You can also delve into a couple of fascinating biopics this year – ORIANA (L’ORIANA) from Italian Golden Globe-winning director Marco Turco, about the life of Italian journalist and writer OrianaFallaci who gave up everything in pursuit of her career; and LEOPARDI (IL GIOVANE FAVOLOSO), an applauded and engrossing historical drama about the talent and struggle of Italy’s greatest 19th-century poet Giacomo Leopardi, a radical thinker and philosopher who produced inspiring works and intelligent prose that have influenced countless others, played by Elio Germano (Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival 2010).

Dramatic features include MONTEDORO: after the death of her adoptive parents, an American women journeys to Montedoro, a remote Italian town in southern Italy, hoping to discover her true origins in this haunting and poetic film; ANOTHER SOUTH (UNA STORIA SBAGLIATA): in this brave drama starring Isabella Ragonese (La Nostra Vita) director Gianluca Maria Tavarellitransports us to the Iraqi combat zone following a young Sicilian women through a complex tapestry of flashbacks as she searches for answers; and LAND OF SAINTS (LA TERRA DEI SANTI) offerspowerful insight into the often unacknowledged females participating in the male-dominated tug-of-war between mafia rings and the law.

And if you’re seeking the ultimate Italian espresso, whilst indulging in some ‘cinema Italiano’, look no further than Lavazza, whom the Festival is once again honoured to have as the naming rights partner. Lavazza is proudly served at all Palace Cinemas so attendees year-round can enjoy the premium taste of Barista coffee.

Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2015
Brisbane: Thur 1 October – Sun 18 October Palace Barracks & Palace Centro
Sydney: Tue 15 September – Sun 11 Oct Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street & Chauvel Cinema
Melbourne: Wed 16 September – Sun 11 October Palace Cinema Como, The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, The Kino Cinemas
Adelaide: Thu 17 September – Wed 07 October Palace Nova Eastend
Canberra: Tue 22 September – Sun 11 October Palace Electric
Perth: Thu 24 September – Wed 14 October Cinema Paradiso& Luna on SX
Byron Bay: Fri 18 September – Sun 26 September Palace Byron Bay
Hobart: Thu 15 September – Thu 21 October State Cinema
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

Immortalised by Hollywood when Audrey Hepburn took a ride on Gregory Peck’s Vespa, Rome remains a beguiling enigma for audiences worldwide. Commenting on the season, ACMI’s Film Programmer, Roberta Ciabarra said: “Looking as far back as the 1950s to films by Italian directors, including Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini and Bolognini, to more recent award-winning auteurs including Gianfranco Rosi and Paolo Sorrentino, ROMA! The Screen Life of the Eternal City goes beyond the Hollywood veneer of Roman Holiday to explore nostalgic and contemporary cinematic visions of Rome.”

Opening the ACMI season is William Wyler’s quintessentially Hollywood film, Roman Holiday (1953). Capitalising on the inexhaustible supply of ready-to-shoot piazzas, churches, fountains and ruins, the film is set against the impossibly romantic tale of a European princess abroad. Nominated for ten Academy Awards® and winner of three – Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn), Best Screenplay (Dalton Trumbo) and Best Costume Design (Edith Head), The Guardian described Roman Holiday as an “enchanting comedy that… forever welded Vespas to Rome in the popular imagination.”

In arguably the defining role of his illustrious career, Marcello Mastroianni perfectly embodies the flawed hero of Federico Fellini’s ambitiously conceived and magnificently realised La dolce vita (1960). Playing a disenchanted gossip columnist with a lazy conviction that a higher purpose awaits, Mastroianni cruises the streets of Rome searching for newsworthy stories. In 1962, The New York Times wrote that La dolce vita was “licentious in content but moral and vastly sophisticated in its attitude and what it says.”

Paolo Sorrentino’s sumptuous Best Foreign Language Academy Award®-winning film, The Great Beauty(LaGrande Bellezza) (2013) is an exquisitely crafted ode to the Eternal City that oozes in glorious excess. Echoing Marcello in La dolce vita, Toni Servillo’s Jep Gambardella is a writer prone to bouts of ennui, even as he indulges in Rome’s pleasure-seeking ways. Julie Rigg praised the film for its “dazzling contribution to the cinema of spectacle.”

Gianni e le donne (The Salt of Life) (2011) is actor/director, Gianni di Gregorio’s delightfully wry sequel to Mid-August Lunch (2008). Set in Rome’s picturesque Trastevere district, The Salt of Life follows sixty-something Gianni Brandani (Gianni di Gregorio) as he becomes consumed by the boredom of his role as house-husband. Gianni assumes the guise of a Berlusconian Italian male to reignite his Latin lover credentials. The Oregonian praised The Salt of Life as “perhaps the sweetest movie ever made about a guy trying to cheat on his wife.”

Gianfranco Rosi’s impressionistic Venice Golden Lion-winning Sacro GRA (2013) is the first documentary to ever win the prestigious award. Gentle and unassuming, Sacro GRA takes a humanistic approach to its subjects, who inhabit the 70km ring road, the Grand Raccordo Anulare that encircles Rome. Rosi assembles an intriguing suite of interviewees including a paramedic and an eel fisherman. Screen International commended Rosi for delivering his “most compassionate and satisfying work to date, an impressionistic mosaic of life lived on the margins.”

