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See
the schedule and buy tickets
New films by first-time directors with filmmakers, actors and others
in attendance; the newest releases from renowned directors Lina
Wertmüller and Beppe Cino; and a tribute to a young director
with a rising reputation, Matteo Garrone, make up San Francisco's
best opportunity to see Italian film this year.
For this exciting world premiere,
director Lina Wertmüller and star F. Murray Abraham will
be on hand to take questions from the audience.
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November 14
7:30 pm
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(Peperoni ripieni e pesci in faccia) dir. Lina Wertmüller
Lina Wertmüller returns to New Italian Cinema with this
intimate drama starring Sophia Loren and F. Murray Abraham set
along the Amalfi Coast. Loren plays Maria, the wife of a fisherman
and mother of three grown children. She spends her days watching
TV, worrying about her unhappy kids and wondering why her husband
spends more time at sea than with her. When the family gathers
together to celebrate Maria's life, problems are aired under
the Italian sun.
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This is a rare and exciting
opportunity to see two lesser-known features from the acclaimed
and eclectic director of The Embalmer (L'Imbalsamatore),
with the director in person.
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November
15
7:00
pm
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(Ospiti)
Garrone employs the honest and naturalistic style of a documentarian
to tell the story of two Albanian brothers working in a small
restaurant in Rome. As the boys go about their lives-preparing
and serving meals, chatting up girls in train stations and riding
bicycles in the lush countryside-their struggles to improve
their situation are delineated with a palpable compassion that
avoids clichés, stereotypes and melodramatic situations.
(78 min, 1998)
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November
15
9:30 pm
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(Estate romana)
Subtle comedy and lifelike drama blend in this story of three
characters at loose ends in Rome. Salvatore (Salvatore Sansone)
is a cranky set designer who responds poorly to directorial
guidelines. His assistant, Monica (Monica Nappo), moonlights
at an al fresco bar and neglects her daughter. Flitting around
them is Rossella (Rossella Or), the owner of the apartment Salvatore
is using as a studio, who has returned to Rome unexpectedly.
With slices of life reminiscent of Cassavetes, Garrone creates
a memorable portrait of seasonal ennui. (90 min, 2000)
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November 17
9:30 pm
November 18
7:00
pm
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(Fame chimica) dir. Antonio Bocola, Paolo Vari
Propelled by political hip-hop songs and a kinetic story line,
this urban drama depicts the lives of three young Italians living
in a housing project in Milan. Claudio (Marco Foschi) grudgingly
works in a frozen food warehouse while trying to avoid the temptations
of his drug-dealer friend, Manuel (Matteo Gianoli). Both of
them have an interest in Maja (Valeria Solarino), who wants
to seek her fortune in London. As conflicts intensify around
their neighborhood, each will have to make important decisions
for the future. (97 min, 2003) Preceded by notontheprogramme,
dir. Vinicio Basile (12 min, 2003)
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November 20
9:30 pm
November 21
4:00 pm
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dir. David Grieco
To tell the suspenseful tale about Russian serial killer A.R.
Cikatilo, Italian actor/writer/director Grieco has adapted his
own well-known book, weaving the story of Evilenko (hypnotically
played by Malcolm McDowell) with that of the detective assigned
to catch him. Grieco incorporates issues of sanity, capital
punishment and the divided nature of Russian society into the
narrative. Adding to this compelling drama is the haunting score
by David Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti. (113 min, 2004)
Preceded by I'd Like to Know About Love (Volevo sapere
sull'amore), dir. Max Croci (11 min, 2004)
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November 19
7:00 pm
November 20
1:30 pm
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Fate come noi dir. Francesco Apolloni
A set of surprising encounters awaits a pair of friends in Rome
in Apolloni's second feature. In the first half, 23-year-old
Bove (Francesco Venditti) and 18-year-old Pechino (Mauro Meconi)
talk frankly and colorfully about girls and sports while the
city's older residents worry about a knife-wielding serial killer.
