Ciao!
Our love affair with Italian cinema continues in 2024 with the full line-up for this year’s 2024 ST Ali Italian Film Festival finally announced. Sydney will be the first to experience la dolce vita from September 18 with Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Ballina, Adelaide and Perth to follow.
To open the festival is GLORIA! the directorial debut from Italian singer and songwriter Margherita Vicario. The musical tells the story of a maid at a Venetian refuge whose hidden talents help inspire an uprising. Vicario will be visiting Australia as a special guest of the festival for the opening nights in both Sydney and Melbourne.
The centrepiece of the festival is PARTHENOPE, the brand new film from Academy-Award winner Paolo Sorrentino in a decade-spanning romantic drama about a Neapolitan woman named after the mythical siren who gives her name to the city of Naples.
Other highlights of the festival include :
Daniele Luchetti’s award-winning psychological thriller TRUST (Confidenza), scored by Thom Yorke of Radiohead, follows a fiery love affair and a dark secret, featuring an all-star cast including Elio Germano, Federica Rosellini and Vittoria Puccini.
Blending elements of film noir, legal drama and investigative mystery, A DARK STORY (Una storia nera) sees a separated family reunite for a child’s birthday, but secrets come to light when the father disappears, and an investigation commences. Also set to thrill audiences is neo-noir drama WE WERE CHILDREN (Eravamo bambini), a captivating combination of revenge thriller and coming-of-age tale featuring a stellar ensemble cast.
BAD CONSCIENCE (Cattiva coscienza) is a playful and fantastical romantic comedy about the divide between passion and reason, in which a man’s conscience must descend to Earth to bring him to his senses, starring Beatrice Grannò (The White Lotus S2).
The famous city is also the focus of documentary AN ODE TO NAPLES (Posso entrare? An Ode to Naples), from Trudie Styler. A fascinating journey into the soul of the city of Naples, it tells the story of the city and its people, its music and the challenges it faces.
Showing with a special event screening in Sydney and Melbourne is THE RISE OF ESPRESSO, a documentary charting the expansion and evolution of the coffee market through a collection of personal stories.
Closing out the festival is Conclave. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci comes a stunning drama adapted from Robert Harris, about Cardinals who meet at the vatican to select a new Pope.
The 2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Melbourne 20 September – 17 October, The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, Cinema Nova
Click here to visit the festival website, purchase tickets and view showtimes.
