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From an acclaimed documentary on legendary movie composer Ennio Morricone to director Michelangelo Frammartino’s ‘Il Buco’, some of the finest of new Italian cinema are on offer during a film festival being held in Indian cities.
‘Italian Screens – New Italian cinema in India’ is screening six films nominated for the David di Donatello, an award instituted by the Academy of Italian Cinema in 1955 to honour the best Italian and foreign films released each year, at theatres in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata from October 12-15.
The festival is an initiative of the Italy’s ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation (MAECI), Cinecittà for the directorate general for cinema and audiovisual of Italy’s ministry of culture and the Academy of Italian Cinema.
The showcase was inaugurated 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 on spaghetti westerns such as ‘A Fistful Of Dollars’. The documentary on 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 being screened are ‘Ariaferma’ (The Inner Cage) directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo, which tells the tale of a dozen inmates and a few guards waiting to be sent to new destinations as an old prison built in the 19th century is being decommissioned, and ‘Il Buco’ (The Hole) by director Michelangelo Frammartino, which is about young speleologists exploring Europe’s deepest cave in the untouched Calabrian hinterland during the economic boom of the 1960s.
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Also being screened are director Mario Martone’s ‘Qui Rido Io’ (The King Of Laughter), about the great comedian Eduardo Scarpetta who established himself with his comedies and the mask and character of Felice Sciosciammocca, director Giuseppe Bonito’s ‘L’arminuta’ (A Girl Returned), about a 13-year-old girl dealing with life with an adoptive family after losing the love of the people she thought were her parents, and director Giorgia Cecere’s ‘Sulla Giostra’, about a maid named Ada who has aged working in a family’s house and is convinced 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 of deepening 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 Italy’s Promotion of the Country System (MAECI), said, “The ministry of foreign affairs has always considered the strategic value of audiovisuals as one of the best ways to portray ‘Made in Italy’ abroad and promote Italian excellence. We have therefore decided to enhance Italian Screens in India as a celebration of the extraordinary ‘Nation branding be IT’ campaign, with special promotional events relating to screenings in the four Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.”
Italy’s ambassador to India, Vincenzo de Luca, said that over the previous decades, Italian and Indian Cinema “have shared each other’s food for thoughts”. He added, “Italian cinema and filmmakers have inspired Indian filmmakers, starting with the greats like Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, and Bimal Roy all the way to Anurag Kashyap. All of them have been great admirers of Italian Neorealism and particularly 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 some time, with the documentary series ‘India seen by Rossellini’ in 1959 and Pasolini’s ‘Notes for a film on India’ in 1968”, he said.
“Italy, today, is one of the ideal settings for important Indian productions. Many Indian directors have chosen Italy as a shooting location for their films,” de Luca said.
“This is the reason why we are supporting the promotion of more business opportunities for our creative industries, also thanks to the signing of important agreements that will facilitate Italy-India film co-productions.”
After India, 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.
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