L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 3 n e r s o f t h e g l o b e t o a t t e n d Italy's iconic film festival which dates back to 1955. Italy is a country that should be known as much for its cine- ma as it is for its wine, cuisine a n d a r c h i t e c t u r e . B e f o r e t h e Best Foreign Film category even existed at the Academy Awards, the neorealist fathers De Sica and Fellini were receiving hon- orary awards for their epic post- w a r c r e a t i o n s , S c i u s c i à , a n d Ladri di biciclette. Since then, Italy has received more Oscars for Best Foreign Film than any other country, and the TFF is further enabling Italy to posi- tively impact international cine- ma. Tiziana Rocca's vision for the festival is as much about celebrating new and innovative Hollywood films as sharing the old, the traditional, the true cin- ema of Italy and Sicily. She seeks to combine Hollywood glamor with Italian history as well as giving Italy the opportu- nity to share its cinema beyond its own borders, and hopes that T a o r m i n a f i l m f e s t i v a l w i l l become in her own words 'il volano per la cultura e il made i n I t a l y e a l l o s t e s s o t e m p o [riportando] star e major holly- wodiani nel nostro paese.' For one week, antiquity shall meet with modernity as Disney Pixar's 3D animation, Inside Out and the $150m mega movie Jurassic World headline the fes- tival. Without a doubt, there is n o b e t t e r p l a c e t o w a t c h T r i a s s i c c r e a t u r e s c h a r g i n g around than inside the ruins of this amphitheater, carved out of Mount Tauro by Greeks in the third century B.C. If there are any lapses of attention to be had, rather than casually check- ing ones iPhone, one can stare o u t a t t h e S i c i l i a n s t a r s a n d behold the ancient landscape that naturally transcends any man-made Hollywood frescos or backdrops. Instead of the stars on the Hollywood walk of fame, visi- tors to Taormina will walk over ancient cobbled streets, that w r i t e r s t h r o u g h o u t t h e a g e s have praised; Goethe fondly described Taormina as a patch of paradise on earth: 'un lembo Continued from page 1 di paradiso sulla terra.' The Starbucks coffee houses and vendors selling Hollywood tours are a far cry from Corso Umberto where you can call into a local café and pick up a schiciatella or dine at a family owned osteria to sample vol- canic wine and freshly caught swordfish pasta. H i s t o r y , c u l t u r e a n d f i n e f o o d a l l g o i n t o m a k i n g t h e T a o r m i n a F i l m F e s t i v a l a unique experience for those for- t u n a t e e n o u g h t o a t t e n d t h i s month. But fear not, the festival i s o n i t s w a y t o t h e U n i t e d States, as TFF will be coming to LA in January 2016 as part of a collaboration with the Italian I n s t i t u t e o f C u l t u r e i n L o s Angeles. Although Hellenistic ruins won't surround audiences i n L A , t h e a n c i e n t s p i r i t o f Sicily will be ever present as TFF brings independent Italian and Sicilian films to the West Coast of America. D r . V a l e r i a R u m o r i , t h e D i r e c t o r o f t h e I I C L A h a s worked hard with Tiziana Rocca to put together an exciting and eclectic program for next year's partnership. "It will certainly be a great opportunity for the promotion of Italian cinema in the US, par- ticularly for small independent p r o d u c t i o n s , t o w h i c h t h i s Institute pays particular atten- tion, and will also be an oppor- tunity to learn about the Sicilian culture through exhibitions and s p e c i a l e v e n t s . " D r . V a l e r i a remarked. T h e r e m a r k a b l e T i z i a n a Rocca sums it up thus; 'There is so much passion and energy in the Taormina Film Festival… that goes into promoting the beautiful things of our beloved Italy and Sicily. Love for cine- ma, beauty, art, young people, that is…love for life.' It is the constant importation and exportation of culture, the mixing of the old and the new, the ancient with the modern that k e e p s c u l t u r e a l i v e , a n d T a o r m i n a ' s F i l m F e s t i v a l i s doing exactly that. It's not to be missed. Vi aspettiamo numerosi! Tiziana Rocca It is the mixing of the old and the new, the ancient with the modern that keeps culture alive and Taormina's film festival is doing exactly that

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