SCREENINGS

ONE KISS

Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! ONE KISS (UN BACIO), 2016, TLA Releasing, 102 min. Dir. Ivan Cotroneo. With its themes of homophobia and bullying in school, this coming-of-age drama about three teen outcasts could not be more timely. Withdrawn basketball player Antonio (Leonardo Pazzagli), promiscuous Blu (Valentina Romani) and flamboyantly gay Lorenzo (Rimau Ritzberger Grillo) band together against the taunts of schoolmates – until a kiss shatters their unity. In Italian with English subtitles.

SUBURRA

Los Angeles Premiere! SUBURRA, 2015, Netflix, 130 min. An ambitious plan to turn waterfront property in a Roman suburb into an Italian version of Las Vegas brings together a motley assortment of Mafiosi and political bigwigs in director Stefano Sollima’s crackling crime thriller. As Berlusconi’s government crumbles and Pope Benedict XVI abdicates, everything seems up for grabs; hard-boiled performances (from a cast including Pierfrancesco Favino, Claudio Amendola, Alessandro Borghi and Greta Scarano) along with several bravura sequences underline the noirish moral vacuum. “This is straight-ahead mob action, a vision of crows pecking each other to death when they’re not feasting on the corpse of ‘Bunga Bunga’ Italy. It’s carried off with a great deal of flair.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian. In Italian with English subtitles.

Program begins with the Italian short “Manhunt” (2016, 5 min. Dir. Brando Bartoleschi). Introduction by ONE KISS director Ivan Cotroneo.

PERFECT STRANGERS

Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! PERFECT STRANGERS (PERFETTI SCONOSCIUTI), 2016, True Colors, 97 min. Dir. Paolo Genovese. At one time or another, we’ve all been to a dinner that was interrupted by someone’s phone – but what if everyone there got to hear the call? That’s the ingenious premise behind this David di Donatello winner for Best Film, where seven friends gather and play a party game in which the secrets (and tensions) escalate. Kasia Smutniak, Alba Rohrwacher, Marco Giallini and Valerio Mastandrea are among the talented ensemble cast. With its finger firmly on the pulse of the universal fear of exposure, PERFECT STRANGERS has become a sensation in Italy and has been sold internationally. In Italian with English subtitles.

INDIVISIBLE

Los Angeles Premiere! INDIVISIBLE (INDIVISIBILI), 2016, True Colors, 100 min. Dir. Edoardo De Angelis. Winner of four awards at the Venice Film Festival, this unusual drama follows sisters Daisy and Viola (Angela and Marianna Fortuna), who really are “indivisible” – they were born as Siamese twins. Blessed with fine voices, the two are hired out by their parents as singers until a doctor tells them they could be separated. “Side-stepping what could have been a cheap, morbid peek into the lives of two beautiful teenagers who were born joined at the hip, INDIVISIBLE strikes out on its own path, sounding an exhilarating note of freedom.” – Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter. In Italian with English subtitles.

Program begins with the Italian short “How To Save Your Darling” (2016, 6 min. Dir. Leopoldo Caggiano). Introduction by PERFECT STRANGERS actress Kasia Smutniak and INDIVISIBLE director Edoardo De Angelis.

THEY CALL ME JEEG

Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! THEY CALL ME JEEG (LO CHIAMAVANO JEEG ROBOT), 2015, Uncork’d Entertainment, 112 min. Gabriele Mainetti’s feature directorial debut gives a distinctive Italian twist to the superhero movie. On the run through the slums of Rome, small-time crook Enzo (Claudio Santamaria) winds up in the Tiber River, where contact with toxic waste gives him extraordinary powers. Though Enzo is content to use his new strength to break into ATMs, an attractive young woman (Ilenia Pastorelli) and a maniacal crime boss (Luca Marinelli) have different ideas. Winner of seven David di Donatello awards.  In Italian with English subtitles.

FIORE

Los Angeles Premiere! FIORE, 2016, Rai Com, 109 min. Dir. Claudio Giovannesi. Already in a group home, Daphne Bonori (Daphne Scoccia) is sent to a juvenile prison after she’s arrested for theft. On the men’s side of the prison, Josh (Josciua Algeri) also is serving time; though separated by bars, the two fall in love. “Very smoothly directed by Claudio Giovannesi (ALI BLUE EYES), making his third feature, the movie provides a magnetic showcase for newcomer Daphne Scoccia (who appears in every scene).” – Ben Kenigsberg, Variety. In Italian with English subtitles.

Program begins with the Italian short “Ningyo” (2016, 8 min. Dir. Gabriele Mainetti). Introduction by They call me Jeeg director Gabriele Mainetti and Fiore director Claudio Giovannesi.

SUMMERTIME

Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! SUMMERTIME (L’ESTATE ADDOSSO), 2016, Rai Com, 103 min. This engaging drama from director Gabriele Muccino (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS) follows former classmates Marco (Brando Pacitto) and Maria (Matilda Lutz) as they travel from Rome to San Francisco, where a mutual friend has arranged for them to stay with a gay couple (Taylor Frey and Joseph Haro). “SUMMERTIME contains a coming-out drama of moving complexity. The film flows effortlessly between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ drama – and part of its message is that the moment you’ve made that distinction, you’ve fallen into the trap of the old bigotry.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety. In English.

THE LAST WILL BE THE LAST

Los Angeles Premiere! THE LAST WILL BE THE LAST (GLI ULTIMI SARANNO ULTIMI), 2015, True Colors, 103 min. Better known for comedy, director Massimiliano Bruno also proves adept at drama with this adaptation of his play about how precarious the work-life balance can be in today’s economy. Paola Cortellesi revisits her stage performance as Luciana Colacci, whose simple life with her husband (Alessandro Gassmann) is thrown into disarray after she is fired for becoming pregnant. With Fabrizio Bentivoglio. In Italian with English subtitles. Introduction by SUMMERTIME director Gabriele Muccino.

LIKE CRAZY

Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! LIKE CRAZY (LA PAZZA GIOIA), 2016, Strand Releasing, 118 min. Director Paolo Virzì (HUMAN CAPITAL) and his two lead actresses all won well-deserved Nastri d’Argento awards for this delightful dramedy. Donatella (Micaela Ramazzotti) and Beatrice (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) are both patients at a psychiatric hospital and unlikely friends – the former withdrawn, the latter manic. When a van is late to pick them up from their jobs at a local nursery, the two board a bus and embark on a road trip that is by turns amusing and touching. “A terrific comedy-drama about two women in a mental institution that avoids the pitfalls such a scenario could encounter and boasts delicious dialogue with a rare sense of balance.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety.
In Italian with English subtitles.

ITALIAN RACE

Los Angeles Premiere! ITALIAN RACE (VELOCE COME IL VENTO), 2016, Fandango, 118 min. Dir. Matteo Rovere. After the death of her father, responsibility for a younger brother and the family’s debt-plagued auto-racing business falls on the shoulders of 17-year-old Giulia (Matilda De Angelis). An aspiring Gran Turismo racer herself, Giulia reaches out to her older brother (Stefano Accorsi, playing superbly against type), a once-promising driver now mired in drug addiction. Based on a true story, this inspiring sports drama offers both well-drawn characters and exciting action.
In Italian with English subtitles.