2010 06 06 - IFF - L'ABBUFFATA / THE FEAST

DIRECTOR : Mimmo Calopresti
YEAR : 2007
GENRE : Comedy
RATING : PG
CAST : Diego Abatantuono, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Donatella Finocchiaro, Nino Frassica, Paolo Briguglia

SYNOPSIS
Gabriele, Marco and Nicola are three youngsters, living in Diamante, a small town in southern Italy, who would like to shoot a film. They interview an old lady who recalls the love of her life, a distant cousin of hers who has moved to America and whose return she is still waiting for. They think this a good plot for a film. Neri is a former film director who has shot one successful film and then has retired to Diamante. They ask in vain for his help and then decide to travel to Rome. There, Francesco, a friend of Neri's, unwillingly accommodates them and they end up getting involved in television show business rather than cinema. However, they meet Amelie, a French girl, who seems to be interested in their film idea and tells them she will mention it to Gerard, her fiancé, who actually turns out to be Gerard Depardieu.

2010 06 06 - IFF - BAARIA

DIRECTOR : Giuseppe Tornatore
YEAR : 2009
GENRE : Drama
RATING : M18 (Scenes of intimacy and some nudity)
CAST : Enrico Lo Verso, Beppe Fiorello, Giorgio Faletti, Aldo Baglio, Francesco Scianna, Salvatore Ficarra, Valentino Picone, Raoul Bova, Laura Chiatti, Vincenzo Salemme, Nino Frassica, Leo Gullotta, Nicole Grimaudo, Spiro Scimone, Enrico Salimbeni, Gabriele Lavia

SYNOPSIS
Giuseppe Tornatore directed this grand-scale portrait of life and love over several decades in a small town in Sicily. The Torrenuovas are a family of peasant shepherds who have lived and worked in Bagheria through many generations. In the years before the rise of Mussolini, the family often worked for Don Giacinto, a local tycoon who often used his power and position to take advantage of others. Young Peppino Torrenuova senses a profound injustice in the way Don Giacinto treats his elders, and as the years go by, the young man becomes a passionate advocate for social change. Once a grown man, Peppino falls in love with the beautiful Mannina and they get married, starting a family of their own over the objections of her parents, who believe she can do better.
As Peppino throws in his lot with the local Communist party and works to make life better for his fellow peasants, we see a number of important historical events through his eyes and watch the fortunes of his town and his family rise and fall.