In the second, the youths meet a precocious girl and an older
woman, gleaning valuable life lessons from their respective
encounters. Told compactly with a good eye for detail and unexpected
narrative turns, Just Do It offers manifold pleasures. (90 min.,
2004) Preceded by Maria Jesus, dir. Gianluca and Massimiliano
de Serio (12 min, 2004)
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November 16
7:00 pm
November 18
9:30 pm
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(L'amore di Màrja) dir. Anne Riitta Ciccone
This sensitive and nuanced drama depicts the marital difficulties
of Fortunato (Vincenzo Peluso) and Màrja (Laura Malmivaara),
and how their troubles impact their two daughters. The strife
begins when the couple returns to Fortunato's home in Sicily
and Màrja finds that her hippie attitude is not welcome
among her husband's family or the local residents. When Fortunato's
work takes him overseas and Màrja becomes increasingly
fearful and paranoid, her two children must learn to fend for
themselves. (102 min, 2002) Preceded by The Kindest Man in
the World (L'uomo più buono del mondo), dir. Edo
Tagliavini (10 min, 2004). |
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November 16
9:30 pm
November 17
7:00 pm
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(A/R andata+ritorno) dir. Marco Ponti
Marco Ponti's deft romantic-comedy-cum-heist-flick tells two
stories that eventually merge. Dante (Libero de Rienzo), a young
bike messenger at loose ends, takes the circular journey from
Turin to Barcelona after borrowing money from local thugs. Nina
(Vanessa Incontrada), a pretty Spanish flight attendant, finds
herself grounded in Italy. After the two characters meet and
fall in love, all is hunky-dory until the loan sharks decide
they want their money back! Round Trip presents a whimsical
look at life under Berlusconi. (106 min, 2004) Preceded by 2
PM: Dead Calm (Ore 2: Calma piatta) starring John Turturro,
dir. Marco Pontecorvo (9 min, 2003)
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November 19
9:30 pm
November 20
4:00 pm
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(Il fuggiasco) dir. Andrea Manni
An astonishing story of wrongful imprisonment, Runaway tells
the true story of Massimo Carlotti (magnetically played by Daniele
Liotti), a politically active student who happens upon a murder
scene in Padua. Arrested more for his beliefs than on evidentiary
grounds, he is bounced around the haphazard Italian justice
system until he takes the opportunity to leave the country during
a brief furlough and goes undercover in Paris. The wise and
entertaining script (cowritten by Carlotti himself) makes the
pertinent point that everyone around him (family, girlfriend,
lawyer, friends) is forever impacted by his dire situation.
(97 min, 2003) Preceded by Kamikaze, dir. Fabrizio Ancillai
(15 min, 2003)
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November 20
6:45 pm
November 21
1:30 pm
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(Il vestito della sposa) dir. Fiorella Infascelli
Difficult subject matter is handled sensitively in this romantic
drama about an aspiring veterinarian named Stella (the luminous
Maya Sansa) who falls in love with a wedding dress designer.
What Stella doesn't know, however, is that the couturier was
one of the hooded men who assaulted her a month before her wedding
day in a traumatic event which caused her to break off her engagement.
With glorious Italian countryside cinematography by Marco Sperduti,
the story of Stella's recovery and new relationship is compelling
and refreshingly complicated. (101 min, 2003) Preceded by The
Show Girl (La velina), dir. Giuseppe Sollazzo (5 min, 2004)
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Join us for a nourishing evening
of film and food with A Sicilian Miracle, followed
by the City of Florence Award presentation. Guests in attendance
include director Beppe Cino and star Maria Grazia Cucinotta.
Afterwards, mingle with various luminaries at the Closing
Night party, featuring fine wines and a delicious Italian
buffet.
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November 21
7:00 pm
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(Miracolo a Palermo) dir. Beppe Cino
Whimsy and neorealism mix gracefully in this loving portrait
of Palermo and a few of the oddballs who inhabit it. The film
focuses on two brothers who collect junk on the city's streets
and their widowed mother, Sara (the renowned Maria Grazia
Cucinotta), who supports the family by scrubbing floors. Before
the day ends, each member of the family will find his or her
life irrevocably changed. (97 min, 2004) Preceded by Sicilia
dir. Michelangelo Antonioni, Maria Grazia Cucinotta (9 min,
1997)
City of Florence Awards 9:00 pm
Party at Pasta Pomodoro immediately after the end of the award
ceremony
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