COVER State Cinemas are delighted to present in association with the Italian Film Festival, an Italian Film Season, a selection of the best of contemporary Italian cinema to Nelson movie goers. This year the programme will be screened entirely at State Cinemas. A note from Tony Lambert : Director, Italian Film Festival “After 12 consecutive years screening the Italian Film Festival in Nelson I sadly have to say we can no longer manage the event directly. But the great news is that State Cinemas will manage an Italian Film Season in conjunction with the Italian Film Festival. This means there will be little change to the event for the audience. I will not personally be visiting Nelson, and I will miss doing that, but the same films will screen as the other festival centres, together with a move from the Suter Theatre to State Cinemas; a welcome change. So in the end there will be little difference. I am certain that Mark, Wendy and Louise with the rest of the team at State Cinemas will manage the event at least as well as I did. Didn’t they do all the work anyway?” “The selection covers most of the winners of the Italian film industry’s Oscars, the David di Donatello awards. From the multi award winning ‘Long Live Freedom’, showcasing Toni Servillo’s exceptional talents, through ‘Honey’, a powerful first feature from celebrated actress Valeria Golino and ‘Salvo’, an exceptional noir, to the clever satirical depiction of the state of Italian politics in ‘Viva l’Italia’. All your favourite actors are represented - Sergio Castellitto, Valerio Mastandrea, Michele Placido, Raoul Bova, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Claudia Gerini, Carolina Crescentini, Riccardo Scamarcio, Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi and many, many more. We are thrilled to have programmed the first festival double feature ‘Mr. Volare: The Story of Domenico Modugno Parts 1 & 2’, a tribute to the late, great Domenico Modugno, a filmic event by itself.” Tony Lambert 3 lOnG LIVE FREEDOm (viva la liberta) M - Offensive language & nudity 1hr 36min Nov 5 (Gala Opening), 7, 10, 14, 15, 19 *subtitles 2013 Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor; Director Roberto Ando’s timely political ‘dramady’ uncannily pres- aged Italy’s national elections held last year. The story begins with Olivieri (Toni Servillo), the disillusioned leader of a party resembling Italy’s Partito Democratico, who ‘escapes’ in the middle of an elec- tion campaign. Olivieri’s handler, Andrea (Valerio Mastandrea), is left desperate and he convinces Olivieri’s twin, Giovanni (also played by Servillo), a philosophy professor just out of a psychiatric hospital, to masquerade as his brother. thE lithium conspiRaCy (breve storia di lunghi tradimenti) M - Sex scenes & offensive language 1hr 42min Nov 6, 8, 11, 15, 18 *subtitles A taut thriller in the John Grisham tradition, ‘The Lithium Conspiracy’ is set against a shadowy world of intrigue and corruption. Giulio is a lawyer dealing with the fallout from a company merger while attempting to reunite with his estranged family. Before long, he learns that a salt lake in Queimada contains half the world’s supply of lithium, and that there is a desperate international race to control it. Thrust into a dangerous world of local politics and sinister conglom- erates, Giulio desperately struggles to survive. 4 every blEssed Day (tutti i santi gioni) M - Sex scenes, offensive language & nudity 1hr 40min Nov 8, 9, 13, 16 *subtitles 2013 Best Song; Nominated Best Actor, Best Actress. A beautiful love story. Guido (Luca Marinelli) is a young man who spends his nights as a hotel porter reading his much-loved classical books. In the morning, he goes home to deliver breakfast in bed and make love to his girlfriend Antonia (Italian pop singer Thony, aka Federica Victoria Caiozzo). After six years together they are still desperately in love, but one thing is missing – a child. Antonia, whose music career is fading, becomes obsessed with form- ing a family, and in doing so endangers her nurturing relationship with Guido. mR volare: thE story of domEnico moduGnO Part 1 & Part 2 M - Sexual references P1: 1hr 50min; P2: 1hr 37min Nov 8, 11, 13, 16 *subtitles A man, a legend. Domenico Modugno (played by Giuseppe Fiorello) charmed the world with his serenading voice, his songs becoming the symbol of Italian grandeur in the ‘60s. Not limiting himself to singing, Modugno boasts a multi-faceted and prolific career. In addition to his music, his foray into the screen world resulted in 44 films and, in 1986, Modugno entered the political arena. This tribute to the late, great Domenico Modugno charts the incred- ible artistic and human journey of a boy from the south of Italy. 5 hOnEy (miele) M - Sex scenes, offensive language & content may disturb Nov 9, 12, 17, 19 1hr 34min *subtitles 2013 Cannes Film Festival winner. 