The glamorous showcase for Italian contemporary cinema returns to the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles with a rich and talented cast of actors, directors and producers.
The 15th edition of Cinema Italian Style kicks into gear with Italy’s official Oscar submission for Best International Film, THE TRAITOR. Veteran director Marco Bellocchio received a prestigious Palme d’Or nomination at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for this ambitious mob thriller set in 1980s Sicily. Equally prominent is director Pietro Marcello‘s critically acclaimed MARTIN EDEN, which sets Jack London’s classic novel in post-WWII Naples. The film was a major hit at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and earned Luca Marinelli the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival.
This year’s lineup also includes its fair share of big-budget blockbusters, such as director Matteo Rovere‘s historical epic ROMULUS & REMUS: THE FIRST KING, which tells the legend of the founding of Rome with a startling attention to period detail. In THE INVISIBLE WITNESS, director Stefano Mordini crafts a pulse-pounding Hitchcockian nightmare, with actors Riccardo Scamarcio and Maria Paiato at its center. Graphic novelist-turned-director Igort plunges us deep into one of his highly stylized neo-noir worlds in 5 IS THE PERFECT NUMBER, which stars Toni Servillo as a retired hitman with a serious bone to pick.
2019 was also a strong year for intimate films with indie budgets. Director Valerio Mieli took home the People’s Choice Award at the 2018 Venice Film Festival for his sophomore feature RICORDI?, which follows the highs and lows of a romantic relationship. VIVERE, from established filmmaker Francesca Archibugi, follows a middle-class family thrown into crisis by the arrival of a mysterious au pair. The notion of family is further challenged in Edoardo De Angelis‘ stunning social drama THE VICE OF HOPE, which explores the nefarious enterprise of human trafficking through an uncompromising yet ultimately hopeful lens.
Rounding out the lineup, Gabriele Salvatores strikes the perfect balance of comedy and drama in VOLARE, a road movie following the unlikely reunion of an estranged father and son, played by Claudio Santamaria and Giulio Pranno. Similarly, Daniele Luchetti navigates the bitter and the sweet in ORDINARY HAPPINESS, a touching comedy about a husband and father’s last 93 minutes on earth.
Co-presented by the American Cinematheque and Luce Cinecittà, under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Cultural Institute. Supported by the Leading Hotels of the World.
All films are in Italian with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.