The 2022 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival (IFF) returns to bring the best of Italian cinema and culture to Australia’s big screens.
Presented by Palace, IFF is about to unleash a mighty 2022 programme this Spring. The full festival line-up will screen in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Byron Bay exclusively at Palace Cinemas, Cinema Nova, Palace Nova and Luna Palace cinemas from September 13.
See below for a list of the big nights and films from IFF 2022.
Belli Ciao
Opening Night Film
Belli Ciao
In this box office hit comedy, two inseparable high school friends reunite after years apart in different regions. However, their relationship is put to the test when they’re put on opposite sides of a ‘North vs South’ culture clash.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Closing Night Film
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Ieri, oggi, domani)
Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the 1964 Academy Awards, this Italian trilogy of romantic comedies highlights the IFF’s Spotlight on Naples, the heartbeat of Italian Cinema, the festival sidebar presented by the Italian Cultural Institute Melbourne. Many films from this year’s selection were either filmed in Naples and/or from or featuring Neapolitan stars or directors, including this classic.
Nostalgia
Centrepiece Film
Nostalgia
This drama comes straight from Official Competition in Cannes. Felice Lasco returns to the Sanità district to look after his sick and dying mother after 45 years spent between the Middle East and Africa. In Naples he waits to meet Oreste, a friend of the past, who has become a criminal.
The Lord of the Ants
Special Presentations
The following two films come straight from their world premieres at major international film festivals, the first from Venice and the second from Toronto.
Lord of the Ants (Il signore delle formiche)
Poet and playwright Aldo Braibanti is put on trial in 1960s Italy over the accuse of “plagio”, a Fascist-era criminal offence, in this drama based on a true story.
The Hummingbird (Il colibri)
Depicts the strange, wondrous life of Marco Carrera from childhood to adulthood to his final years.
Ennio – The Maestro
A trio of stellar docos
Three big feature documentaries highlight a music legend, an iconic cobbler, and an almighty city.
Ennio – The Maestro (Ennio)
A portrait of one of the most popular and prolific film composers of the twentieth century, this documentary celebrates the life and legacy of Ennio Morricone.
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams
This documentary from director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) recounts the adventures of one of Italy’s greatest shoemakers: Salvatore Ferragamo.
Power of Rome
This documentary charts the birth of the Roman Empire and the marvel of Italy’s capital.
The King of Laughter
Starring Toni Servillo
The great Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty) features prominently in this year’s IFF, playing the lead in one film and having major roles in two others.
The King of Laughter (Qui rido io)
Toni Servillo plays beloved Neapolitan actor, playwright and comic theatre icon Eduardo Scarpetta in this biographical drama.
The Inner Cage (Ariaferma)
In this prison drama, an old mobster and a prison guard must find a way to coexist so that imprisonment can become less so, and perhaps reveal the paradox that is behind the very concept of captivity.
Casanova’s Return (Il ritorno di Casanova)
An aged Italian director starts to feel a sad empathy towards the subject of his movie, an old Casanova, in this comedic filmmaking drama.
The Decameron
Pier Paolo Pasolini retrospective
To honour the centenary of the birth of celebrated auteur Pier Paolo Pasolini, IFF will play his three iconic films that make up his Trilogy of Life.
The Decameron (Il Decameron)
The first film in Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life adapts nine erotic stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th Century moral tales.
The Canterbury Tales (I racconti di Canterbury)
Glimpses of Chaucer penning his famous work are sprinkled through this re-enactment of several of his stories, the second film in Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life.
Arabian Nights (Il fiore delle mille e una notte)
The final part of Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life series tells exotic tales of slaves and kings, potions, betrayals, demons, love and lovemaking in all its myriad forms.
3/19
Other IFF highlights
3/19
An intriguing new drama from Silvio Soldini in which a successful lawyer is involved in a traffic accident that results in the death of a young immigrant.
A Girl Returned (L’Arminuta)
Based on a 2017 bestselling novel, this entrancing drama tells the story of a 13-year-old girl who unwillingly returns to the biological family she never knew in 1970s central Italy.
Blackout Love
In this biting romantic comedy, Anna Foglietta plats a commitment phobic volleyball coach who has her life completely figured out, never looking back on her past relationships, until one day her ex reappears in her life.
Breaking Up in Rome (Lasciarsi un giorno a Roma)
An homage to the Italian capital, this heartfelt romantic comedy directed by and starring Edoardo Leo delves into the difficulties a couple faces when they separate after many years living together.
On Our Watch (E noi come stronzi rimanemmo a guardare)
Taking aim at the technology multinationals that have transformed our modern world, this sci-fi comedy follows an up-and-coming manager who accidentally makes his job superfluous and must work as a delivery rider to get by.
Superheroes (Supereroi)
Jasmine Trinca and Alessandro Borghi star as a mismatched couple in this tender drama from Perfect Strangers director Paolo Genovese which follows a passionate love story set over a decade.
Swing Ride (Calcinculo)
When a fairground sets up outside her window, 15-year-old Benedetta develops an unlikely friendship with someone working there who defies gender norms and she begins a journey of discovery.
The Code of Silence (Una Femmina)
Inspired by the true stories of women who stood up to the ‘Ndrangheta, this evocative drama about a young girl learning the truth of her mother’s death is a powerful story of resistance.
The Great Silence (Il silenzio grande)
A screen adaptation of best-selling writer Maurizio De Giovanni’s stage play, this Naples-set story from Alessandro Gassmann follows a once well-off family that is selling their house and must face up to their own secrets and silence.
The Legend of the Christmas Witch 2: The Origin (La Befana vien di notte 2: Le origini)
Set in the 18th century, this prequel to the hugely successful comedy The Legend of the Christmas Witch, tells the origin story of the Befana, featuring an excellent ensemble cast including Monica Bellucci.
The Perfect Dinner (La cena perfetta)
Suspense and a pinch of romance are the ingredients of The Perfect Dinner, a delicious comedy about a Neapolitan mafioso who is sent to Rome to launder money through a restaurant, crossing paths with a chef who dreams of winning a Michelin star.
The Shadow of the Day (L’ombra del giorno)
After the declaration of racial laws in Fascist Italy, a restaurateur’s life changes when a girl with a dangerous secret starts to work at his restaurant in this dramatic love story starring a smouldering Riccardo Scamarcio and rising star Benedetta Porcaroli.
With or Without You (Una relazione)
A romantic comedy that upends the way of viewing the crisis of a relationship, by following a couple who, after 15 years together, decide to separate amicably.
The 2022 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Sydney 13 September – 12 October, Palace Central, Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema
Canberra 14 September – 12 October, Palace Electric Cinema
Melbourne 15 September – 12 October, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, The Astor, Cinema Nova
Brisbane 21 September – 16 October, Palace Barracks, Palace James Street
Adelaide 21 September – 16 October, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth 22 September – 16 October, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema
Byron Bay 23 September – 9 October, Palace Byron Bay
For more info, visit italianfilmfestival.com.au.
