Italian Summer Film Festival kicks off with the screening of four short films
New Delhi – As part of the larger ‘Fare Cinema’ initiative, dedicated to promoting Italian cinema and its film industry, Italian Embassy Cultural Centre New Delhi is presenting ‘Fare Cinema: Italian Summer Film Festival’ from June 18 to July 2, 2024. The festival kicked off with a screening of four short films. Leonilde Callocchia, Deputy Director, Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, delivered the welcome note.
The Italian Summer Film Festival, introduced by Murtaza Ali Khan for the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, is showcasing a selection of ten short films curated by the National Short Film Centre of Turin, representing the most creative and noteworthy works produced in Italy during 2022-2023. The titles include ‘Impure,’ ‘Il Panda Minore,’ ‘Barolo is Dead,’ ‘Birdwatching,’ ‘Le Sirene,’ and ‘Zum See.’
In addition to the short films, the festival will feature two full-length feature films from the 2023 Rome Film Festival: ‘Palazzina LAF,’ directed by Michele Riondino, and ‘Cento Domeniche,’ directed by Antonio Albanese. The screenings are being held at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre in New Delhi. Entry is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Please carry a valid photo ID. Children under 12 years of age are not allowed.
Khan has previously presented retrospectives on filmmakers like Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, João Moreira Salles, Carlos Saura and Luis Bunuel. His experience also extends to curating film festivals spotlighting Japanese Samurai classics, Ibero-American cinema, Spanish thrillers, and a festival dedicated to the city of Berlin.
Director of Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, Andrea Anastasio is thrilled to bring the ‘Italian Summer Film Festival’ to India. Anastasio said, “Short films, in the same fashion of short novels, have the capacity of telling stories in a very powerful way. We have here a kaleidoscopic offering that reveals the vital and vibrant scene of young film makers in Italy, addressing a wide variety of themes. From the coming of age to the existential questions, from the visionary storytelling to the realism of the day to day life, the festival takes us through a multicolored journey where the particular and the universal engage us all in a process of self-discovery.”
The ‘Italian Summer Film Festival’ marks the beginning of an exciting season for Italian cinema at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre. In the fall, the Centre will host a retrospective dedicated to the legendary Marcello Mastroianni, celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth and with two very special events in November 2024 and February 2025.