by John Ball
THE 2015 ITALIAN Film Festival USA Metro Detroit recently announced the complete schedule of its 11th edition, which takes place April 1-26 at various locations across the metro area, including Ann Arbor. A trio of the Festival’s 14 films will be screened on Apr. 17-18 in Askwith Auditorium in Lorch Hall on the U-M campus. U-M’s Romance Languages and Literatures is a sponsor of the Festival. All films will be shown in Italian with English subtitles.
On Friday Apr. 17, “Il giovane favoloso (Leopardi)” will be played at 7:30 p.m. It is a biopic of Giacomo Leopardi, one of Italy’s greatest 19th century poets. The next evening at 5:00 p.m. “I nostri ragazzi” (“The Dinner”) will play. In the film, two brothers and their wives meet once a month in a fashionable restaurant. Their tradition has continued for years until, one evening, security cameras in a remote part of town record a foolish act committed by their children.
At 7:30 p.m., “Ti ricordi di me?” (“Remember Me?”) will be shown. In the film, Roberto, a kleptomaniac, and Bea, who suffers from narcolepsy and unpredictable memory losses, meet in front of their therapist’s office. A determined and comic courtship begins between the two.
There will be a Q & A with Rolando Ravello, director of “Ti Ricordi di Me?”
In addition to the local premieres of 14 award-winning contemporary Italian films, a highlight of the festival features a special appearance by directors Paolo Zucca (“L’arbitro”/ “The Referee”). Zucca will discuss his film with audience members after its screenings.
Admission for all events is free and open to the public. Other festival cities include Boulder, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland and St. Louis.
“We are thrilled with the selection of award-winning films the 11th edition of the Italian Film Festival USA will present to Detroit audiences as they participate in this national Italian film event,” said Pietro Sarcina, Festival Organizer. “With comedies, dramas and biographies, the variety of genres provides something for all tastes.”
Opening night of the 2015 Italian Film Festival USA Metro Detroit is Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Detroit Film Theatre with multiple award-winner “Il capitale umano” (“Human Capital”).
Based on Stephen Amidon’s novel set in moneyed Connecticut, “Human Capital “smoothly relocates to Italy’s wealthy north in an engrossing if anxiety-provoking tale about two families whose destinies are tied together by a road accident. A slick, stylish drama, “Il Capitale Umano” starts as a class critique wrapped around a whodunit, and though the mystery elements have overtaken the social assessment by the final third, the film remains an engrossing, stinging look at aspirational parvenus and the super-rich they emulate.
Cast with actors who give life to very recognizable Italian types, “Il Capitale Umano” confirms Paolo Virzi as one of the more dynamic Italian directors, blending biting commentary with expert narrative skills.
Closing night is April 26 at Detroit Film Theatre with “La mafia uccide solo d’estate” (“The Mafia Kills Only in the Summer”).
For further information, please visit the festival’s website www.italianfilmfests.org or call 248-930-6017.