8 ½ takes Italian films to Lisbon

by Vitor Pinto

06/06/2008 - The first 8 1/2 Festa do Cinema Italiano kicked off last night at Lisbon's Cinema King with directors Marco Simon Puccioni and Antonietta de Lillo presenting their respective films Shelter [trailer] and Il resto di niente, both of which star Portuguese actress Maria de Medeiros, who was also on hand.

Aiming to make up for the lack of Italian titles on Portuguese screens, the non-competitive event headed by Stefano Savio (also programme coordinator of the Estoril Film Festival) will feature a total of eight recent Italian productions, including Carlo Mazzacurati's The Right Distance [trailer], Paolo Virzì's N.: Napoleon & Me [trailer] and Daniele Luchetti's My Brother Is an Only Child [trailer, film focus], the latter which Atalanta will distribute locally on June 19.

All the titles are making their Portuguese premiere.

The National Film Museum is also involved in the event and is screening a selection of older mysteries and thrillers. The eclectic selection includes Pupi Avati’s The House of the Laughing Windows (1976), Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Glass Feathers (1970) and Don’t Torture a Duckling by Lucio Fulci (1972).