Screening from 20th of October Palace Cinemas and ST. ALi coffee are thrilled to announce the full line up for the 2021 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival.
The Festival will open with the Australian premiere of Daniele Luchetti’s The Ties (Lacci) which opened last year’s Venice Film Festival and is a sumptuous marriage in crisis drama spanning several decades.
Closing the 2021 Festival will be the Roberto Rosselini classic Rome, Open City in a stunning 4K restoration. The film, which was conceived and directed amid the ruin of World War II in Rome, will be part of the Rossellini Retrospective presented by the Italian Cultural Institute Sydney alongside screen gems Amore, Journey To Italy, Paisan and Stromboli. In addition to this retrospective the programme will also feature a celebration of classic Italian screen goddesses Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida and Claudia Cardinale with some of their most loved performances in Marriage Italian Style, Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell and The Leopard
The Centrepiece selection is recent winner of the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes, To Chiara (A Chiara). Jonas Carpignano’s searing drama tells the gripping story of a 15-year-old girl from Calabria, whose family life starts to unravel when she discovers her beloved father may have criminal ties.
This year’s Special Festival Presentation is acclaimed director Nanni Moretti’s (Mia Madre, The Son’s Room) latest film Three Floors (Tre piani). Featuring a tremendous ensemble cast, the film traces the disparate lives of three families who reside in the same apartment block in Rome’s stylish Prati neighbourhood.
Family films also feature in the programme with Glass Boy a heartwarming tale of courage and adventure for all ages about a young boy usually confined to his bedroom setting out to prove he can live like a normal kid, plus When Mum is Away…With The Family(10 giorni con Babbo Natale). A Christmas-themed sequel to the 2019 Festival hit 10 Days Without Mamma, the misadventures of the Rovelli family are back in this entertaining road movie, starring Fabio De Luigi and Valentina Lodovini.
For kids fifteen years and older is Cam’s War a tale of survival and the challenge between Good and Evil which follows a young boy and his sister on a dangerous journey through an apocalyptic world.
Cam’s War is also part of The Female Lens sidebar, presented by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Melbourne, which features contemporary films from female directors. The other is Sirley (Maledetta primavera) from upcoming director Elisa Amoruso and is a highly personal story, based upon her adolescence and a special friendship she forms when she moves to the outskirts of Rome.
Opening night with The Ties at Palace Nova Eastend includes a glass of prosecco, a taste of Italy and a gift bag. To book tickets, click here.
The Fellini Forward special event takes place on October 28th at Eastend and includes a Campari soda, and a Campari gift bag. Click here for tickets.
Closing night (Rome, Open City) on November 14th includes (at Eastend only) a limoncello cocktail and Connoisseur Gourmet Ice Cream. Book here.
To see the full program, and to book tickets, click here.
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