01/07/2005

For its second edition, the Magna Graecia Film Festival, held in Soverato, Calabria, from the 23rd to the 30th of July, has made a partnership with the Annecy International Italian Film Festival. A committee from Annecy led by the director Pierre Todeschini (also a member of the jury in Soverato) will come to view the films and select some of these first works for the French festival most dedicated to new Italian cinema.

Twelve films will be screened for the public and the jury, headed by Ettore Scola: Il fuggiasco by Andrea Manni, Taxi Lovers by Luigi Di Fiore, La lettera by Luciano Cannito, Saimir by Francesco Munzi, Comunque mia by Sabrina Paravicini, Tutto in quella notte by Francesco Bertini, Nel mio amore by Susanna Tamaro, Provincia meccanica by Stefano Mordini, Te lo leggo negli occhi by Teresa Saponangelo, Un silenzio particolare by Stefano Rulli, Tre metri sopra il cielo by Luca Lucini, and Tartarughe sul dorso by Stefano Pasetto.

During a presentation of the festival, which took place in Rome on the 28th of June, Gianvito Casadonte underlined the financial difficulties met by the festival: "The City of Soverato increasingly believes in this project, but I hope the region Calabria, which has not shown any concern so far, will someday support us. Such a festival is fantastic the region, since these films have never been released in Calabria."

Besides the films in competition (often presented by the directors and actors themselves), three movies will be screened out of competition: Saint Ange by Pascal Laugier, starring Virginie Ledoyen, Gli occhi dell'altro by Giampaolo Tescari, starring Lucrezia Lante Della Rovere, and L'ora della lucertola, a documentary by Mimmo Calopresti about the painter Mimmo Rotella.

(Translated from Italian)