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1 For Immediate Release Media contact: Larsen Associates at (415) or This is not the public information number. Please do not publish it. The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco and New Italian Cinema Events (N.I.C.E) of Florence, Italy Present New Italian Cinema November 8-12, 2017 November 8 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco November 9-12 at the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco Opening Night Film Gianfranco Cabiddu s THE STUFF OF DREAMS A Delightful, Beautifully Lensed Tale of a Troupe of Actors and A Group of Criminals Shipwrecked Together on an Island near Sardinia, Fashioned after Shakespeare s The Tempest Winner of the Italian Golden Globe for Best Film and the David di Donatello for Best Adapted Screenplay San Francisco, CA The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco (Istituto Italiano di Cultura) and New Italian Cinema Events (N.I.C.E) of Florence, Italy present New Italian Cinema, November 8-12, The festival opens on Wednesday, November 8 at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco and then continues Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 12 at the Vogue Theatre, 3290 Sacramento Street in San Francisco. Celebrating its 21st h year in San Francisco, this annual presentation of dynamic cinema will bring Italy s newest directors and the country s veteran filmmakers to Bay Area audiences, who will have an opportunity to experience the richness of Italy s cinematic treasures. Film tickets: $14 general; $13 seniors, students and persons with disabilities; $12 Italian Cultural Institute members. Box office info: (415) or New Italian Cinema is known for presenting the work of filmmakers who are embarking on their feature filmmaking careers. Seven dramatic features by up-and-coming directors a number of whom will be in attendance are featured in the City of Florence Award competition. The City of Florence Award, which honors a first or second feature by an Italian director, will be decided by audience ballot and announced at a Closing Night presentation on Sunday, November 12. In addition to the seven features in competition, New Italian Cinema will showcase dramatic films by veteran Italian directors as part of the Panorama Section along with five award-winning documentaries. It is always exciting to be presenting works by directors who may well be the new stars of tomorrow, which is the unique feature of our festival. This year we are lucky to open and close with special films that explore the world of theatre and wine two art practices in which Italy has excelled that will certainly grab the Bay Area s attention. It s going to be a great event, said Paolo Barlera, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute. New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 1 of 7

2 The festival is made possible by the generous support of: Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, John & Karen Diefenbach, Romana Bracco, BAIA Business Association Italy America, Holiday Inn, KQED, L Italo-Americano, Campari, Classical Pursuit, Grana Padano, Home Instead, ItalFoods, INDEPENDIEFILMS, Libreria Pino, Montesacro Pinseria-Enoteca, Osteria Italian Restaurant, Rossi&Rei, Superga, Veer& Wander, Villa Italia Wine Imports, Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, MiBACT, and the Italian Consulate General of San Francisco. Special Screenings Eventi Speciali: Opening Night Film, Wednesday, November 8, 6:30pm at the Castro Theatre THE STUFF OF DREAMS (La stoffa dei sogni) Directed by Gianfranco Cabiddu Opening Night Ticket and Party Info Film Only: General Public $14; Seniors, Students, Disabled: $13; Italian Cultural Institute members: $12; Children (under 16): $10. Film & Party (or Party only): General Public $25; Italian Cultural Institute and San Francisco Italian Athletic Club members $20. Party Venue: Wednesday, November 8, 8:30pm-11:00pm San Francisco Italian Athletic Club 1630 Stockton Street (between Union and Filbert) San Francisco, CA Opening Night Party features Italian antipasti and wines! The Opening Night Film at the Castro Theatre on Wednesday, November 8 at 6:30pm is Gianfranco Cabiddu s award-winning THE STUFF OF