Cinema Italiano: Moments of Truth

My Voyage to Italy(it)

World-renowned director Martin Scorsese narrates this journey through his favorites in Italian cinema.

Homo Cinematographicus(fr)

Homo Cinematographicus is a human species whose unit of measurement and point of reference is the cinema and its derivative, television. Filmed at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, the film offers an unspecified number of statements, talking about memories and a thousand fragments of stories, titles and film scenes, the warp of a gigantic collective Chanson de geste.

Fellinopolis(it)

Ferruccio Castronuovo was the only authorized eye, between 1976 and 1986, to film the brilliant Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) in his personal and creative intimacy, to capture the gears of his great circus, his fantastic lies and his crazy inventions.

So This Is God's Country?(it)

A Mondo documentary focused on the 1960's American lifestyle, consumerism, religion, adversity, and oddity. An outsider's look at a country afflicted by episodes of racism and neo -Nazism. Scenes of a Ghost Town, LSD in NYC, Sunset Strip Los Angeles California, Amish, Klu Klux Klan, African-American Fashion Show, etc.

The White Caravan(it)

The neon sign ‘Circus’ illuminates the wide street of Naples’ suburbs: four circus families were abandoned by the institutions, and now they’re awaiting the pandemic will disappear, like a magic show. The circus has stopped, but their lives go on.

Les sept capitaines(fr)

Boxxy(en)

Boxxy is a cardboard box left by the roadside, full of dreams, watching the world in motion. One day, an unexpected push sets off a wild ride through obstacles and emotions — and from that moment, nothing will ever be the same.

La notte più lunga dell'anno(it)

The film takes place over the course of a single night: the longest night of the year, between December 21 and 22 (the winter solstice), when the sun sets around 4:30 p.m. and rises the next day at 7:30 a.m. A long night in which the stories, destinies, anxieties, and dramas of a provincial town in the south (Potenza) intertwine, even if only briefly. Fifteen hours of uninterrupted darkness in which human destiny becomes exceptional, as the night causes the anchors of the day to be lost and four personal stories suddenly accelerate.

LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack(en)

In a strange valley suspended in time, LaBouche Canalla, an irresistible, sexy, fierce, and feral country girl with an insatiable hunger for men's flesh, wanders around searching for her next victim.

Olivia(it)

A young woman remains prisoner of a cursed forest infested with strange creatures. Olivia Is a short film written and shot in only four days by the Oredilm troupe with the help of the students of Liceo Artistico Federico II of Corato, for the contest 4 days a week. Under the pretext of the Fantasy-horror Fairy tale the work of the director Byron Rink tries to tell the Italian problem of the plague of the olive trees caused by the bacterium Xilella fastidiosa. The Eco-horror becomes then the metaphor to tell monsters much more scaring than the cinematic ones. The short film has already received some honorary mentions and it is winner of the Apulia Web Fest in the category ‘”Best Cinematography” and at Golden Lion Film Festival as “Best Fantastic Short Film”. It has been defined as a ”black and white small, deep, heart breaking poem”

In the Valley of the Moon(en)

In the Valley of the Moon, follows a young man working as a hitman for the Italian mob in 1977. He takes a job in Petaluma, California, posing as a potential buyer at an open house to confront the realtor who he suspects has a sinister connection to his past.

Rasputin(it)

Grigorij Efimovic Rasputin (1869-1916) the mystic and self-proclaimed holy man. The saint-demon and the simple peasant. About the plot against Rasputin, hated and feared at the highest levels of government because of his surreal influence on the Tsar.

Hidden(it)

In a small town, every inhabitant lives his daily life without asking too many questions and ignoring the disappearance of some women, until one day someone will put them in front of the possibility that they could be brutal serial murders. From that moment, fear will make its way and every balance will be shaken. To reach the denied truth denied for so long, the protagonists will find themselves losing much more than one can imagine.

The Ideal City(it)

Actor turned director Luigi Lo Cascio stars as the talented architect and fervent environmentalist Michele who has moved from Palermo to his ideal city, Siena. He holds a successful job and is living out a dream experiment of functioning one year without running water or electricity. Not surprisingly, he also displays a passionate opposition to cars and driving. One evening, after being forced to borrow his boss’ car in order to collect a colleague for a work function, Michele’s life takes an unexpected turn. In the blinding rain Michele hits something he cannot identify. After leaving a note on a parked car he believes he damaged, he continues down the road only to come across a dead body a few miles down which he later discovers belongs to one of Siena’s most important luminaries. Michele immediately calls the police, but in doing so, he unwittingly brings intense suspicion on himself as his uncertainty raises more questions than he has answers for.

CENTOGRADI(it)

The day of an artist who has to present one of his works is told through a continuous cinematic dispersion aimed at reproducing and making the viewer experience firsthand the mental dispersion inherent in the protagonist

Dolce Far Niente (Sweet Doing Nothing)(en)

The tale of an Irish writer who moves to Northern Italy, finding a new sense of tranquility in life after experiencing heartache.

Nuoto(it)

A businessman swims away from time and reality...

Quello che resta fuori(it)

The incommunicability of today's young people through disturbing and decadent sounds.

Conchiglie(it)

Mindemic(it)

A retired film director locked up in a suburban Rome apartment attempts to write a new movie, his eternal opera zero.

Valentino: The Last Emperor(en)

Film which travels inside the singular world of one of Italy's most famous fashion designers, Valentino Garavani, documenting the colourful and dramatic closing act of his celebrated career and capturing the end of an era in global fashion. However, at the heart of the film is a love story - the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. Capturing intimate moments in the lives of two of Italy's richest and most famous men, the film lifts the curtain on the final act of a nearly 50-year reign at the top of the glamorous and fiercely competitive world of fashion. (Storyville)

Hitchcock/Truffaut(en)

Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.

A Decade Under the Influence(en)

A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.

Seduced and Abandoned(en)

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.

Heart of a Dog(en)

Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.

Downloaded(en)

A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.

Fuck(en)

A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

Directed by John Ford(en)

A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.

More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead(en)

Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."

As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty(en)

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library(en)

A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.

The Director and the Jedi(en)

An intimate documentary delving into Rian Johnson's process as he comes in as a director new to the Star Wars universe.

In the Realms of the Unreal(en)

In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me(en)

From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction(en)

An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.

The Class of ‘92(en)

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

Naqoyqatsi(en)

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

Love, Marilyn(en)

Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses will embody the legend at various stages in her life.

Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream(en)

Life Is But a Dream is a HBO documentary about the life of US singer Beyoncé Knowles during the years 2011 and 2012 and on the recording of her fifth album. The film was directed by Beyoncé herself. The film shows Beyoncé from intimate moments of her pregnancy to behind the scenes and rehearsals of the main concerts of that time.

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince(en)

Martin Scorsese spends an evening with larger-than-life raconteur Steven Prince—a former drug addict, road manager for Neil Diamond, and actor—as he recounts stories from his colorful life.