LAVAZZA ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Over 30 films portraying different versions of Italy will feature in this year’s Lavazza Italian Film Festival. A wide variety of recent Italian box office releases and award-winning international films will combine with special food and drink events to create a celebration of all things Italian this September.
The Entrepreneur (L’industriale) is a highly acclaimed film set against an economic crisis, which tracks the personal and financial ruin of factory owner, Nicola Ranieri (played by Pierfrancesco Favino). Jealousy and pride consume Ranieri as he strives to save his family business and his marriage.
Take it Easy! (Scialla!) is the witty but tender first film from renowned screenwriter Francesco Bruni. The comedy focuses on the unexpected friendship between a retired teacher who discovers he is a father, and one of his rebellious, 15 year-old tutoring students on the verge of expulsion from school.
Magnificent Presence (Magnifica presenza) is the delightful drama receiving multiple awards at this year’s Italian Golden Globes including Best actor, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress. When an enthusiastic croissant maker – trying to break into the acting industry – purchases a new apartment he learns to befriend a vaudevillian troupe of ghosts from the 1940s whom only he can see.
Shun Li and the Poet (Lo Sono Li) is a beautifully crafted tale about the friendship formed between Shun Li, a young Chinese immigrant, and fisherman Bebi, “The Poet”. The film explores poignant themes surrounding racial tension and societal prejudice and won multiple awards at the 2011 Venice Film Festival.
Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy is the complex and quick-paced drama from renowned director Marco Tullio Giordana. Set in the Cold War era, the film centres on the Piazza Fontana bombing and the twists and turns of the subsequent investigation into the anarcharist groups blamed for the incident.
Welcome to the North (sequel to last year’s opener) will also open the festival and Woody Allen’s latest film, To Rome With Love is set to close the festival.
Sep 20-Oct 10, italianfilmfestival.com.au