DREAMS. A fateful shipwreck casts convicted Camorra criminals and a handful of itinerant actors onto a windswept island that houses a prison, overseen by a warden (Ennio Fantastichini), who lives there with his beautiful young daughter Miranda (Alba Gaïa Bellugi). Comedy abounds when the gangsters infiltrate the theatrical troupe to hide their true identities. The suspicious warden commands the lead actor (Sergio Rubini) to stage a performance of Shakespeare s The Tempest, in a bid to distinguish the thespians from the miscreants. Winner of the David di Donatello for Best Adapted Screenplay, Cabiddu s filmography is considered part of a literary and artistic nouvelle vague that includes elements of Sardinia s grassroots indigenous film culture. Screenwriter Salvatore De Mola will attend the screening. Closing Night Film, Sunday, November 12, 6:15pm at the Vogue Theatre THE DUEL OF WINE (Il duello del vino) Directed by Nicolás Carreras Closing Night Ticket and Party Info Film Only: General Public $14; Seniors, Students, Disabled: $13; Italian Cultural Institute members: $12; Includes a glass of wine! Must be 21 years of age or older! Film & Winetasting Party (or Winetasting Party only): General Public $60; Italian Cultural Institute members and passholders $50. Party Venue: Sunday, November 12, 8:30pm-9:30pm Osteria Restaurant 3277 Sacramento St, San Francisco (corner of Sacramento and Presidio) The Festival wraps on Sunday, November 12 with the screening of Nicolás Carreras comic portrait of a charismatic sommelier, THE DUEL OF WINE. Star sommelier Charlie Arturaola takes a mighty fall from grace when he temporarily loses his palate, and is reduced to clawing his New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 2 of 7

3 way back into the world of competitive wine-tasting as a ghost-taster for a handsome but buffoonish friend. A gleeful, stinging satire of the obsessive world of drinking and dining contests, The Duel of Wine also offers a poetic, moving affirmation on the meaning of wine and its gustatory pleasure. Arturaola s journey back to the top is a hysterically funny romp that that will have you seeing red Chianti everywhere you look. Lino Pujia, actor/producer and Charlie Arturaola, actor will attend the screening. The Closing Night film includes a glass of wine! Pre-Opening Documentary Tribute to Franca Sozzani, the late editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue, Wednesday, November 8, 3:45pm at the Castro Theatre FRANCA: CHAOS AND CREATION Directed by Francesco Carrozzini Ticket & Party Info Film Only: $10 (one price only) Film & Prosecco Reception in the Castro Mezzanine after the screening, 5:30-6:30pm: $18 (must be 21 or older for the reception). The Pre-Opening Documentary Tribute to Franca Sozzani, FRANCA: CHAOS AND CREATION, screened to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival. Director Francesco Carrozzini creates an intimate portrait of his mother, Franca Sozzani, the legendary editor of Italian Vogue. Sozzani was known for exploring taboo subjects, championing models of color, and giving photographers creative control. From the ridiculous to the sublime, her astonishing but often controversial magazine covers broke the rules and set the bar high for fashion. Featuring interviews with Karl Lagerfeld, Bruce Weber, Baz Luhrmann, and Courtney Love, this love letter from a son to his mother gives us a glimpse into Sozzani s creative process. Panorama (A Look at Contemporary Italian Cinema) FORTUNATA (Fortunata) Directed by Sergio Castellitto, Wednesday, November 8, 9:10 pm, Castro Theatre, Director in Person Fortunata, a young mother and self-employed hairdresser, rushes from one appointment to another, and yearns to open her own salon. Her frantic life, marked by a failed marriage and a coterie of eccentric friends, is further complicated by the needs of her eight-year-old daughter whose behavioral problems require therapy. To achieve her dream, Fortunata has planned every detail and is ready for any obstacle, but she hasn t considered the one thing that can turn all certainties upside down: love. For the first time, she finds someone who loves her for the woman she is. Winner of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Best Actress Award, Un