May 20 – As part of the Year of Italy in Latin America, the Italian Embassy in Asunción is promoting Italian cinema in Paraguay and presenting to the Paraguayan public our productions. In the presence of a large and qualified audience, on 9 May, the Cycle of European Cinema was inaugurated with the film “Ida” by Pawell Pawlikowski (a co-Polish-Danish-Italian production winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2015). The Cycle is a now a traditional festival in which Italy participates with several films. “This year – said in a statement the embassy – we presented “La Sedia della Felicità” by Carlo Mazzacurati, a comedy that received great comments from the audience. The other film presented is “L’Intrepido” by Gianni Amelio, which will be screened on June 1.” In June, every Monday, a different Italian film will be screened at the cinema hall of a large shopping center: the films selected are “Buongiorno Papà”, “Il rosso e il blu” and “Il giovane favoloso” In July, there will be a “seminar in collaboration with the Dante Alighieri and the Fundación Cinemateca and Visual Archive of Paraguay – continues the statement – aimed at teachers and students, during which the great classics of Italian cinema will be presented, along with documentaries, that will provide an occasion to look into both the Italian language and the history of Italian cinema, with the help of skilled local film critics.” In September, Italy will be the guest of honor at the International Film Festival. “Our role at the Festival – finishes the statement – will see a concert of film music by the famous jazz musician Mauro Maur, at the Municipal Theatre, and the screening of two films: La Migliore Offerta by Tornatore and Il Capitale Umano by Virzì. Finally, thanks to an agreement signed with the Paraguayan authorities, we are discussing a format that will enable the screening of Italian short films and documentaries on the local public television channel in high definition.” (Red)
