email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FESTIVALS Italy

Competition mostly European at Rome

by 

With 10 out of 14 titles in the official selection, Europe dominates the competition of the 4th Rome International Film Festival, which this year has done away with the Anteprima section and “blends” glamour with auteur cinema under the single artistic direction of Piera Detassis.

Having viewed over 800 films, the director says her selection “centres on women, with Margherita Buy as matron of the opening ceremony, Meryl Streep of closing night and Stefania Sandrelli’s directorial debut out of competition. There are strong female stories and roles, as well as important themes such as the [economic] crisis, racism, totalitarian pasts and the return of spirituality, the relationship between wealth and poverty, and bitter comedies”.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

France and Italy feature most prominently in competition, with three titles apiece. The domestic films are: Alessandro Angelini’s Alza la Testa [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Angelini
film profile
]
, his second outing after Salty Air [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Angelini
film profile
]
; Giorgio Diritti’s L’Uomo che Verrà [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Giorgio Diritti
film profile
]
, a highly anticipated look at the Marzabotto massacre of WWII; and Donatella Maiorca’s Viola di Mare [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, a lesbian love story starring Valeria Solarino and Isabella Ragonese.

The French films are: Cédric Kahn’s Les Regrets [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, in which sparks fly once again between old flames Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Yvan Attal; and the co-productions Triage [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(France/Ireland/Spain) by Denis Tanovic, in which Colin Farrell and Paz Vega struggle with post-war stress, and Chaque Jour Est une Fête [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Dima El-Horr (France/Lebanon/Germany), starring Hiam Abbass.

Germany is bringing to Rome Margarethe Von Trotta’s latest, Vision [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, and Michael Hoffman’s The Last Station [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, starring Helen Mirren and James McAvoy, about Leo Tolstoy’s personal life. Also vying for the Marc’Aurelio Award for Best film will be Nicolo Donato’s Danish title Brotherhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
Interview Nicolo Donato [IT]
interview: Nicolo Donato
film profile
]
and After [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Spain’s Alberto Rodriguez.

Of note among out-of-competition films, besides three US and one Chinese title, are Sandrelli’s Christine Cristina, Luca Lucini’s Oggi Sposi, Carlos Saura’s Io, Don Giovanni [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and Radu Mihaileanu’s, Le Concert [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Mihaileanu
film profile
]
(France/Romania/Italy/Belgium).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy