Italian Film Festival

[McMurphy]

I am going to be bit busy this week due to my involvement with the Italian Film Festival, but I was wondering if any of you could get me a leg up on some of the following films I will be playing? Is there any here I should make a point of sneaking down to the auditorium and watching?

Too Much Romance...It's Time For Stuffed Peppers (Q&A with Lina Wertm Iler and F. Murray Abraham).

Land in the Middle

Roman Summer -Garrone Tribute

Majar's Love (Q&A with director Anne Riitta Ciccone)

Roundtrip (Q&A with director Marco Ponti)

Chemical Hunger (Q&A with director Antonio Bocola)

Just Do It (Q&A with director Francesco Apolloni)

Runaway (Q&A with director Andrea Manni)

The Wedding Dress (Q&A with director Fiorella Infascelli)

Evilenko (Q&A with director David Grieco)

A Sicilian Miracle (Q&A with director Beppe Cino, actor Maria Grazia Cucinotta, and producer Maurizio)

Any information on the directors would also be appreciated. When the festival is over, I will try to share any information that I find out.

[Foxbat]

I'm sorry but I don't know any of the films you mention - although I wonder about A Sicilian Miracle. There was an Italian film in the 50's called The Miracle which I've been trying to obtain unsuccessfully. I wonder if this could be a remake? The original story is of a simple minded woman who thinks she has had an immaculate conception and is ostracised by the town.
I'd be interested to know if it is a remake or something completely different.

Either way I'd be interested in hearing your views if you manage to catch any of these films

[Alexa]

Maybe you should check first the following link :

http://www.sfiff.org/pt/articles/new_italian_04.html

If you have a chance, I'll be interested in "Evilenko" and maybe "Too Much Romance", because of Sophia Loren.

[Foxbat]

Thanks for that Alexa. I can confirm it's not a remake of the one I'm looking for. My quest continues

[Alexa]

To tell you the truth, Foxbat, I could't decide myself on which one I'd prefer to see. But in end, I said to myself : What the heck, I have to pick at least one of them !

I will never understand why into a film festival, all the participants offer only realistic movies. I have to deal with reality 24 h/day, so when I watch a movie, I expect something out of this reality, something funny or unexpected, something to amaze me. Well, that's me. An incurable romantic.

[McMurphy]

Now that the Italian Film Festival is officially over, I have some time to add a few comments on the whole affair. I would like to thank Alexa for providing that link to information on each of the films. Aside from pointing out some last minute changes in the line-up not reflected in the list, I will not be reposting descriptions of each film beyond that of personal comments. Also, please bare in mind that I did not have a chance to see every single film at the festival so my opinions should only be taken so far.

With exception of the opening night film, the film Land in the Middle, and closing night film, each of the movies were competing for the City of Florence Award, which was determined by a ballot system. The viewer feedback was tallied together with the New York City and the San Francisco stops of the film festival.

Opening Night

Too Much Romance...It’s Time for Stuffed Peppers (Peperoni ripieni e pesci in faccia): directed by Lina Wertmuller. The director did, in fact, show up for the Q&A that followed the film’s world premiere. I was not personally there: the only night I wasn’t. From what I understand, the festival had a rocky technical start (sound problems), which was how I became roped into coordinating and exhibiting every show from that point on. The film did not have a Short or the NICE (New Italian Cinema Events) trailer proceeding it.

Land in the Middle (Terra di Mezzo): directed by Matteo Garrone (1997). This film was the last minute replacement for both Guests and The Embalmer by the same director. I am not aware of why the festival representatives made this last minute change, but it is interesting to note that the director, who was scheduled to appear in person for this event billed as a tribute to him, was a no-show. I have the feeling that the events may be tied together in some manner. Either way, Land in the Middle is, as described in a last minute update schedule,

Originally Posted by Daily Schedule

"A trilogy about the daily lives of foreigners living near Rome. Told in flashback, past events, memories, and faces intertwine with the current-day bargaining, exploitation, and social tension of people separated by money and history: Nigerian prostitutes telling jokes and stories while waiting for customers; young Albanians working the black-market laborer circuit; an Egyptian gas station attendant. All are separated from their new fellow-countrymen in countless ways."

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this film as much as some of the others in the festival. It was certainly dark and unflinching in respect to its subject manner, but it has the faults of some books that try to divide the subject into a single volume trilogy. The commitment to each story and set of characters are too short to truly grip the audience, and we, instead, must settle for being satisfied with the implied commentary. The film did not have a Short proceeding it.

The City of Florence Award

Least Favorite:

The competition for this year’s honor ended up being stiff, and the votes very close. From what I saw, none of the films were bad, but, if pressed to single out my least favorite, I would choose The Wedding Dress (Il vestito della sposa) directed by Fiorella Infascelli, 2003. Reading the festival’s description of the film, you would expect that the female director dealt with the subject of rape in a sensitive and understanding manner. I did not feel that was the case. The term "romantic drama" should not be placed as a label as it had considering the cheap twist of an ending or the"surprising" yet a bit disappointing tying-up of a conflict. The film was 101 minutes and the director was a no-show due to a last minute family emergency in Italy.

Notable Mentions

Evilenko: directed by David Grieco, 2004. This film is an impressive and very disturbing take on the fall of Russia via a tale of the serial killer, A.R. Cikatilo. It is not a film for the weak kneed or easily offended for this killer is also a child molester, and Grieco refuses to flinch in his directing approach. There will be scenes that will make you wonder if he had went too far. Two people left during the showing because it was too disturbing to them, and one woman broke into tears when asking her question during the Q&A that followed the show. The film isn’t a good or bad show. It is an experience. (113 minutes).

Chemical Hunger (Fame chimica): directed by Antonio Bocola (2003). The film is the hip and dirty counter-culture voice of the festival. Think a lot of piercings and slang, and you will have a hard time not liking this film for what it is on at least some level. (97 minutes).

Marja’s Love (L’amore di Marja): directed by Anna Ritta Ciccone (2002). I love the heart of this film. The subject matter may make some male viewers shy away from it in fear that it is the same type of "chick flick" as Waiting to Exhale or something to that nature, but Marja’s Love really is far better. When watching it, viewers will feel like a best friend is telling them the story as if the director is confiding to them out of trust. Considering that the director admits that there are many autobiographical elements to the storyline, it may not be that far from the truth. Ms. Ciccone was personable. Her Q&A felt very honest and, despite the presence of a mic, translator, and spotlight, her friendly personality shined through. (102 minutes).

The Winner

I was pleased that my favorite film ended up with the honor of the award. Runaway (Il fuggiasco) was directed by Andrea Manni, 2003. The film is the most well-rounded drama in the festival. All the necessary elements were not only there, but they were done successfully. It never fails to explore all the angles of the character’s situation. The director, like Anna Ritta Ciccone, offered the audience a humble and conversational Q&A. When accepting his award on the last night of the festival, Mr. Manni called himself stupid and made a few jokes at his own expense for ever entertaining the idea that the Italian Film Festival in America was beneath his time. A self deprecating winner? Sorry, you just can’t touch that. I agree with the audiences; see this film if you only have a chance to see one. (97 minutes).

Short Films

Each of the films (unless otherwise noted) were proceeded by a short film. Below is the list of these films and, if I watched it, a very brief comment on them.

Notontheprogramme: directed by Vinicio Basile (12 minutes, 2003). It is a claymation film about the down and dirty urban life taking place in an apartment complex. How many times do you see a clay couple having sex in a hallway? Now, really, let’s be honest.

I’d Like to Know About Love (Volevo sapere sull’amore): directed by Max Croci (11 minutes, 2004). It centers around a fake real-time television show hosted by a woman giving out relationship advice via tarot cards. The offhanded approach to advice isn’t quite as fun when she finds the tables turned by a fairly predictable twist of events.

Maria Jesus: directed by Gianluca and Massimiliano do Serio (12 minutes, 2004).

The Kindest Man in the World (L’uomo piu buono del mondo): directed by Edo Tagliavini (10 minutes, 2004). A tongue-in-cheek tale about a man making a deal to a shrewd yet vain Deity.

2 PM: Dead Calm (Ore 2: calma piatta): directed by Marco Pontecorvo (9 minutes, 2003).

Kamikaze: directed by Fabrizio Ancillai (15 minutes, 2003). A commentary on the horrific nature of suicide bombing through the eyes of a woman who is about to blow herself up in terrorist act. Her thought process is filtered through real photos of dead bodies (the only moments in color). Too preachy.

The Show Girl (La velina): directed by Giuseppe Sollazzo (5 minutes, 2004). A mother gives her daughter a hard time about becoming an exotic dancer to feed the family. There is a twist at the end.

Sicilia: directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (9 minutes, 1997). The short is more of a visual poem than a narrative piece, which makes it a refreshing change in the festival. No subtitles.

Closing Night

A Sicilian Miracle (Miracolo a Palermo): directed by Beppe Cino (97 minutes, 2004). The film wasn’t all that amazing. The official description for this film fails to mention it is largely centered around the boy’s involved with Italian mob figures who both support and hurt his family's well-being. The director points out that it is a story that, after removing a few names and certain cities, is universal and can apply to any place. I believe that is true, but, because of it, viewers will feel a little disappointed with the unresolved plot threads at the end. There are also no redeemable characters (except, perhaps, the mother, but she is too one-dimensional to truly count).

During the Q&A with the director and actor (the producer was present but was not on stage), a fairly tense moment took place. A woman, who first identified herself as a fellow Italian from Sicily now teaching Italian to American students), voiced her absolute anger towards, what she felt, a glorification and even mention of Italy’s problems with traditional mob presence. She felt it was in poor taste that the film maker should bring up this social problem to the viewership of other nations. There was a heated exchange between the teacher and the director in Italian. The translator, who had done an excellent job throughout the festival, was not able to keep up, and only translated the end portion of the argument. In his defense, Mr. Cino pointed out that Italian cinema has been in a neo-realism movement ever since World War II, and he felt it was his responsibility to portray problems as they are. I agree with him to a certain extent. It is not his job to make propaganda pieces to nurse her bruised national identity. The points by both were applauded by a very divided audience. The Q&A was interrupted a couple of times by actor Maria Grazia Cucinotta who, sensing that some controversy may harm her public image, exclaimed her undying love for Sicily. Presumably, her comments didn’t draw all that much applause because her intent was obvious.

In the end, I enjoyed my involvement, and I hope to share my experiences in other festivals coming up early next year.

[dwndrgn]

Lee, thank you so much for sharing. I wish I could have been there. While I'm not a huge fan of over sensitive dramas, I would love to enjoy the actual 'festival' seeing the films, perhaps hearing what the directers were thinking while making the movies and whatnot. I've never attended such a festival and now you've made me want to!

Edited to add: And who couldn't resist a claymation short such as you have described!

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by dwndrgn

Lee, thank you so much for sharing. I wish I could have been there. While I'm not a huge fan of over sensitive dramas, I would love to enjoy the actual 'festival' seeing the films, perhaps hearing what the directers were thinking while making the movies and whatnot. I've never attended such a festival and now you've made me want to!

Edited to add: And who couldn't resist a claymation short such as you have described!

I agree. I wish the conflict didn't happen on the last night because not only was most of the arguement in Italian, but it really steered the Q&A away from, well, questions and answers.

If memory serves well, I believe Evilenko had the longest Q&A discussions. Both the audience and the director wanted to keep talking about the film, even though the session leaked past midnight. Considering the reaction and the interest, I am guessing that this film came really close to grabbing the award.

[Foxbat]

Thanks for a good roundup McMurphy. It seems like you had some fun (as well as hard work). I echo dwndrgn's sentiments: it certainly makes you want to participate in these things.

I must make more of an effort the next time the Edinburgh film festival comes around

[Alexa]

Hm. I think I'll skip the experience of Evilenko. I don't like when it's too much violence.

Thanks Lee. Glad to hear you enjoyed the participation.