Italian FF Voting Slide

Italian Film Festival | U.S. PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Agalma (Greek for “statue” or “image”) beautifully and poetically captures the daily life of one of the most important archaeological museums in the world: the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, a place perpetually torn between the enchantment of the past and the passions of the present. The film premiered at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, Giornate degli Autori. IFF is honored to host its U.S. premiere.

Italian Film Festival | MINNESOTA PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Bruno is a middle-aged film director who finds himself at a point of reckoning. His films largely flop, his marriage recently failed, his two children adoring but unable to rely on him. When he discovers he has leukemia, secrets from his father’s past come to light, and lead the family on a journey of revival. Cosa Sarà is a delicate, touching, funny, uplifting film filled with the best brand of Italian sentiment.

Italian Film Festival | MINNESOTA PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
In the remote hills of the Italian region of Marche, a community of martial arts religious fighters named “Warriors of Light” renounces the world and prepares to save humanity. From acclaimed late filmmaker Valentina Pedicini, Faith offers an immersive, visceral, emotional journey in a mysterious world of sacrifice and doctrine, investigating the profound motivations behind a radical choice. IFF is proud to celebrate late filmmaker Valentina Pedicini and give Minnesota the opportunity to discover her critically acclaimed work.

Italian Film Festival | U.S. PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Patrizia’s life takes place in the dark, 500 meters below sea level. Her entire universe - past, present and future -is contained in just one word: mine. She is Italy’s only female miner and she is about to lead us into her world. From acclaimed late filmmaker Valentina Pedicini, Dal Profondo, filmed completely underground, is a powerful, unique and daring exploration of life inside Italy’s last coal mine. IFF is honored to host the film’s long overdue U.S. premiere as part of our tribute to Valentina’s still widely unknown work.

Italian Film Festival | MINNESOTA PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Odio l’estate reminds us of the golden rules for the ‘perfect’ vacation: never leave without your rubber dinghy, never leave your beloved family dog behind, and -most importantly - never mistakenly book the same summerhouse together with complete strangers. Things could get ugly. Hilarity might ensue! Italy’s beloved, power house comedic trio of Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo reunites yet again to bewitch us with a tale of love, friendship and feelings for the entire family to enjoy.

Italian Film Festival | U.S. PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Rome, 2020. In the midst of the lockdown, against the backdrop of the Italian capital in a state of suspended animation, Elisa Fuksas (protagonist, screenwriter and director) simultaneously faces a recent diagnosis of cancer and forcible separation from friends and family. She decides to capture her days on her phone, to distract herself and to keep herself going. The result is a surprisingly moving ode to life. The film premiered at the 2020 Venice International International Film Festival, Giornate degli Autori. IFF is honored to host its U.S. premiere.

Italian Film Festival | Opening Movie | MINNESOTA PREMIERE | Watch on Thursday, February 25 starting at 12:00PM. You must complete your viewing by 12:00PM on Friday, February 26. Reservations end at 9:00AM on February 26.
Gli Anni Più Belli (The Best Years), a moving and exhilarating portrait of a generation by internationally acclaimed director Gabriele Muccino, tells the story of four friends Giulio, Gemma, Paolo, Riccardo, over a period of forty years, from 1980 to today, from adolescence to adulthood. Their hopes, their disappointments, their successes and failures are the intertwining of a great story of friendship and love set to the everchanging Italian social/political climate.

Italian Film Festival | MINNESOTA PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
When he was six years old, Dario Cavalieri watched the live television broadcast of the Moon landing. Ever since then, he has dreamed of going to the Moon. An homage to the wonders of American science-fiction films, Northern Italian landscapes, and the unique poetry of Italian cinema, Il Grande Passo, led by two wonderful actors, Giuseppe Battiston and Stefano Fresi, celebrates dreamers in an unforgettable way. Battiston and Fresi both received the Best Actor award at the Torino Film Festival 2020, where the film premiered.

Italian Film Festival | MINNESOTA PREMIERE – 4K RESTORATION | Showing February 26-March 4.
Ten years after his death, IFF celebrates Italy’s maestro of commedia all’Italiana: Mario Monicelli. Anna Magnani and Totò, two of the greatest Italian actors of all time, star in this not to be missed comedic gem.

Italian Film Festival | MINNESOTA PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Naples—early 1980’s. Aldo and Vanda undergo a contentious separation, upon disclosure of psycho-sexual infidelity. The fallout weighs heavily on their two children of a tender age. Conflicted in their allegiances, they are caught in a whirlwind of resentment, and left confused by a series of questionable parenting choices. With the backdrop of two of the most beautiful cities in Italy, a tight screenplay, flawless editing, an outrageously talented cast, and exceptional directing, Lacci is unafraid to reveal the dark side of the Italian family. Lacci was chosen by the 2020 Venice International Film Festival as its opening night film.

Italian Film Festival | U.S. PREMIERE | Showing February 26-March 4.
Uncompromising and realistic, Spaccapietre (Una Promessa), a heartbreaking story of fatherly love, denounces societal and human failures in the Southern region of Puglia through the eyes of a young boy, Antò, the only beacon of innocence and hope in an otherwise desperate world of illegally hired and exploited migrant workers. The film premiered at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, Giornate degli Autori, and directors Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio are considered among the most promising new talents of Italian Cinema. IFF is honored to host its U.S. premiere.