Munich International Film Festival MIFF

You look for love and support from you nearest and dearest in life as in Film Festivals, so scouring the Munich International Film Festival‘s program for proof that Italy was not forgotten, I felt a little unloved only 5 entries and one of them is suspect.

What did the wise Ladies and Gentlemen of Munich pick for their 2011 film fest?

Barnesy’s Version directed by Richard J Lewis. It has Italian money invested in it so I am claiming it for us, end off !

Il Castello, The Castle directed by Martina Parenti and Massimo D’anolti, not a film I have heard much about, it was seen at Swaziland’s Film Festival in April 2011 otherwise niente.

Et In Terra Pax, And Peace on Earth  directed by Matteo Bofrugno and Daniele Coluccini

Corpo Celeste, Heavenly Body directed by Alice Rohrwacher, she will be receiving 12,ooo euros for the best new talent award ” CineVision Award” last year it went to  Michelangelo Frammartino  for the film ”Le quattro volte”, ”The four Times” they might not be drooling over Italian Films but they are putting their money where their mouth is.

La solitudine dei numeri primi,  The Solitude of prime numbers directed by Saverio Costanzo, Pietro di Daniele Gaglianone

Not a kick in the teeth I grant you, yet I had hoped for a little more exuberance oozing from Southern Germany, close enough to smell our coffee, that’s all I am saying and just look at the love oozing from Moscow International Film Festival 2011.

Gotenburg International Film Festival giff

Gotenburg International Film Festival 28.01.11 to 07.02.11 has this year a great selection of  films. I am please that even a short and a documentary has made it into the program from Italy. .

Pietro directed by Daniele Gaglianone was released in Italy in August ,however it does not appear to have been shown nationwide alas.

Cast : Pietro Casalla, Franscesco Lattarulo,Fabrizio Nicastro,Giuseppe Sanna

Synopsis and review all in one :

Pietro’ is a brilliant tour-de-force by actor Pietro Casella according the skillful and raw plot and direction of director Daniele Granaglione. This desperate, miserable story really makes you touch and somehow feel empathy with the kind characters you usually read in the crime news. Pietro is a boy with a light handicap, whose life is subdued to the addiction of the brother and his problems with drug dealers and street gangsters. He trays to work a straight life of impossible dignity, inhibited more by a sad social role of clown for the brother and friends than by the hard, demeaning work or few perspectives of better life. The performances of the actors are the main thing; details as score and soundtrack sometimes in my opinion border on the Great Cinema, while the desperate story follows a somehow preventable dramatic path. This fine movie deserved a bigger notion at Locarno 2010 Film Festival for sure. Courtesy of ” Man from down under ” Imdb.it

I am so very much looking forward to see this film myself, when it hits the shores of Sicily or even mainland Italy. Small unknown Independent film makers have it difficult here for sure.

La prima cosa bella, The First Beautuful Thing, directed by Paolo Virzì is “SOLD OUT” already and rightly so it was a great film, do check out my previous review of this wonderful touching film.

And Peace on Earch , Et in Terra Pax

Directed by  Matteo Botrugno, Daniele Coluccini

Cast : Maurizio Tesei, Ughetta D’Onorascenzo, Michele Botrugno, Fabio Gomiero, Germano Gentile, Simone Crisari, Riccardo Flammini .

Official synopsis : On the distant outskirts of Rome, crime and drugs tie several parallel stories together which gradually become one. The exchange of a moped for a bit of cocaine brings the plot into focus. Once the main characters meet, they will leave a trail of blood, fire and violence behind them.

Again sadly another film that is doing the rounds of International Film Festivals abroad, while still waiting for a release date  nationally here in Italy. It is tough being an Independent filmmaker,very tough sorry I keep repeating myself while I huff and I puff over missing such interesting films.