Certain Regard. FRIENDS BY CHANCE (Tutto quello che vuoi) Directed by Francesco Bruni, Sunday, November 12, 3:45 pm, Vogue Theatre A cocky, hot-headed 22-year-old troublemaker and an elderly poet living with Alzheimer s form an unlikely kinship in this delightful, deeply personal coming-of-age tale from writer-director Francesco Bruni (Easy!, NIC 2012). After Alessandro (newcomer Andrea Carpenzano) takes a job caregiving for the illustrious Giorgio (storied Italian filmmaker Giuliano Montaldo), clues of a buried treasure are uncovered, and the two embark on an adventure that will alter the course of their lives. Nominated for three prestigious Nastro d Argento awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Film, it won for Best Screenplay. INDIVISIBILE (Indivisbili) Directed by Edoardo De Angelis, Saturday, November 11, 6:15 pm, Vogue Theatre New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 3 of 7

4 Daisy and Viola, beautiful conjoined twins with heavenly singing voices, are on the verge of discovering their freedom and sexuality. They can t wait to turn 18 and follow their dreams, rather than continue their current existence as a lucrative religious sideshow attraction. Their deadbeat parents book them in folk festivals throughout the south, but the sisters just want to be normal. Edoardo De Angelis s third feature offers stellar ensemble acting and a Felliniesque sensibility. Winner, Best Script and Best Supporting Actress, David di Donatello Awards. NO COUNTRY FOR THE YOUNG (Non è un paese per giovani) Directed by Giovanni Veronesi, Saturday, November 11, 8:45 pm, Vogue Theatre Like many of their twentysomething generation, Sandro and Luciano feel they have no future. On a wave of euphoric recklessness, they decide to seek out a better tomorrow in Cuba, a new frontier of hope where anything is possible. Their plan: open a restaurant with Wi-Fi, a scarce service on the island. Once there, instead of a local guide, they find themselves with Nora, another young Italian, who both scares and fascinates them with her strange ways. What Sandro and Luciano envisioned as an attractive adventure becomes a struggle to survive through dangerous encounters and mystifying nature. THE YOUNG POPE Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, Sunday, November 12, 1:00 pm, Free Screening, Vogue Theatre, Invited Guest: Ludovica Ferarrio, Production Designer From Academy Award -winning director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty), comes The Young Pope, his sumptuous, epic HBO series about a fictional American-born Pope. Because of Sorrentino s relationship with this festival, we are screening the first two episodes from last year s series, which the large screen will reveal in a beautiful new light. The Young Pope features a charismatic Pope, Pius XIII, born Lenny Belardo, played by the magnetic Jude Law. He is a complex and conflicted character Machiavellian in his modus operandi, yet full of compassion towards the weak and poor. Free Admission! City of Florence Award Competition films: AFTER THE WAR (Dopo la guerra) Directed by Annarita Zambrano, Thursday, November 9, 9:00 pm, Vogue Theatre Bologna, The murder of a judge reopens old political wounds between Italy and France. Former far-left wing activist Marco, a convicted murderer, has lived in France for 20 years as a political refugee, a beneficiary of the Mitterand Doctrine granting asylum to reformed terrorists. But now he is accused of ordering the attack on the judge and the Italian government requests his extradition. Forced to flee with Viola, his 16-year-old daughter, Marco s life changes forever, along with that of his friends and family in Italy, who must pay for Marco s past crimes. After the War screened in the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. AT WAR FOR LOVE (In guerra per amore) Directed by PIF, aka Pierfrancesco Diliberto, Saturday, November 11, 4:00 pm, Vogue Theatre The year is 1943; the Allies are preparing to invade Southern Italy. A bumbling young man joins the Army so he can ask his lady love s Sicily-based dad for her hand and ends up in a wild romp through WWII s greatest hits, with cameos from FDR, Lucky Luciano, and a host of other historical figures. The latest comedy from