L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano 2 020 marks the 100th year since the birth of Ital- i a n D i r e c t o r Federico Fel- lini. He will be celebrated by Cinema Italia San Fran- cisco through his movies at t h e C a s t r o t h e a t r e o n March 7th. Through a series of cen- tennial tributes co-presented by the Berkeley Art Museum a n d P a c i f i c F i l m A r c h i v e f r o m J a n u a r y 1 6 , 2 0 2 0 through May 17, 2020, Luce Cinecittà organized interna- tional initiatives to present the complete retrospective of his films in several locations around the world, including, in North America: New York, B o s t o n , W a s h i n g t o n , H o u s t o n , C l e v e l a n d , Toronto, BAMPFA Berkeley and Harvard University. Cinema Italia Director, Amelia Antonucci, cannot hide her excitement for the o c c a s i o n a n d f o r w h a t i s going to be Cinema Italia San Francisco's 10th pro- gram, in collaboration with L u c e C i n e c i t t à a n d t h e Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. "I am very happy for the o p p o r t u n i t y , a s C i n e m a Italia, to pay a special tribute to Federico Fellini. I chose four of the most representa- tive and intimate movies of his production. I hope the audience will enjoy watching the movies, they will laugh a n d c r y t o g e t h e r w i t h F e d e r i c o . T h e p a r t y L a Magia di Fellini will bring lots of surprises to those who will decide to join us for the night." Born in Rimini in 1920, F e l l i n i w o n t h e C a n n e s Palme d'Or for La Dolce Vita, was nominated for 12 Academy Awards®, and won four awards in the category of Best Foreign Language F i l m ( n o w c a l l e d B e s t International Film). He did set the record for the most decorated director in the his- t o r y o f t h e A c a d e m y . Nevertheless, at the 65th Academy Awards in 1992, he also received the honorary a w a r d f o r L i f e t i m e Achievement. G i a n l u c a F a r i n e l l i , Cineteca Bologna Director, explained why Fellini has been and still is recognized as one of the most important directors ever. "He had a very long career, first as a s c r e e n w r i t e r i n t h e ' 4 0 s , then as Director for forty years, from 1950 to 1990. His career can be divided into two moments, the first one between 1950 and 1957 until The Nights of Cabiria, and a second phase, from La Dolce Vita on. The movies he directed between 1950 and 1957 are based on a narrative that unfolds by episodes, and t h e y a r e f i l m e d i n s o m e a r e a s o f c e n t r a l I t a l y between Florence and Rome. All movies highlight the end of an historical time and a farewell to the past. The '50s represented a moment of transition for Italy, from peasant to industrial civiliza- tion, Italians' life changed all at once. It's in that context that Fellini became a kind of anthropologist and artist, capable of grasping the big transformations that would have been crucial for the whole 20th century." A n d c o n t i n u e s : " T h e depth of his work, and of that of his collaborators (great artists of scenography, costumes, music), makes his production unique to the p o i n t t h a t w a t c h i n g h i s movies today is still an expe- r i e n c e o f s t e r e o p h o n i c knowledge and pleasure. His way of making movies is not so much, in my opinion, a cinema made out of halluci- nation. Behind it, there is always a need and a search for realism. The dream dimension, starting from t h e e n c o u n t e r w i t h Bergman and the psycho- a n a l y s i s o f t h e J u n g i a n school, is definitely part of his path, and his movies have signs of a deep introspective analysis." According to Mr Farinelli, Fellini always chose to recon- struct reality and give shape to the images coming from his mind, memories, and of course fantasy. Cinecittà was his laboratory, not only because it was a place where he had practiced since he was young, but also because he was an artisan filmmaker w h o , l i k e t h e g r e a t Renaissance painters, need- e d a n a t e l i e r a n d o t