29/05/2015 - From Sciamma to Greenaway: the Italian Federation of Arthouse Cinema has chosen 10 films to encourage an offering of arthouse films over the summer period

“Arthouse Summer – First screenings at the cinema” is the name of the initiative by the FICE, the Italian Federation of Arthouse Cinema, which is encouraging an offering of arthouse films over the summer period: it will ensure the widest possible distribution and promotion of 10 films, to be released in June and July, in its some 400 associated arthouse theatres. The aim, in addition to encouraging the distribution of the films, is to guarantee that they will be screened in theatres for a sufficient period of time, thereby offering the public a programme of arthouse film even over the summer months.

The films selected for the second edition of the initiative are: Girlhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Céline Sciamma
interview: Céline Sciamma
film profile] by Céline Sciamma; Eisenstein in Guanajuato [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Peter Greenaway
film profile] by Peter Greenaway; Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief by Alex Gibney; Io, Arlecchino [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Matteo Bini and Giorgio Pasotti; Macbeth (restored version) by Roman Polanski; Pitza e Datteri [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Fariborz Kamkari; 5 Flights Up by Richard Loncraine; Infinitely Polar Bear by Maya Forbes; and Ixcanul Volcano [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jayro Bustamante
film profile] by Jayro Bustamante.

The initiative was presented yesterday by Domenico Dinoia, the president of the FICE, during the celebrations of 30 years of Vivilcinema, the magazine published by the FICE. "The lack of films on offer during the summer months – explained Dinoia – is a problem which has a particularly harsh effect on arthouse film which, as opposed to commercial film, cannot count on the release of the latest American blockbuster. This is why we decided to set up an initiative that would support the release of arthouse films in theatres. This year, the summer offering is more reassuring than in 2014, also thanks to the success at the box office of Italian films screened at the Cannes Film Festival. We hope that distribution companies, independent ones in particular, will break away from market logic, which penalises lesser-known arthouse films in particular, which are crushed by the wave of films released between October and March".  

As well as being an opportunity to present the Arthouse Summer initiative, the celebrations were also an opportunity to present other initiatives being spearheaded by the FICE in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, starting with Italian stories – documentaries in theatres for which 15 documentaries, most of which have been screened at major film festivals, have been chosen to be screened in all associated theatres between June and December 2015. Not only documentaries, but short films too, to which the FICE will be dedicating the sixteenth edition of Short films , what passion, which this year, will bring a selection of seven short films to theatres.

(Translated from Italian)