May 7 – Nino, an Italian immigrant to Switzerland, obtained a three-month contract as a waiter in a restaurant but was fired and his work permit was revoked. Nino Manfredi played Nino in “Pane e Cioccolata,” a bittersweet comedy about emigration by Franco Brusati. “Pane e Cioccolata” (1973) is, according to the critics, one of Manfredi’s best performances on film: a mix of humor, sadness , pity, and satire alongside Paolo Turco, Gianfranco Barra, and Tano Cimarosa. And now “Pane e Cioccolata” is ready to seduce the public once again. This time overseas: Dalia Events, in partnership with Onni, arrives in Los Angeles for a special screening of the restored version of the film. The occasion is the first stop of the event “Nino! A Tribute to Nino Manfredi,”presented April 10 at the Protomoteca Hall in Rome. The screening, almost sold out, was organized on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the making of the film, and will be hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Linwood Dunn Theater on May 9. The event will be introduced by Erminia Manfredi, Nino’s wife. May 12-16, the tribute will continue at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles with a preview of the photographic exhibition to be opened in Rome in the fall, and a retrospective moderated by journalist Silvia Bizio of “Per Grazia Ricevuta” by Nino Manfredi, “Colpo di Luna” by Alberto Simone, “Operazione San Gennaro” by Dino Risi, “C’eravamo tanto amati” by Ettore Scola and “Pane e Cioccolata” by Franco Brusati. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Lazio Region, the City of Rome, and the City of Castro dei Volsci, in collaboration with Istituto Luce – Cinecitta, Rai Teche, the Experimental Cinematography Centre – National Film Library, the Film Library of the Bologna Academy of Dramatic Arts Silvio D’Amico, the Dante Alighieri Society – Paris Committee.