h e r s artists and craftsmen to col- laborate with him and live the excitement of building a new artistic experience. " F e l l i n i r e p r e s e n t s a unique world in the history of cinema. He was able to r e p r e s e n t h i s p e r s o n a l d r e a m s a n d , i n p o s t - w a r Italy, to express himself in a universal language that both c r i t i c s a n d t h e A m e r i c a n audience understood and appreciated for its unique- ness. In all his movies, Fellini did an extraordinary job, as every single frame was the result of an intense work on b o t h i m a g e a n d s o u n d . Fellini didn't use direct cap- ture, therefore not only do we have dubbing, but also a careful and accurate recon- s t r u c t i o n o f t h e s o u n d s , which are an integral part of the movie. "Fellini was a great travel- er in his dreams and fantasy, but he didn't like traveling in r e a l i t y v e r y m u c h . S a n Francisco is a city full of cul- ture and curiosities, a city of extraordinary beauty that knows the value of this word, bellezza, which is the most vivid aspect of Fellini's cine- ma. In addition to that, the Castro Theater is a mythical place in the world, a place that represents the madness and the history of cinema, therefore the perfect place to collect Fellini's retrospec- tive." The event is presented by L u c e C i n e c i t t a ' a n d t h e Italian Cultural Institute of S a n F r a n c i s c o , w i t h i t s Director A n n a m a r i a D i Giorgio, under the auspices of Consul General of Italy Lorenzo Ortona and orga- nized by Cinema Italia San Francisco. "Fellini, as Woody Allen declared in 1993 at the Film Forum in New York, is one of the film makers who have had an influence on every- one. All cinema is in debt w i t h h i m , " D i r e c t o r D i Giorgio explains. "The cele- bration for the 100 years of his birth is a worldwide event that the Italian Ministry of C u l t u r e h a s u n d e r t a k e n solemnly, signing an agree- ment with other 7 partners, t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e I t a l i a n Ministry for foreign Affairs, to promote – both in Italy and abroad, with the help of our cultural and diplomatic n e t — t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f Fellini and his imagination." The one-day marathon is part of the Federico Fellini 100 Tour, a series of cen- tennial tributes to Federico Fellini (1920–1993), which will travel to major museums and film institutions world- wide, coordinated by Paola R u g g i e r o a n d C a m i l l a C o r m a n n i o f L u c e C i n e c i t t à . A l l m o v i e s (unless noted) have been dig- i t a l l y r e s t o r e d b y L u c e C i n e c i t t à , C i n e t e c a d i B o l o g n a a n d C i n e t e c a Nazionale. Major sponsors p r e s e n t e r s : J a n & M a r i a Manetti Shrem and Della Toffola. La strada 1954 (104 min) - 12.30pm J u l i e t o f t h e S p i r i t s (Giulietta degli spiriti) 1965 (144 min) - 3pm A m a r c o r d 1 9 7 3 ( 1 2 7 min.) - 6:00 p.m. I V i t e l l o n i 1 9 5 3 ( 1 0 8 min.) - 10pm What else to expect? Free ice cream from Gio Gelati and a red carpet with photo opportunities before AMAR- CORD. A 1948 Fiat Topolino 5 0 0 B a n d a v i n t a g e A l f a Romeo Spider will be on dis- play outside of the Castro Theatre, vehicles on loan f r o m B e l l o M o t o . A g i a n t cake with the logo of "Fellini 1 0 0 " w i l l b e m a d e b y acclaimed local café Emporio Rulli to celebrate Fellini's birthday. A preview of an exhibition titled "Food in Federico Fellini's Drawings," with reproductions of sketch- es made by Fellini loaned by The Region Emilia Romagna and presented by The Italian Cultural Institute, will be on display in the lobby and mez- zanine. SERENA PERFETTO Fellini 100: homage to Federico Fellini by Cinema Italia at the Castro Theatre on March 7th From left, Director of the Italian cultural Institute Annamaria Di Giorgio and Director of Cinema Italia SF Amelia Antonucci. SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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