WTI Magazine #5    2013 Nov, 15

Author : Cinema Italian Style Los Angeles      Translation by:

This week Luce Cinecitta & American Cinematheque present "Cinema Italian Style" an annual film series that brings the best of new Italian cinema to Los Angeles for premieres. This year ten new films will be shown, including nine premieres of award-winning new films from Italy with filmmakers & actors in person! The series also includes a documentary about Federico Fellini and a screening of his iconic LA DOLCE - a film which defined Italian mid-century style and made Marcello Mastroianni a star. 

Cinema Italian Style takes place November 14 - 23, 2013 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, CA, with an opening night screening of the official Italian entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

The opening night is presented in collaboration with the AFI Film Festival presented by Audi and will feature the Cinema Italian Style Award presentation with Italy's official Oscar submission for Best Foreign-Language Film, Paolo Sorrentino's dazzling THE GREAT BEAUTY, a look at the bewitching power of Rome and a writer caught up in it. That film's star, Toni Servillo, also appears in a dual role as a politician and as his flighty twin brother in the hilarious LONG LIVE FREEDOM; director Roberto Ando joins us in person for a discussion after the comedy. Further exploring the humorous potential of current Italian politics is Riccardo Milani's WELCOME MR. PRESIDENT, the Capra-esque tale of a simple man who shakes up a cynical capitol with his straight forward approach to governing. Actress Kasia Smutniak will introduce the screening.

Food and family provide a touch of humor - and plenty of poignancy - to a pair of films making their Los Angeles debuts. A FIVE STAR LIFE follows an inspector for the Leading Hotels of the World who spends her life on the road testing the service at 5-star hotels; director Maria Sole Tognazzi joins us in person for a discussion after the film. In Paolo Genovese's A PERFECT FAMILY, a rich man gathers the perfect family around him for the Christmas holidays - by hiring a troupe of actors. Lead actress Claudia Gerini will appear in person with the film.

On a different note, actress Valeria Golino makes her directorial debut with HONEY, a story of assisted suicide; the film's star, Jasmine Trinca, joins us for the screening. Documentarian Leonardo Di Costanzo makes his narrative feature debut with THE INTERVAL, about two teens - one a captor, the other captive - in a cavernous building outside of Naples. Daniele Luchetti's keenly observed THOSE HAPPY YEARS looks at a narcissistic artist whose career and marriage go up in flames. And director Giuseppe Tornatore (CINEMA PARADISO) returns with THE BEST OFFER, which stars Geoffrey Rush as the manager of a prestigious auction house who becomes obsessed with a mysterious client. Twenty years after his passing, we remember Federico Fellini with director Ettore Scola's new documentary HOW STRANGE TO BE NAMED FEDERICO, followed by a screening of the Fellini classic LA DOLCE VITA.
The 2013 edition of Cinema Italian Style (November 14-23) is dedicated to Federico Fellini in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of his passing. The Maestro's work and contributions to the world of cinema will be remembered and celebrated with a special tribute on November 23rd at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica through the screening of one of Fellini's masterpieces LA DOLCE VITA and Ettore Scola's latest film, HOW STRANGE TO BE NAMED FEDERICO, dedicated to their life-long friendship.

Each year, the Cinema Italian Style Award is given to an international personalities who continually promotes the best of Italian Cinema all over the world. The award is sponsored by Vhernier. This year the recipients are filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci and Paolo Sorrentino. The award is presented at the opening night, prior to the screening.. All films are in Italian with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.

Complete schedule: www.cinemaitalianstyle.com / www.americancinematheque.com

or call 323.466.3456. Advance tickets: www.fandango.com

http://americancinematheque.com/mail13/cinema_italian_style_1013/cinema_italian_style_1013.html