writer-director-actor Pierfrancesco Pif Diliberto offers a little something for everyone: broad slapstick, swooning romance, childlike wonder, and the unforgettable sight of a man saving the day by flying into Sicily on a donkey. CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT (I figli della notte) Directed by Andrea De Sica, Friday, November 10, 9:00 pm, Vogue Theatre Boarding school can be a very scary place. At 17, Giulio, an introverted student, discovers just how menacing his elite alpine school is after being awakened by students in hockey masks. Giulio feels alone, but his loneliness is quickly ruptured by the energetic friendship of rebellious pupil Edoardo. Andrea De Sica, a musician and filmmaker (grandson of Vittorio De Sica), has fashioned a notable drama that is a New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 4 of 7

5 cross between a coming-of-age story and The Shining, featuring excellent performances; beautiful, frightening music; and a tightly wound, visually stunning narrative. HUSBAND & WIFE (Moglie e marito) Directed by Simone Godano, Thursday, November 9, 4:15 pm, Vogue Theatre Simone Godano s directorial debut is a witty, surprising comedy about a married couple in crisis. Immersed in their careers, a conceited neurosurgeon and an ambitious TV personality have run out of empathy for each other. When Sofie (Kasia Smutniak) reluctantly agrees to help Andrea (Pierfrancesco Favino) with a late-night experiment, they end up in their partner s body. Couples therapy was never this funny, or effective: There s nothing like walking a mile in your spouse s heels or wielding a scalpel in an operating room to appreciate his or her challenges and talents. ON THE TRAIL OF MY FATHER (La pelle dell orso) Directed by Marco Segato, Friday, November 10, 6:30 pm, Vogue Theatre, Director in Person From the opening shots of a procession through a small mountain town, we enter into a lush landscape in the Italian Dolomites. Fourteen-year-old Domenico surreptitiously follows his father who is hunting the devil, a dangerous bear that has been terrorizing the villagers and preying on their livestock. As the two climb higher and higher, their bond deepens. In the upper cliffs of the mountains, as the topography becomes surreal and beautiful, they become acutely aware that just as they watch the bear, the bear watches them. Winner, Best Cinematography, Italian Golden Globe and Best New Director, David di Donatello. PURE HEARTS (Cuori puri) Directed by Roberto De Paolis, Friday, November 10, 4:00 pm, Vogue Theatre Agnese (Selena Caramazza) and Stefano (Simone Liberati) are like night and day. Eighteen-year old Agnese, a wide-eyed beauty and daughter of a devout woman, is about to take a vow of chastity. Stefano is a streetwise 25-year-old with a violent temper and a difficult past, who works as a guard in a car park next to a gypsy camp. Their unexpected meeting engenders deep feelings, made of stolen moments and some serious chemistry. Their desire grows and their unlikely pairing reveals aspects of themselves that each must confront. Pure Hearts screened in the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. THERE IS A LIGHT (Il padre d Italia) Directed by Fabio Mollo, Thursday, November 9, 6:30pm, Vogue Theatre, Director in Person Issues of sexuality, parenting, and commitment take center stage in Fabio Mollo's sensitive, moving, and sensual romantic drama. Paolo (Luca Marinelli) is a rootless gay man living in Turin while Mia (Isabella Ragonese) is a free-spirited (and pregnant) wild child whom he meets in the most unlikely of places. Together, they embark on a journey that leads to a growing bond as they must decide whether their respective futures involve caring for a new baby. Winner, Best Actress, Italian Golden Globe. Documentary Presentations: BOZZETTO NON TROPPO (Bozzetto non troppo) Directed by Marco Bonfanti, Saturday, November 11, 2:00 pm, Vogue Theatre Humble and eccentric in the best way imaginable, Bruno Bozzetto, one of Italy s most popular and influential animators, is the engaging focus of Marco Bonfanti s intimate, warm-hearted film. The utterly charming Bozzetto best-known for the 1976 Fantasia-inspired Allegro non troppo is the amiable host on this tour of his vibrant world, including stops at his animal-filled, rural country home; his hip Milan studio; and visits to Pixar and the Walt Disney Museum. This upbeat documentary illustrates how a creative filmmaker s life shapes and influences what later appears on screen. CASTRO (Castro) Directed by Paolo Civati, Thursday, November 9, 2:15 pm, Vogue Theatre New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 5 of 7

