L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano O n S e p t e m b e r 10th, Cinema I t a l i a S a n Francisco wil l p r e s e n t i t s well-renowned program at the Castro Theatre to honor Italian Director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Born in 1922 and dead in 1975, Pasolini was more than a director: he was a poet, writer, and intellectu- al, as well as actor, journalist, n o v e l i s t , p l a y w r i g h t , a n d political figure. A m e l i a A n t o n u c c i , Founder and Program Direc- tor, shared with us all about her work in the last months a n d h o w s h e m a n a g e d t o bring the 11th edition to life. A journey between recent past successes, interrupted only by the pandemic, and plans for the near future. Amelia, Cinema Italia San Francisco is back. What's your main feeling right now? I a m v e r y e x c i t e d a n d happy that we can present a program again at the Castro Theatre, the same location we had in 2013, and in all other ten programs Cinema I t a l i a S F o r g a n i z e d s i n c e then. These past two years h a v e b e e n t o u g h f o r everyone. What was the main reason for restart- ing the festival? Yes, it has been a tough time and I really believed that we were not going to have a festival with 1400 attendees again. Fellini100 took place on March 7th 2020, right at the beginning of the pandem- ic and we were all very care- ful to not run into an unsafe situation. We had to cancel the party but the success in t e r m s o f a t t e n d a n c e w a s overwhelming. That is why I felt a sort of obligation to go back. Knowing that the Cas- tro is about to close for a two- year renovation motivated me even more. Without any doubt, I was ready for a new event when Annamaria Di Giorgio, Director of the Ital- ian Cultural Institute, and Camilla Cormanni, Director o f t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l f i l m events of Cinecittà, proposed to give it another try. W h a t h a s c h a n g e d s i n c e 2 0 2 0 , w h e n y o u presented the last event in person? A lot has changed. The mood, the public, so many establishments have closed and film festivals have just started again. I was worried that our traditional sponsors, which represent one-third of our budget, would be a bit hesitant. When I came up with a proposal regarding Pasolini100 and the celebra- tion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, they all came back to me with lots of enthu- siasm. I am very grateful to each one of them. I would like to mention just a few, Maria Manetti & Jan Shrem, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Fo., CoorItalia, Colavita, The Diefenbachs, SFIAC, and a few other organizations that continue to believe in what I do. T h e C a s t r o T h e a t r e will be, once again, the venue chosen to host the event. Can you talk about the legacy of this histori- cal place? This is a very lucky coinci- dence. The Castro Theater just marked its 100th year since its foundation. There was a lot of talk in the press of a complete renovation and conversion into a concert hall. Many people, including myself, would like to see it stay as "the" temple of classic movies as it was at the begin- ning, and as a symbol for the LGBT community. The Cas- tro Theatre is a magical place with its lighted marquee and the beautifully decorated interior where a Wurlitzer p i a n o c o m e s u p f r o m t h e f l o o r a n d p l a y s u n t i l t h e m o v i e s t a r t s . A l l t h e S a n Francisco film community is trying to keep it the way it is: a place for movies and not only for concerts. Pasolini100 will be the last movie event before the expected closing for renovation. This makes it an even more special show. Pasolini was the first director you brought to S F a s p a r t o f C i n e m a Italia. Can you share a bit of those memories from 2013? After my retirement from the Italian Cultural Institute, I decided to start a program around classic Italian movies and founded Cinema Italia SF. Of course, I chose the C a s t r o , w h e r e a l l 3 5 m m films and a special film festi- val were happening. Pasolini was the first program and it was a smashing success that motivated me, Cinecittà, and the Italian Cultural Institute to partner in an annual pro- gram of classic Italian cine- ma. This year's program celebrates and honors Pasolini in a very differ- ent context, compared to 9 years ago. Tell us a bit about it. 2022 commemorates the 100th anniversary of Pasoli- ni's birth and Italian institu- tions all over the world are organizing many cultural e v e n t s t o r e m e m b e r h i s genius. I thought of bringing back the 2013 program with some additions: the 2014 movie Pasolini by Abel Fer- rara will be like an introduc- tion to the rest of the series; it will be followed by Accat- tone in a brand new restora- t i o n m a d e b y C i n e t e c a d i Bologna and Cinecittà. The main feature film, Medea, starring Maria Callas in her only film role, will come soon after a special celebration of t h e 1 0 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f Maria Callas' birth. The San Francisco Opera has joined the Italian Cultural Institute and the Greek Consulate to donate a surprise to the pub- lic. To close the program, a s t r o n g a n d p o w e r f u l film, Salò, which has never been shown at the Castro in previous editions. We have also a new partner, The Artis- tic Soul Association, and a new festival advisor, Nancy Fishman. The graphic is still made by Colpa and our pho- t o g r a p h e r i s t h e t a l e n t e d Enrica Cavalli. Can you tell us about the connection between Pasolini and San Francis- co? Pasolini, a communist, p r o v o c a t e u r , o p e n l y g a y writer, poet and film director, has always been loved and respected by the San Francis- co community. Many years ago, City Lights published In Danger, the first anthology in English devoted to the politi- cal and literary essays of Pier Paolo Pasolini, with a gener- ous selection of his poetry edited by Jack Hirshman, our beloved late Poet laureate. The enthusiasm that the pub- lic had in 2013 is a sign that there is a very strong connec- tion between this open liberal city and Pasolini's soul. W h a t d o y o u e x p e c t from this year's event? I hope that the public will come in crowds and will help m e c e l e b r a t e P i e r P a o l o Pasolini as he deserves. N e w P r o g r a m A d v i s o r , Nancy Fishman, is also very excited about her involve- ment this year: "I am thrilled t o w o r k w i t h A m e l i a Antonucci and Cinema Italia SF to present this homage to P i e r P a o l o P a s o l i n i . H i s movies reflect his complexity as a person." And continued: "A painter, poet, gay man, a n d c o m m u n i s t w h o w a s d e e p l y i n f l u e n c e d b y a n d q u e s t i o n e d h i s C a t h o l i c u p b r i n g i n g . P a s o l i n i w a s d e v o u t l y a n t i - f a s c i s t a n d devoted to the honest repre- sentation of people of all classes. His films provide a unique window into Italian life in the aftermath of World War II." Pasolini100 takes place at the Castro Theatre on Sep- tember 10th with the first screening at 10.30am, fol- lowed by 12.30pm and 3pm movies, before the evening's session at 6pm and 10pm. Starting at 8:00pm until 10:00pm, people can also attend "La Roma di Pasolini" mezzanine reception. Tickets can be purchased for single screenings or as a Festival Pass that includes the reception. Tickets are now available at cinemaital- iasf.com Amelia Antonucci brings Cinema Italia SF back to the Castro Theatre to honor Pasolini100 SERENA PERFETTO From Far left, former Consul General Lorenzo Ortona, Director of IIC Annamaria Di Giorgio, and Cinema Italia SF Program Founder and Director Amelia Antonucci during Fellini100 in 2020 - Photo credits Flavia Loreto SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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