L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano T h e v e r y b e s t i n I t a l i a n contemporary film is the h a l l m a r k o f C i n e m a Italian Style, a film festival that r u n s N o v e m b e r 1 2 – 1 9 i n S e a t t l e . I n j u s t a f e w y e a r s ' time, this popular series has become one of the city's most e x c i t i n g a n d t a l k e d - a b o u t cultural events, attracting 6,000 to 7,000 film-goers over eight days. The festival was launched seven years ago, when Donna James, former director of the Seattle Mayor's Office of Film a n d M u s i c a n d l o n g - t i m e member of the Seattle-Perugia S i s t e r C i t y A s s o c i a t i o n , approached the staff at Seattle International Film Festival to gauge their interest in a festival celebrating Italian cinema. SIFF is well-known for its spring film festival, the largest in North America, where 450 films are screened over 25 days. "SIFF was very enthusiastic about the idea of an Italian film festival," said James, whose Sicilian roots inspired her to explore an Italian-themed series. "But before they would commit, they asked us to bring some money to the table. We secured an introduction to Matt Galvin, CEO of Pagliacci Pizza, who agreed to sponsor our very first I t a l i a n f i l m f e s t i v a l . S I F F contributed some funds as well, and we were in!" T h e f e s t i v a l ' s N o v e m b e r t i m e f r a m e g i v e s o r g a n i z e r s access to films that played at the Venice Film Festival in late s u m m e r o r w e r e r e c e n t l y r e l e a s e d f o r O s c a r consideration. SIFF collaborates with Luce Cinecittà, whose film f e s t i v a l i n L o s A n g e l e s i s scheduled around the same time, allowing the two cities to share films and guests. Each festival, h o w e v e r , i s i n d e p e n d e n t l y produced. S o m e 1 4 t o 1 6 f i l m s a r e selected each year. "We usually h a v e s i x o r s e v e n f i l m s i n common with the Los Angeles festival, and the rest are our s e l e c t i o n o n l y , " s a i d B e t h B a r r e t t , S I F F ' s d i r e c t o r o f programming. "It's so expensive to bring in the films and the d i r e c t o r s f r o m I t a l y . T h i s collaboration helps us maximize our festival budget and gives us more access to visiting directors and producers." C i n e m a I t a l i a n S t y l e i s n o t a b l e f o r i t s f o c u s o n contemporary film. "The films we offer are usually brand new to North American audiences or have not been shown a great deal," said Barrett. "They give a r a n g e o f w h a t i s h a p p e n i n g cinematographically in Italy and span all films types―comedy, M a f i a d r a m a s , w a r d r a m a s , thrillers, documentaries. There's something for everyone." Comedy features large in this y e a r ' s f e s t i v a l . T w o o f t h e comedies to be screened include " L a t i n L o v e r , " d i r e c t e d b y Cristina Comencini, a film that i n c l u d e s t h e l a s t s c r e e n performance by the late actress Virna Lisi. Also on the slate is "An Italian Name," directed by Francesca Archibugi. "The Ice Forest," a stylish new thriller by Claudio Noce, w i l l b e s h o w n , a s w i l l t h e d o c u m e n t a r y " P a l i o , " w h i c h takes a behind-the-scenes look at the yearlong preparations made for the famous horse races in Siena. The festival's archival selection this year is "The Night of the Shooting Stars," a war drama by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, released in 1982. S e a t t l e ' s g r o w i n g I t a l i a n community has rallied behind Cinema Italian Style. "We are seeing an influx of young Italian professionals in Seattle who are changing the profile of the local filmgoer," said James. "This community is very supportive of o u r w o r k a n d h a s m a d e t h e festival what it is today. They are excited to see the newest films from their native country." To help SIFF identify what films should be considered each y e a r , t h e s t a f f r e l i e s o n a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l t e a m o f f i l m e x p e r t s . A d v i s e r s i n c l u d e Angelo Acerbi who programs film festivals in Turin, Italy, and Dr. Claudio Mazzola, senior lecturer in Italian studies at the University of Washington. D u r i n g f e s t i v a l w e e k , Mazzola, who teaches university classes on contemporary Italian c i n e m a , i n v i t e s t h e v i s i t i n g Italian directors to his classroom to discuss their films and the art of filmmaking with his students. T h e d i s c u s s i o n s a r e a l w a y s lively and often inspirational, a real treat for these young film aficionados. "We are lucky to work with such a great team," said Barrett. "Claudio is in Italy for several months each summer, talking to directors, discussing interesting f i l m t i t l e s , l o o k i n g f o r t h e smaller films that were not made b y t h e b i g s t u d i o s o r d o n ' t include a big-name star. We like to discover new talent and hear from new voices." J o i n i n g S I F F a s a c o - p r e s e n t e r o f t h e I t a l i a n f i l m festival each year is the Seattle- Perugia Sister City Association. During festival week, sister city board members and volunteers transport Italian VIPs to and from the airport, to screenings and special events, and in the past, the mayor of Perugia has been on hand to help open the f e s t i v a l . T h e l a s t n i g h t culminates in a raffle drawing for a free trip for two to Italy—a major fundraiser for the sister city program. I t i s t h i s c o m m u n i t y participation that sets Seattle apart from other film festival c i t i e s , s a i d B a r r e t t , w h o c h a r a c t e r i z e s S e a t t l e f i l m audiences as smart, selective and receptive. "Cinema Italian Style is definitely the strongest of the mini-festivals that we produce," she said. "There's an excitement a b o u t i t a n d a d e p t h o f commitment. For that, we thank our sponsors, our community supporters and, of course, our great audience members." For more information, visit: www.siff.net. RITA CIPALLA Cinema Italian Style takes center stage in November The stylish noir thriller, "The Ice Forest" by director Claudio Noce, will be one of the films screened at this year's Cinema Italian Style, to be held November 12-19 in Seattle. (Huffington Post/Giuseppe Fantasia) C i n e m a I t a l i a n S t y l e o f f e r s Seattle film buffs eight exciting days of the best in contempo- rary Italian film. SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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