2013 David di Donatello Best Ac- tress, Best First Feature. Irene (Jasmine Trinca) is an angel of mercy. Going by the pseudonym Honey, she works under the radar and outside the law, assisting the terminally ill to pass on peacefully and with dignity. She carries out her business with conviction and grace, for which she is paid hand- somely. But when retired architect Carlo (Carlo Cecchi) enlists her services, Irene’s usually fierce code of ethics is put to the test. salvo M - Violence & offensive language 1hr 44min Nov 12, 14, 17 *subtitles 2013 Cannes Film Festival winner. France 4 Visionary Award. A henchman for the Sicilian Mafia, Salvo is solitary, cold and ruthless in this Italian film noir, which won the Critic’s Week Grand Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. After being ambushed by a rival Mafia clan, and winning the shoot- out, Salvo sneaks into the house of one of the clan’s last members to finish the job. Upon entry he discovers Rita, a beautiful, young blind girl who senses his presence but powerlessly stands by while he as- sassinates her brother. Salvo holds her captive, battling with his duty to dispose of this witness, while his fascination with her grows. 6 ViVa italy (viva l’italia) M - Sex scenes, offensive language 1hr 48min Nov 7, 9, 13, 16 *subtitles 2013 David di Donatello nominated - Best Supporting Actress, David the Youth Award When corrupt senator Michele Spagnolo (Michele Placido) suffers a stroke while in bed with a showgirl, the part of his brain that controls his inhibitions is damaged, creating one of a rare and endangered species – the honest politician. So begins ‘Viva Italy’, director Massimiliano Bruno’s second film (after ‘Escort in Love’), a tale that blends family drama with a scathing satire on the state of Italian politics. thE red & thE bluE (il rosso e il blu) M - Offensive language 1hr 37min Nov 6, 7, 14, 15 *subtitles 2013 David di Donatello nominated - Best Actor. Based on a book by real-life teacher Marco Lodoli, ‘The Red and the Blue’ is a smart, stylish and ultimately affectionate look at life in a modern day high school. Through intersecting stories including a troubled teen romance, an idealistic teacher trying to help disillusioned students and a headmis- tress turned Good Samaritan, director Giuseppe Piccioni introduces to us schoolyard characters teetering between high expectations and overwhelming despair. 7 thE lanDlords (Padroni di casa) R13 - Violence & offensive language 1hr 22min Nov 6, 14, 15 *subtitles 2012 Locarno International Film Festival nominated - Golden Leopard. Equal parts drama, comedy and thriller with a sensational cast includ- ing legendary real-life singer Gianni Morandi. Cosimo (Valerio Mastandrea) and Elia (Elio Germano) travel from Rome to a remote Apennine mountain village where they have been contracted to rebuild a villa for the retired singer Fausto Mieli (Morandi). With their natural big city arrogance, Cosimo and Elia draw hostility from the locals. The conflict between outsiders and villagers subtly builds to a climax with repercussions for the whole community. a perfect Family (una famiglia Perfetta) M - Offensive language 1hr 52min Nov 7, 9, 17 *subtitles 2013 Youth Award, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress Director Paolo Genovese brings together a stellar ensemble cast and a quirky, amusing look at one man’s desire to create the ideal family. Leone (Sergio Castellitto) is a very wealthy, very lonely man. He de- cides to create a family Christmas by writing a script and hiring pro- fessional actors to play different family members, however everything is thrown into disorder by an unexpected arrival that will ultimately make or break the strange family unit. 8 cosimO & nicolE R16 - Violence, offensive language & sex scenes 1hr 42min Nov 11, 15, 18, 19 *subtitles 2012 Rome International Film Festival Best Feature Film. Cosimo (Riccardo Scamarcio) meets beautiful and impulsive French- woman Nicole (Clara Ponsot), and both are swept off their feet. The two begin work organising rock shows for a concert-promoter friend, Paolo However a sudden disastrous on-site accident turns the lives of all three upside down, each forced to question their own mor- als, devotion, and loyalty to one another. ‘Cosimo and Nicole’ combines drama and thriller through its explora- tion of immigration, politics and rock ‘n’ roll. An intense, wild ride. a Five staR life (viaggio sola) M - Offensive language 1hr 19min Nov 7, 10, 13, 18 *subtitles 2013 David di Donatello winner - Best Actress; nominated Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress Irene (Margherita Buy) spends her life travelling around the world to the best hotels, judging their standards in every fastidious respect while supremely unaware of the glaring imperfections in her own life. Drama and comedy are effortlessly fused in this clever and stylish world-tour of hotels in Paris, Berlin, the Alps, and Marrakesh.