THE New Italian Cinema Events (N.I.C.E.) Italian Film Festival is returning to Cork for the third year, bringing with it the chance to experience the best of Italian cinema.
The festival opens on Friday, April 26, in the Arc Cinema and runs until April 28.
It is organised by the Embassy of Italy in Ireland, the Italian Institute of Culture, and the Italian Irish Chamber of Commerce. Screenings will also take place in Dublin and Galway.
In Cork, the festival opens with Io Capitano, which was nominated for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards. It is directed by Matteo Garrone, best known for his award-winning film Gomorrah.
The film tells the harrowing story of two Senegalese teenagers (Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall) who make the perilous journey from their home in Dakar, Senegal, hoping to reach mainland Europe.
They head off in the spirit of adventure but find themselves at the mercy of corrupt police officers, human traffickers, and harsh seas.
Marco Gioacchini, the director of the Italian Institute of Culture, says Io Capitano covers an important topic, and it is essential that as many people as possible get the opportunity to see it.
“It is a wonderful film on a very important topic: immigration. It is a big topic in Italy and other parts of Europe, said Marco.
It is an Italian film of international importance, so it is right to open the festival with it.
“We are not just showing the film for its message; it is an excellently made film by Matteo Garrone, who has been an emerging director over the last decade. The film was rightly nominated for an Oscar.”
(You can see a review of Io Capitano on Page 4 of Downtown).
Gioacchini says that, as programmers, they did not try to connect this year’s films by theme but instead focused on providing a broad selection of films and genres.
“It is difficult to select a theme in a broad selection of films,” he added. “The Italian film industry is big, and we wanted to show some of the best films rather than being tied down to a theme.
“We do have two films in the selection, Felicità and Palazzina LAF, that are directed by actors, which is interesting. We have seen them act and know they are very good at it, but it is interesting to see how well they do as directors, and in both cases, they have done great jobs.”
Dieci Minuti, directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi, is based on the novel Per Dieci Minuti by Chiara Gamberale. The film was released earlier this year and follows Bianca (Barbara Ronchi), who is given a task by her therapist, Doctor Brabanti (Margherita Buy), to do something outside her comfort zone or something she has not done before for ten minutes every day.
Bianca is experiencing a crisis, and the doctor’s treatment is designed to open her up to new experiences, showing her the power of small steps on the road to a fresh start.
Il primo giorno della mia vita was released last year and directed by Paolo Genovese. It is based on the book of the same name and follows four characters, played by Margherita Buy, Valerio Mastandrea, Sara Serraiocco, and Gabriele Cristini.
All four have hit rock bottom; their reasons vary, and they are finding it hard to find reasons to stay alive.
A mysterious man, played by Toni Servillo, offers them a second chance, but are they brave enough to take the opportunity?
According to Gioacchini, Palazzina LAF is an exciting film that deals with social issues and is set in south Italy.
Directed by the actor Michele Riondino in his directorial debut, the story is inspired by actual events and revolves around Caterino La Manna, played by Riondino.
Caterino works as a cleaner in the Ilva steel factory in Taranto.
In real life, the factory is at the centre of a controversy for releasing toxic emissions. In the film, Caterino is asked to spy on his colleagues, which leads to unexpected consequences.
Micaela Ramazzotti’s directorial debut is Felicità, set in Rome. Ramazzotti plays Desirè, a make-up artist in the film industry.
She comes from a dysfunctional family, and after years under the thumb of oppressive parents, she decides it is time to break from them for her sake and that of her younger brother, Claudio (Matteo Olivetti). Felicità won the audience award at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
The closing film is L’ultima Notte Di Amore, directed by Andrea Di Stefano. Gioacchini says it is a thriller set in Milan and feels similar to a Hollywood thriller.
It feels like an American thriller but without the American-style special effects. It stars Pierfrancesco Favino, one of Italy’s finest actors. It is also worth watching a film for Favino, and this one has a really great storyline.
Favino plays Lieutenant Franco Amor, who is about to retire after 35 years on the police force and has never fired his gun in the line of duty.
His final case turns deadly, changing everything he knows about police work.
Gioacchini says he is looking forward to the festival in the newly refurbished Arc Cinema and hopes the Italian community in Cork and Irish will embrace this year’s programme.
“I’m delighted to have this new refurbished cinema. We will host a reception after the first movie in the Arc, and it will also be an opportunity to meet and chat with people about Italy and hear their reactions to the film.”
The New Italian Cinema Events (N.I.C.E.) Italian Film Festival takes place in the Arc Cinema, from April 26-28 – for more, see www.nicefestival.org
