This week at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF), presented by IC Savings, announced our lineup consisting of 180 screenings, including features, shorts and documentaries, of which several are premieres.
This is our sixth edition of a Festival that celebrates the best in contemporary Italian cinema from around the world, taking place June 8th-16th, 2017 in Toronto, Vaughan, Hamilton, Montreal, Québec City and new this year, Vancouver!
ICFF will bring together film enthusiasts with some of the most influential and prolific directors, actors and industry leaders, including Academy Award®-winning director Alan Barillaro and producer Andrea Iervolino, who will participate in a special tribute to celebrate the contribution of Italian-Canadians to the film industry.
From Bello to Beautiful: The Art and Impact of Italian-Canadian Cinema is a dynamic 7-day free-admission screening series of a multitude of inspirational films in honour of Canada and Ontario’s 150th Birthday, opening this celebration with Noelle’s Journey, a documentary by Peter Gentile about two immigrants who left southern Italy for a new life in Canada.
The Future Ways of Living – a documentary by Marcello Ferrara and George Brown University, as well as Il Fiume ha sempre ragione/The River Always Knows, directed by Silvio Soldini, will also premiere at the festival as part of the Bello to Beautiful program. The screening will feature the publisher Alberto Casiraghi and will include a poetry reading by Rob Marra e Lucio Iacobelli.
Italian box office celebrity and superstar Christian De Sica, son of iconic director Vittorio De Sica, will be receiving the ICFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award, joining other screen legends winners Al Pacino, Academy Award® Winner Roberto Benigni and film star Claudia Cardinale. De Sica will also be presenting his latest films, Poveri ma ricchi/Poor but Rich and Fraulein/Una fiaba d’inverno/A Winter Tale.
“This year’s Festival lineup focuses on three aspects of Italian cinema: creating a bridge between the classics, due to the phenomenal presence of film royalty Christian De Sica, welcoming Paola Cortellesi, who will show the importance of women in film as they headline both the opening and closing screenings, as well as celebrating Canada’s 150th by showcasing the incredible contribution of Italian-Canadians to cinema,” said Cristiano de Florentiis, ICFF Artistic Director.
”We believe that ICFF – through the years – has strongly built its reputation within the Canadian audience and this edition is going to represent another great opportunity for the film industry to showcase its best,” said Paul Golini, President of ICFF’s Board of Directors. “ICFF 2017 will definitely shine thanks to its wide range of features, documentaries and shorts selection along with the presence of several protagonists of the film industry here in Canada.”
“The Festival has a very positive impact on Canada’s diverse economy” said Maurizio Magnifico, ICFF Managing Director. “With thousands of ticket sales, as well as the fundamental support of our sponsors, our festival not only aids the economy while supporting local businesses, but also draws international media coverage, visitors and attracts major attention from the film industry.”
ICFF will also honour De Sica’s father, Vittorio De Sica, a four-time Academy Award® winning director with the screening of one of his most brilliant comedies, Matrimonio all’italiana/Marriage Italian style. In conversation with Christian De Sica will also play a main role in the sixth edition of the ICFF, when he’ll openly discuss his work with the audience as well as the prolific productions of his father Vittorio.
ICFF’s opening film is Qualcosa di nuovo/Something New, a vibrant comedy directed by Cristina Comencini, starring Paola Cortellesi and Micaela Ramazzotti. Special guest Paola Cortellesi will be with us, known for her eclectic talent as an actress, singer, voice actress and presenter, and starred in over 20 movies as well as a number of theatrical shows, television and radio shows.
Other special guests of the ICFF 2017 will include Giancarlo Giannini, an Oscar® nominated Italian actor, director and multilingual voice actor who’s created an international reputation for his leading roles in Italian films, as well as for his mastery of a variety of languages and dialects.
The ICFF will also have the pleasure of hosting actor Franco Nero, who was discovered by director John Huston and became famous for his unforgettable role as the lonely gunfighter in Django by Sergio Corbucci and his acting performance alongside Bruce Willis, in Die Hard 2. Giannini and Nero star in The Neighborhood, the latest feature by prolific Italian-Canadian artist and filmmaker Frank D’Angelo and a World Premiere at ICFF 2017. The Neighborhood features Hollywood stars such as Danny Aiello, who will attend the screening with the entire cast of D’Angelo’s movie.
We are also excited for Director Ruth Borgobello to come directly from Australia, presenting to Canadian audiences her movie The Space Between – the first ever Italian-Australian film co-production. There will also be a World Premiere of Jackie and the Ladies: 65 Years of The Ladies’Auxiliary of the CIBPA by Diana Di Mauro.
We’ll close our 9 day festival featuring the film La pazza gioia/Crazy Love, directed by Paolo Virzì, and starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Micaela Ramazzotti, which won the David di Donatello for Best Picture – the equivalent of an Italian Oscar.
Parties
The ICFF is ecstatic to be once again planning our extravagant Opening Party and Closing Gala, now our festival staples. Our glamorous and star-studded events enable us the opportunity to continually expand this cherished reputation. This year, the Opening Party’s at QRC West and the Closing Party’s at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, a soirée dedicated to walking the Red Carpet and rubbing shoulders with celebrity guests.
We’re so excited for the 6th edition of our festival. For movie and party tickets please visit our website at ww.icff.ca. Stay up to date with everything happening with our festival by following us on www.facebook.com/icffcanada, www.twitter.com/icffcanada and www.Instagram.com/ICFFcanada.
