Giovanna De Luca was disappointed in the lack of international cinema when she moved to Charleston from New York City 13 years ago. "I couldn't find anything international, French or anything," she says. "There were no art movies, and it was traumatic for me." 

So she decided to do something about it, something that happened to mesh with her field of research as an associate professor at the College of Charleston. Her interest in Italian literature and cinema inspired Charleston's Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival, a four-day event that focuses on Italian culture, politics and society. The festival, currently in its 11th year, features special guests from Italy, a red-carpet reception, after-parties and special events.