The National Gallery of Art and the Italian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with New Italian Cinema Events (N.I.C.E), present the movie ” Io, Arlecchino” by Matteo Bini and Giorgio Pasotti.
When Paolo, a well-known TV host in Rome, returns to his hometown near Bergamo to visit his ailing father (an actor who plays the enigmatic character Harlequin, or Arlecchino, in the local theater troupe), he manages to rekindle his own love for the theater and the pleasant rituals of his past. As a contemporary fable, Io, Arlecchino evokes the spirit of a lively and innocent Commedia dell’ Arte performance — in contrast with the pretentious television shows Paolo knows from his current career.
Movie screening will be followed by a discussion with Matteo Bini and Millicent Marcus.
Directors: Matteo Bini, Giorgio Pasotti
Italy, 2015, 90 minutes
Film in Italian with English subtitles
NGA EVENT PAGE: CLICK HERE
LOCATION
National Gallery of Art – East Building Auditorium
6th & Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Entrance on a first-come, first-served basis
ABOUT N.I.C.E.
N.I.C.E. plays an important role in the dissemination of Italian cinema abroad, with particular attention given to Italian younger authors, who are as original as they are often unknown. Over the years, the interest toward Italian cinema has gradually increased, and N.I.C.E.’s rich array of films has been featuring a variety of “genres”: from art-house films to experimental cinema. The mission of this festival is to represent, above all, a showcase for newcomers, but also an opportunity to reaffirm with even greater strength its metropolitan and community identity, while preserving its artistic quality and international connotation.
MATTEO BINI
Born and raised in Italy, Matteo was captured by the magical world of cinema since he was ten, when his father gave him a videocamera to play with. After graduating from film school in Milan in 2004, he started working as an editor for Italian TV channels such as RAI, MEDIASET and SKY. After a couple of years he became a freelance editor and in 2006, he co-founded the production company Oki Doki Film. In 2011, he moved to England to attend a Master Degree in Editing at the prestigious National Film and Television School. Here he profoundly developed his storytelling skills and created strong professional relationships with talented people. He graduated in 2013 with a Distinction and received the Christie Award for Most Promising Student of the Year. His experiences so far have gained him the ability of thinking outside the box. He has worked on both documentary and fiction films always bringing a creative and original approach. Io, Arlecchino (I, Harlequin) is his first feature film as a director. The film was shot in Bergamo (Italy) in the summer 2013 and was released in Italy in June 2015.
GIORGIO PASOTTI
Born in Bergamo, Pasotti started performing martial arts at very young age, practicing karate and kobudo and becoming European and World champion of wushu. A five languages speaker, between 1994 and 1996 he lived in China, where, while studying at the Beijing Sport University, he made his film debut in American Shaolin and appeared in several other martial arts films. Back in Italy, Pasotti continued his film career appearing in art films, blockbusters, television series and commercials. In 2005 he was appointed Shooting Star at the Berlin International Film Festival. The same year, he was nominated at David di Donatello for Best Actor for his performance in After Midnight.