Alberta (Luisa Ranieri) and Gabriella (Jasmine Trinca) are sisters. Together they run a highly regarded Fashion House that specialises in designing and creating costumes for the entertainment industry. When we meet them they have two distinct personalities. Alberta is stern and all business and Gabriella is quiet and almost withdrawn.

They are surrounded by a staff of colourful and idiosyncratic women. Each of these ladies have private lives that vary from good to the truly awful. As the film fills in the blanks and you get to know them, you also get invested in their plight and come to understand their actions.

When a large movie costume job arrives, it pushes the staff to their limit and the effects their private lives have on their ability to work. We find the sisters harbouring a tragic secret from their past, a staff member who deals with domestic abuse is a most straight forward manner and many other tales.

The most intoxicating aspect of Diamonds is how these characters and your knowledge of them and their lives is constantly changing. As these ladies and their lives come into sharper focus you can’t help but to be drawn in and make a connection and feel their acute sense of success and failure and the camaraderie that that fosters.
Rob Hudson

Diamonds Screenings in Brisbane
Palace Barracks Brisbane
Thursday 25th September 3:00pm
Saturday 27th September 12:40pm

Palace James St Cinema
Monday 29th September 3:15pm
Wednesday 1st October 7:45pm
Thursday 2nd October 12:50pm
Thursday 9th October 8:10pm
Sunday 12th October 10:10am
Wednesday 15th OcOctobert 3:00pm
Sunday 19th October 5:45pm
Tuesday 21st October 11:00am

2025 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival runs in Brisbane from 24 September – 22 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

From the outside looking in, Alessandro (Edoardo Leo) and Arturo (Stefano Accorsi) are the perfect couple, but the cracks are starting to appear. When a former muse, Annamaria (Jasmine Trinca), and her two young children arrive unbeknownst to Alessandro, it shifts the couple’s dynamic in a major way. When the truth behind her visit becomes known, it shifts things into overdrive.

Every family has its secrets and Annamaria’s upbringing was rife with trying times and dark realities. When circumstances dictate her children living with her mother, the darkness comes into sharp focus. This forces Alessandro and Arturo to get over themselves and unite in a common cause. It’s a slow burn circumstance that flashes bright with sinister overtones and energy.

The Goddess of Fortune is screening as a special presentation at the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival – Brisbane screening times listed below:

PALACE BARRACKS
Friday 2, October 7:30 PM
Wednesday 7, October 4:00 PM
Sunday 11, October 4:40 PM
Thursday 15, October 2:30 PM
Friday 16, October 11:00 AM
Sunday 18, October 1:00 PM

PALACE JAMES ST
Saturday 3, October 11:00 AM
Sunday 4, October 2:00 PM
Thursday 8, October 7:30 PM
Friday 9, October 4:30 PM
Saturday 10, October 4:30 PM
Tuesday 13, October 11:00 AM
Saturday 17, October 7:30 PM

For more information and screening details about this great film festival head to www.italianfilmfestival.com.au

In a world where immaturity is accepted as long as the sport doesn’t suffer, Christian is almost never held accountable for his juvenile actions. That is until it affects his play on the field. The owner of the club finally takes a stand and forces him to further his education. Christian had left high school in pursuit of sport without graduating and his is now assigned a tutor to accomplish that task.

Valerio Fioretti (Stefano Accorsi), the tutor is an unconventional choice and at first he struggles to find a way to reach Christian. As the two spend time together, Valerio is finally able to make a connection with the errant football star and the two start to make progress.

The bonding of these two is a highlight. The structure of the film is light and very accessible and it makes a great introduction the the joys of Italian cinema. There is humour, pathos and relatability (even with the millionaire sports figure) in this work that is very inviting.
Rob Hudson

The Champion screenings in Brisbane:

PALACE JAMES ST
Monday 30, September 1:30 PM
Friday 4, October 1:30 PM
Monday 7, October 1:30 PM
Saturday 12, October 6:30 PM
Monday 14, October 11:00 AM

PALACE BARRACKS
Saturday 28, September 6:30 PM
Sunday 29, September 3:30 PM
Wednesday 2, October 1:30 PM
Tuesday 8, October 8:30 PM

The 20th Lavazza Italian Film Festival celebrates Italian cinema and filmmakers at their very best. With a programme featuring 26 of the best new Italian films from the past year as well as classic cinematic gems, Special Presentations, aperitivo nights, receptions and galas, it is Palace’s biggest event of the year!

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

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

THE CHAMPION trailer from Gaetano Maiorino on Vimeo.