L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 8 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY " N.I.C.E edition has become today the place in the United States where to watch an Italian movie and have conversations during events and meetings. This is an innovative, fresh, engaging experience that nobody wants to miss!" This is how V iviana del Bianco, N.I.C.E. Director, introduces the 26th edition of the New Italian Cinema Events (the 20th in San F rancis co) that opens on November 16th in the Bay Area. Watching any of the seven dra- mas by upcoming directors ; three award-winning documen- taries; five new dramas by veter- an directors won't be enough: the City of Florence Award has turned the festival into a special event for the community. "For the last 20 years, this Award has been promoting the new Italian cinema in the US. - Viviana del Bianco points - The audience, composed of professionals, stu- dents , and all lover s of the Italian culture and cinema, vote the best movie of the festival. The verdict influences the movie market, so does the N.I.C.E. when it comes to movie distribu- tion. People tell us what they like and their opinions matter to directors who can better under- stand what to work on in the future." The N.I.C.E. found in the Italian Cultural Institute one of the strongest partners of any time. Director Paolo Barlera explained that "This year things have changed a little, and the Institute has stepped up and taken responsibility for all the local logistics. It is undoubtedly a great challenge but we are proud to take on in collabora- tion with the Consulate General and other leaders of the Italian and Italian-American communi- ty." While the promotion of the SERENA PERFETTO San Francisco Welcomes the 20th Edition of the N.I.C.E. Film Festival Italian language is a constant tar- get of the Institute's mission, Director Barlera believes that "A festival offering movies in the original Italian language pre- cisely fulfills that role, by expos- ing th e m any viewer s to the beauty and charm of our lan- guage. Our friends of the Istituto Italiano Scuola have actually coined a great tagline, which nicely reflect this spirit: Life is sweeter without subtitles." The 2016 N.I.C.E. edition is in col- laboration with the Festival dei Popoli, a non-profit organization that has been promoting the social documentary cinema for over fifty years. One of the best known initiatives is the docu- mentary festival of the same name, that takes place in Florence at the end of November and is now Italy's leading docu- mentary event. As told by Mr Barlera, "N.I.C.E. has always been a clos e par tner of the Festival, and this year we are happy to present three documen- tar ies in collabor ation with them. There is already a positive buzz about these works, and we expect people to like them." N a n c y F i s h m a n h a s b e e n working in the movie industry for 25 years being, among oth- ers, the Program Director for the Jewish Festival. Her first con- nection with the Italian cinema w a s i n 1 9 9 5 / 1 9 9 6 w h e n s h e worked as publicist for Suso Cecchi D'Amico when the San Francisco film festival did a trib- ute to her. This is the first time Nancy takes the role as Festival Manager. "I'd call myself as t h e s o u s - c h e f a t N . I . C . E . - s h e e x p l a i n s - I s e r v e d o n Programming Selection Commi- ttee, watched films and intro- duced filmmakers. My main goal was to suggest which movies the a u d i e n c e i n S a n F r a n c i s c o w o u l d l i k e t o w a t c h . " S h e already watched all the movies, so we asked about her impres- sion on today's Italian cinema. "Italy has a rich cinema tradi- tion and a great world cinema history and being part of this event excites me. Italian direc- tors are very inventive, actors are excellent, and the comedy tradition is still very strong." D o c u m e n t a r i e s r e p r e s e n t a n important part of this year's fes- tival, also thanks to Nancy's contribution: "Cinema allows to take a snapshot of the country and these movies really give an idea of important topics such as immigration, role of women. I encouraged the screening of documentaries because the Bay Area has a big community who loves documentaries and the way they showcase reality. " The Consul General of Italy i n S a n F r a n c i s c o , L o r e n z o Ortona, joins the N.I.C.E. for the first time fully embracing its mission. "Compared to the past, the Italian Cinema has changed and N.I.C.E. today is helping people have a better understand- ing of our contemporary movie industry and of our Country. Having a full week of contempo- rary Italian movies is important because they showcase what it means to live in Italy today: complicated routines, interesting stories played by great actors and told by Italian directors in a smart way." Cinema is also a way to strengthen the connection and understanding between Italy and the United States and the Italian community in California. "This event is very vital because it helps those who are studying the Italian language and gives a better understanding of Italy to those who love the Italian cul- ture and travel or want to con- nect to their families there." N . I . C . E . k i c k s o f f o n Wednesday, November 16 at the Vogue Theatre with the screen- i n g o f " S e c o n d S p r i n g " a n d Director Francesco Calogero as guest, followed by an Opening Party at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. Schedule and tick- ets at http://www.newitaliancine- ma.org Director Viviana del Bianco (Courtesy of Pamela Gentile) Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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