Apr. 14 – Cinema made in Italy holds a leading position in the world. The European Film Festival, held in Prague until April 16 (then featured in Brno April 17-20) is celebrating its 22nd edition, devoting a large portion to Italian cinema: three films will represent Italy. “Senza nessuna pietà” by Michele Alhaique (starring Pierfrancesco Favino, Greta Scarano, Claudio Gioè, Adriano Giannini, and Ninetto Davoli) will be presented thanks to the collaboration with the local Italian Cultural Institute. Alhaique’s film is in good company, with “La mia classe” by Daniele Gaglianone (with the support of the European Union) and the award-winning “La Grande Bellezza” by Paolo Sorrentino. Gaglianone’s film (starring Valerio Mastandrea, Bassirou Ballde, and Mamon Bhuiyan) is set in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Pigneto in Rome, and narrates the collective history of a class of immigrants and foreigners learning Italian. Also set in the capital, Sorrentino’s work won in 2013 the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and stars Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli and Carlo Buccirosso. “La Grande Bellezza,” the Spanish “Hasta la Vista!” by Geoffrey Enthoven and the French “Mood Indigo” by Michel Gondry are part of a special section dedicated to Culinary Cinema, “Film Flavour”, whose program involves the projection in a historic hall of Prague, the Kino Royal, and the subsequent tasting of typical dishes of the film’s country of origin. The festival will also present a series of themed film under the European Year for Development 2015, with the aim of raising awareness among European citizens of the role of the EU in development policies in support of Third Countries. The Festival is organized by the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic, many embassies and cultural institutes, with the support of the Czech Ministry of Culture, the Czech Cinematography Fund, and the City of Prague. (Red)