6 In the San Giovanni quarter of Rome, families squat in an old school that they occupy illegally. They share the decaying physical space they have named Castro, and also life s precious moments: celebrating birthdays, watching each other s children, and feeding the building s cat. Paolo Civati deftly directs this documentary about the everyday lives of a rich cast of characters living in community. There may be poverty here, but through the exquisite lens of cinematographer Valentina Summa, dignity, love, and beauty abound. Winner of the Festival dei Popoli 2016 Best Italian Documentary Award. FIRST TRY (La prima meta) Directed by Enza Negroni, Friday, November 10, 1:45 pm, Vogue Theatre, Director in Person In this gripping and poignant documentary, director Enza Negroni takes us inside the Bologna correctional facility where a team of inmates engage in an uncommon form of rehabilitation: rugby. Led by their tough but big-hearted coach Max, the men of team Giallo Dozza, many of whom have never played the game before, face rigorous training and compete against veteran Italian rugby teams visiting from the outside. Negroni s raw, fly-on-the-wall shooting style sparks a palpable intimacy with the detainees, whose immersion in the sport unexpectedly changes their lives, and prepares them for unforeseeable challenges ahead. WALKING ON WATER (Camminando sull acqua) Directed by Giacomo D Agostino, Sunday, November 12, 11:15 am, Vogue Theatre, Director in Person In 1966, the Arno River famously flooded the streets of Florence. Countless artisans would likely have had to move elsewhere for work while the city recovered from the ravages of water and mud, but entrepreneur and bon vivant Beppe Fantacci devised a plan to procure donations from US department stores to subsidize the craftspeople until production could resume. Documentary filmmaker Gianmarco D Agostino unearths and interweaves mesmerizing amateur colorfootage of the flood with vivid firsthand recollections to mark the 50th anniversary of the natural disaster, honor Fantacci s selfless accomplishment, and celebrate Florence s remarkable resurrection. Guests Invited Each year the festival invites acclaimed Italian filmmakers and actors to participate in onstage Q&As following select screenings. Invited guests this year include screenwriter Salvatore de Mola, THE STUFF OF DREAMS; Lino Pujia, actor/producer and Charlie Arturaola, actor, THE DUEL OF WINE; Enza Negroni, director of FIRST TRY; Sergio Casttellito, director of FORTUNATA; Francesco Carrozzini, director of FRANCA: CHAOS AND CREATION and son of the late Franca Sozzani; Marco Segato, director of ON THE TRAIL OF MY FATHER; Fabio Mollo, director of THERE IS A LIGHT; Gianmarco d Agostino, director of WALKING ON WATER, and Ludovica Ferrario, production designer, THE YOUNG POPE. Some notable guests from recent years have included actress Valentina Carnelutti, LIKE CRAZY (2016), Paolo Sorrentino, director of the Oscar -winning film THE GREAT BEAUTY (2013), actress and director Valeria Golino (2012), Edoardo Ponti (2014), Carlo Virzì (2012), Silvio Soldini (2013) and Nanni Moretti (2011). About the Italian Cultural Institute Founded in 1978, the Italian Cultural Institute (Istituto Italiano di Cultura, or IIC) in San Francisco is an official branch of the Italian government, dedicated to the promotion of the Italian language and culture in the United States. New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 6 of 7

7 About N.I.C.E N.I.C.E., based in Florence, Italy, is a non-for-profit cultural organization founded in 1991 by a group of film professionals. It has grown into one of the most important expressions of Italian cinematography abroad. The goal of the organization is to promote New Italian Cinema abroad, through a series of film festivals and cultural exchanges. New Italian Cinema 2017 Page 7 of 7