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VENICE 2016 Italy

Italians on the Lido

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- This year’s Venice Film Festival features three Italian films in competition, five out of competition, two in Orizzonti and three in the Cinema in the Garden section

Italians on the Lido
Questi giorni by Giuseppe Piccioni

One of the most well-represented countries at this year’s Venice Film Festival, slightly less so than the United States and more so than France, Italy’s line-up spans all the sections of the Official Selection, with fictional features, short films and documentaries. 

There are three Italian films in competition: Questi giorni [+see also:
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 by Giuseppe Piccioni, Piuma [+see also:
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 by Roan Johnson, and Spira Mirabilis [+see also:
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 by Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti. Produced by 11 Marzo Film, Publispei and Rai Cinema, Piccioni’s new film is the story of a group of kids from a provincial town grappling with choices for their futures, and the journey they embark on to accompany one of their number to Belgrade, where a mysterious friend and unlikely work opportunity await her. The cast features Margherita Buy and Filippo Timi, and the film is slated for release in Italian theatres on 15 September with Bim. Roan Johnson instead brings us Piuma, his third feature film, produced by Sky Cinema and Palomar, a comedy about a couple of 18-year-olds expecting their first child. The film will be released in Italy on 20 October by Lucky Red (international distribution is being handled by True Colours). Spira Mirabilis is instead a documentary film about immortality, a visual symphony shot in various locations all over the world which centres around the four elements of nature: water, air, earth and fire. An Italian-Swiss co-production by Montmorency Film and Lomotion, with Rai Cinema and SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen/SRG SSR, international distribution is being handled by The Match Factory.

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Out of competition, in addition to special event The Young Pope by Paolo Sorrentino, is Tommaso [+see also:
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 by Kim Rossi Stuart, produced by Palomar with Rai Cinema, a film with a strong biographical component that explores the relationship between a young handsome actor and women. The cast features the director himself, Cristiana Capotondi, and Jasmine Trinca. The film is being released in theatres on 8 September with 01. Also being shown out of competition is the first Italian film by Iranian director Amir Naderi, which was co-produced by the USA and France (Citrullo International, Zivago Media, Cineric, Ciné-sud Promotion, Rai Cinema): Monte [+see also:
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, the story of a man, his wife and son, who live at the foot of a mountain that stands tall like a wall blocking out the sunlight, and their daily struggle to direct light onto their land. The film stars Andrea Sartoretti and Claudia Potenza. Then there are two documentaries: Our War [+see also:
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 by Bruno Chiaravalloti, Claudio Giampaglia and Benedetta Argentieri, an Italian-USA co-production that follows three volunteer soldiers from the United States, Italy and Sweden, who are enlisted by the Kurdish militias in Syria to fight against ISIS; and Assalto al cielo [+see also:
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 by Francesco Munzi, who, after the success of Black Souls [+see also:
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interview: Francesco Munzi
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, returns to Venice with an archive-footage film produced by Istituto Luce Cinecittà in association with Rai Cinema, on the season of extra-parliamentary struggles in Italy in the years between 1967 and 1977, between outbursts, dreams, violence and crime.

This year the Orizzonti section will feature two Italian films: Liberami [+see also:
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by Federica di Giacomo, a Mir Cinematografica production with Rai Cinema in co-production with Opera Films, and Il più grande sogno [+see also:
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interview: Alessandro Borghi
interview: Michele Vannucci
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by Michele Vannucci, which was produced by Kino Produzioni with contributions from the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (see article). The new Cinema in the Garden section meanwhile features L’estate addosso [+see also:
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by Gabriele Muccino, Robinù [+see also:
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 by Michele Santoro, and Franca: Chaos and Creation [+see also:
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by Francesco Carrozzini. Four Italian shorts will be shown in Orizzonti, whilst five Italian documentaries will be shown in the Venezia Classici section. 

Last but not least, Le ultime cose [+see also:
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by Irene Dionisio will be shown in competition in Critics’ Week (see article), an Italian-Swiss-French co-production which weaves together three stories at the Banco dei pegni (state moneylenders), and the following Italian productions (and co-productions) will be shown in the Venice Days section (news): in competition, Indivisibili [+see also:
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interview: Edoardo de Angelis
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by Edoardo De Angelis and La ragazza del mondo [+see also:
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making of
interview: Marco Danieli
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by Marco Danieli, and among the special events, Coffee [+see also:
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interview: Cristiano Bortone
interview: Cristiano Bortone
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by Cristiano Bortone, Vangelo [+see also:
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interview: Pippo Delbono
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 by Pippo Delbono, Il profumo del tempo delle favole by Mauro Caputo, and You Never Had It - An Evening With Bukowski by Matteo Borgardt.

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(Translated from Italian)

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