L’amore in citta’ (Love in the City) (1953) is a portmanteau film by directors Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Alberto Lattuada, Carlo Lizzani, Francesco Maselli, Dino Risi and Cesare Zavattini. Released just before Roman Holiday, but possibly too late in the Italian Neorealist movement to appeal to Italian audiences looking to Hollywood for escapism, the film offers a fascinating snapshot of Roman society through the lens of the then-emerging directors.

Mauro Bolognini’s daringly explicit drama based on Pasolini’s novel Ragazzi di vita, La notte brava (The Big Night) (1959) chronicles the exploits of three petty thugs during one night in Rome. Posters for the film’s American release promised audiences ‘the moral bankruptcy of desperate youth brought stunningly, shockingly to the screen’. The Italo-French co-production boasts a cast featuring Rosanna Schiaffino, Elsa Martinelli, Jean-Claude Brialy and Franco Interlenghi.

Mamma Roma (1962) is Pasolini’s tribute to Roberto Rossellini’s Rome, Open City (1945). Anna Magnani is Mamma Roma, playing a former prostitute whose desperate attempts at upward mobility and determination to raise her son outside her social and economic mire are undermined by her former pimp. Magnani’s volcanic performance as Mamma Roma is driven by a compulsion to better her son’s lot, despite her priest’s admonition that “nothing can come from nothing.” Slant hailed Magnani for delivering “one of the great roles of her career.”

Antonioni’s third instalment in his trilogy on modernity and its discontents after L’avventura (1960) and La notte (1961) is L’eclisse (1962). Making few concessions to narrative or stylistic convention, L’eclisse challenges audiences with its radically transformed view of Rome. Antonioni’s would-be lovers are placed in the eerily unfamiliar EUR district. Ozus’s World Movie Reviews described the film as “a probing, poignant and lyrical essay on romance.”

In L’udienza (The Audience) (1972), Amedeo (Enzo Jannacci) attends a Papal Audience at the Vatican, ruffling clerical feathers when he asks to ‘have a word’ with the Pope. Director, Marco Ferreri recasts the Vatican as a Theatre of the Absurd and his scathing, entertaining satire features an all-star cast including Ugo Tognazzi, Vittorio Gassman and Claudia Cardinale. Supervised by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (Torino) in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna and with support through a crowd-funding initiative, the digital restoration of L’udienza was presented at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and screens exclusively at ACMI in its Australian premiere.

ROMA! The Screen Life of the Eternal City
Friday 6 February – Sunday 1 March 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
www.acmi.net.au

The selection features four categories: Direct from Cannes with three features direct from the world’s most prestigious film festival; Drammatico Italiano including the best contemporary films produced in Italy in the last 12 months; Laughing Italian Style for the funniest, craziest and silliest Italian comedies including a popular cinepanettone title; plus Per Bambini with a family film for younger audiences.

Several stunning feature debut’s highlight Italy’s hot new talent including Sebastiano Riso’s moving drama Darker Than Midnight (Più buio di mezzanotte); Bruno Oliviero’s stylish thriller The Human Factor (La variabile umana); Fabio Mollo’s restrained and powerful drama South Is Nothing (Il Sud è niente) starring Miriam Karlkvist, recipient of this year’s Berlinale Shooting Star award; Alberto Fasulo’s docudrama Tir; Sydney Sibilia’s hilarious I Can Quit Whenever I want (Smetto Quando Voglio), Matteo Oleotto’s Italian Golden Globe-winning comedy Zoran, My Nephew the Idiot (Zoran, il mio nipote scemo) and The Mafia Kills Only In Summer (La mafia uccide solo d’estate) by PIF – Pierfrancesco Diliberto – who was recently crowned Best New Director at the David Di Donatello 2014 Awards.

New films from much loved, multi award-winning directors are also featured including these festival highlights: Daniele Lucheti’s Those Happy Years (Anni felici), Asia Argento’s Incompresa, Edoardo Winspeare’s Quiet Bliss (In grazia di Dio), Giovanni Veronesi’s The Fifth Wheel (L’ultima ruota del carro), Andrea Segre’s The First Snowfall (La prima neve) and Gianni Amelio’s A Lonely Hero (L’intrepido). Along with Stijn Coninx director of the hugely entertaining Opening Night Selection Marina, and Vittorio de Sica whose timeless comedy Marriage Italian Style will close the event nationally.

Italian Film Festival 2014
MELBOURNE17 Sept – 12 Oct
SYDNEY18 Sept – 12 Oct
CANBERRA23 Sept – 15 Oct
PERTH24 Sept – 15 Oct
BRISBANE1 Oct – 22 Oct
ADELAIDE2 Oct – 22 Oct
BYRON BAY9 Oct – 15 Oct
HOBART16 Oct – 22 Oct
www.italianfilmfestival.com.au