From an acclaimed documentary on legendary film composer Ennio Morricone to director Michelangelo Framartino’s ‘Il Buco’, some of the best of new Italian cinema is on offer during a film festival held in Indian cities.
‘Italian Screens – New Italian Cinema in India’ screens six films nominated for the David di Donatello, an award instituted by the Italian Film Academy in 1955 to honor the best Italian and foreign films released in theaters each year of New Delhi. Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata from October 12-15.
The festival is an initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), Cinecittà for the General Directorate of Cinema and Audiovisual Media of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Italian Cinema Academy.
The exhibition opened in New Delhi on October 12 with a special screening of ‘Ennio – The Glance Of Music’, a portrait of Ennio Morricone, one of the most popular and prolific film composers of the 20th century who is best known for his work. in spaghetti westerns like ‘A Fistful Of Dollars’. The documentary about the two-time Oscar winner and author of more than 500 film scores is directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, known for directing “Cinema Paradiso”.
The other films shown are Leonardo Di Costanzo’s ‘Ariaferma’ (The Inner Cage), which tells the story of a dozen prisoners and a few guards waiting to be sent to new destinations as an old prison was built in the 19th century. also decommissioned is director Michelangelo Frammartino’s “Il Buco” (The Hole), about young speleologists who explore Europe’s deepest cave in the unspoiled Calabrian hinterland during the economic boom of the 1960s.
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Also shown is “Qui Rido Io” (The King of Laughter) by director Mario Martone, about the great comedian Eduardo Scarpetta established with his comedies and the mask and character of Felice Sciosciammocca, by director Giuseppe Bonito “L’arminuta (A Girl Returned), about a 13-year-old girl dealing with life with a foster family after losing the love of the people she thought were her parents, and director Giorgia Cecere’s “Sulla Giostra,” about a maid named An aging Ada works at a family home and is determined to reunite with her only true relative, her sister.
The films are presented in Italian with English subtitles and the initiative is part of a wider project to deepen cultural relations between Italy and India and to stimulate meeting opportunities between producers, distributors and creative talents of both countries.
Ambassador Lorenzo Angeloni, director general for the promotion of the country system in Italy (MAECI), said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always considered the strategic value of audiovisual media as one of the best ways to portray ‘Made in Italy’ abroad and promotion of Italian excellence. Therefore, we have decided to strengthen the Italian screens in India as a celebration of the excellent ‘Nation branding be IT’ campaign, with special promotional events related to screenings in the four Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore.”
Italy’s ambassador to India, Vincenzo de Luca, said that in the past decades, Italian and Indian cinema “shared each other’s food for thought”. He added, “Italian cinema and directors have inspired Indian filmmakers, starting from the greats like Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor and Bimal Roy to Anurag Kashyap. All of them were great admirers of Italian neorealism and especially the works of Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini.”
At the same time, Italian audiences have appreciated the richness of Indian cinema, and Italian cinema “discovered India for a while, with the documentary series ‘India as Rossellini Saw’ in 1959 and his ‘Notes on a Film about India’ Pasolini in 1968”. , he said.
“Italy, today, is one of the ideal settings for important Indian productions. Many Indian filmmakers have chosen Italy as a shooting location for their films,” said de Luca.
“This is why we support the promotion of more business opportunities for our creative industries, also thanks to the signing of important agreements that will facilitate Italian-Indian film co-productions.”
After India, the Italian screens will travel to Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Berlin. The festival will continue around the world until 2023, from Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv.
