13th Annual Italian Film Festival
Egyptian & Aero Theatres - NOV. 16-21
Co-presented by the American Cinémathèque and Luce Cinecittà, under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Cultural Institute.
OPENING NIGHT GALA - November 16 - 6:30 PM - Egyptian Theatre
Followed by Q&A with filmmaker Jonas Carpignano
A CIAMBRA
Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, this keenly observed drama from Jonas Carpignano revisits characters from his debut, MEDITERRANEA. At its center is Pio Amato, a 14-year-old boy living on the poor side of a Calabrian town, where frictions between Italians, gypsies and African immigrants run high, and petty crime is a way of life. Carpignano elicits terrific performances from the predominantly nonprofessional cast, aided by Tim Curtin's fluid cinematography. “A coming-of-age drama with a stealthy emotional charge that further enhances the writer-director's reputation as a gifted practitioner of Italian neo-neorealism.” - David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter.
November 17 - 7:30 PM - Double Feature at AERO
CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT (I FIGLI DELLA NOTTE)
2016, Reel Suspects, 85 min, Italy/Belgium, Dir: Andrea De Sica
Giulio (Vincenzo Crea), a 17-year-old from a well-to-do family, is sent to an isolated boarding school in the Alps, where iron-clad rules limit all contact with the outside. He finds a kindred spirit in the rather odd Edoardo (Ludovico Succio), with whom he frequently escapes the grounds when security becomes lax after dark. The two discover a nightclub hidden in the forest, where they befriend a prostitute, Elena (Yuliia Sobol) - and ultimately discover that the school’s reach is much greater than they had imagined.
PURE HEARTS (CUORI PURI)
2017, The Match Factory, 114 min, Italy, Dir: Roberto De Paolis
After her devout mother confiscates her cellphone, 17-year-old Agnese (Selene Caramazza) tries to steal one but is caught by Stefano (Simone Liberati). The young security guard lets Agnese go and is fired thereafter; when the two cross paths again, they begin a relationship that seems destined for trouble.
“Mining tensions as varied as the rise of evangelical fervor in economically depressed modern Italy and the country's relationship to its itinerant gypsy population, this delicately handled romance never comes off as didactic, chiefly by keeping its focus firmly on its two appealing leads.” - Harry Windsor, The Hollywood Reporter.
November 18 - 5 PM - AERO
SLAM (SLAM: TUTTO PER UNA RAGAZZA)
2016, Netflix, 100 min, Italy, Dir: Andrea Molaioli
Based on the successful novel by Nick Hornby, SLAM is filled with the often exciting, often frightening, twists and turns of growing up. Sixteen-year-old Samuele (Ludovico Tersigni) spends his days skateboarding with his friends, doing jumps and tricks, and taking the odd spill; he also nurtures a completely imaginary friendship with his hero, Tony Hawk, the best skater of all time. He would love to attend a university, to travel, and perhaps move to California and become a professional skater. But more than anything, Samuele would love to be the first in his family not to fall into the trap of having a baby at 16, which happened to both his mother and his grandmother.
November 18 - 7:30 PM - Double Feature at AERO
FORTUNATA
2017, True Colors, 103 min, Italy, Dir: Sergio Castellitto
After the international success of DON’T MOVE, director Sergio Castellitto returns with this suburban fairy tale of female empowerment. On the verge of a divorce from her contentious husband and with a young daughter in therapy, Fortunata (Cannes Best Actress winner Jasmine Trinca, in a star-making performance) is struggling to stay afloat, her dream of owning a beauty salon seemingly impossible - until a new love brings hope into her life.
LOVE AND BULLETS (AMMORE E MALAVITA)
2017, Rai Com, 133 min, Italy, Dir: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti
This music-filled romp from the Manetti Bros. earned a Golden Lion nomination at the Venice Film Festival. Ciro (Giampaolo Morelli) is among the most feared men in Naples, one of two killers at the service of crime boss Don Vincenzo (Carlo Buccirosso), “the King of Fish.” One night a young nurse, Fatima (Serena Rossi), finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and sees too much; Ciro is given the job of getting rid of her. But when the two end up face to face, they recognize each other as childhood sweethearts.
November 19 - 5 PM - AERO
LET YOURSELF GO (LASCIATI ANDARE)
2017, Menemsha Films, 102 min, Italy, Dir: Francesco Amato
Psychoanalyst Elia (THE GREAT BEAUTY’s Toni Servillo) is a pure Freudian whose austere and detached manner holds his patients in awe, even though he lives alone in a flat on the same floor as the ex-wife he still secretly pines for. After a minor illness, Elia’s doctor prescribes an iron-rich diet and physical activity to lose some weight … which is how he chances upon Claudia (Verónica Echegui), a personal trainer well versed in the cult of physique but not that of the mind.
November 19 - 7:30 PM - Double Feature at AERO
FRIENDS BY CHANCE (TUTTO QUELLO CHE VUOI)
2017, Rai Com, 106 min, Italy, Dir: Francesco Bruni
Alessandro (Andrea Carpenzano) is a tempestuous young slacker and a source of endless frustration to his father. Giorgio (Giuliano Montaldo) is a former poet in the early stages of Alzheimer syndrome. The two live within a stone’s throw of one another, but their paths have never crossed … until Alessandro is forced to accompany the old man on his afternoon walks. Bruni received a Nastri d'Argento Award for Best Screenplay for this heartwarming dramedy.
IT’S THE LAW! (L'ORA LEGALE)
2017, True Colors, 92 min, Italy, Dir: Salvatore Ficarra, Valentino Picone
In the small Sicilian village of Pietrammare, a mayoral election is approaching; the town has been led for many years by the crooked Gaetano Patanè (Tony Sperandeo), who will use any deception necessary to hold onto power. It’s business as usual for the townspeople until Pierpaolo Natoli (Vincenzo Amato) emerges as the mayor’s opponent. An upstanding 50-year-old professor, Natoli is a political novice full of courage and ideals - and, against all odds, he wins. But are the citizens of Pietrammare ready for a new age of legality and respect for the rules? The Ficarra and Picone team are at their hilarious best in this insightful comedy.
November 20 - 7:30 PM - AERO
EMMA (IL COLORE NASCOSTO DELLE COSE)
2017, Celluloid Dreams, 116 min, Italy/Switzerland, Dir: Silvio Soldini
Teo (Adriano Giannini) holds a creative position at a trendy ad agency and is an inveterate womanizer. Beautiful and vibrant, Emma (Valeria Golino) is an osteopath though she has been blind since the age of 16. When they first meet, Teo is mesmerized by her sexy voice and intrigued, never having been with a blind woman. The two go out on a date but when Emma proves too sharp to succumb to his charms, Teo is hooked.
November 21 - 7:30 PM - AERO
HOLDING HANDS (LA TENEREZZA)
2017, Rai Com, 103 min, Italy, Dir: Gianni Amelio
Renato Carpentieri won the Italian Golden Globes Best Actor award as retired lawyer Lorenzo, a self-centered grouch with a heart of gold. His health failing and estranged from his family, Lorenzo grows close to the new family next door - but the neighboring household is not as happy as it seems, and catastrophe awaits. Amelio’s adaptation of Lorenzo Moreno’s prize-winning novel The Temptation to Be Happy is both a powerfully acted character study and an evocative portrait of middle-class Naples.
