The Washington, DC International Film Festival
The Washington, DC International Film Festival, in its 28th Edition, is an annual event that showcases a wide range of extraordinary new films from around the globe. The festival has become a prominent showcase for filmmakers to show their works to the knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience of our nation’s capital.
Italy is participating to this year’s edition with six movies:
A Five Star Life by Maria Sole Tognazzi (Italy – 85 mins)
The Mafia Bookkeeper by Federico Rizzo (Italy – 71 mins)
The Mercury Factor by Luca Barbareschi (Italy – 95 mins)
Monk With a Camera by Tina Mascara, Guido Santi(USA, France, India, Italy – 90 mins)
Still Life by Uberto Pasolini (UK, Italy – 87 mins)
Viva la Libertà by Roberto Andò (Italy – 94 mins)
MORE INFO/SCHEDULE/LOCATIONS
FILMFEST DC OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE
Italian Movies Screenings Schedule HERE
ITALIAN FEATURED SCREENINGS:
A FIVE STAR LIFE
Viaggio Sola by
MARIA SOLE TOGNAZZI
Italy, 2013, 85 minutes, digital, Color, official site
In Italian with English subtitles
Working in the quality assurance business offers no assurance that your own life will be high quality. Irene (Margherita Buy) travels to the most luxurious hotels and resorts in the world as a mystery guest, secretly rating the quality of service and then providing the companies with a detailed report. Although that profession may sound glamorous, it’s really just a job, and all the global traveling — to Paris, Tuscany, Gstaad, Morocco, and other locales —leaves little time for Irene to work on herself. Approaching middle age, Irene watches her sister’s family from the sidelines. Then her ex announces that he’s having a child with his new girlfriend, after not wanting children with Irene. While in Germany, Irene meets Kate (Lesley Manville), an unconventional English anthropologist on a book tour. Their conversation finally moves Irene to examine the quality of her own life much more closely.—Dave Nuttycombe
SCHEDULE/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
THE MAFIA BOOKKEEPER
by
FEDERICO RIZZO
Italy, 2013, 71 minutes, digital, Color
In Italian with English subtitles
Poor Angelo! When he’s laid off from his job one day, he drives to Monte Carlo to gamble his worries away and ends up losing all his money. While the other gamblers laugh at him, Angelo is “rescued” by a mysterious gentleman who won’t take no for an answer. Suddenly, Angelo (Lorenzo Flaherty) is whisked all over Italy and to New York, Miami, South America, and around the world, working his way up the ladder as the new bookkeeper for the Mafia. Along the way, he gets some good advice: “Honest men are always happy.” However, he’s also told repeatedly that no one ever gets out. A job in the mob is for life—and death—but Angelo has a plan. Can he live long enough to see it through? Director Rizzo keeps the action moving through the many stylish locations, with quick cuts and a sprightly spy soundtrack.—Dave Nuttycombe
SCHEDULE/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
THE MERCURY FACTOR
by LUCA BARBARESCHI
Italy, 2013, 95 minutes, digital, Color
Luca Barbareschi directed, co-wrote, and stars in this thriller as Matteo, a suavely cynical operator who “sells everything to everyone everywhere.” What he mostly deals in is adulterated food. As with drugs, adding chemicals to food can artificially increase its volume, and thus profit. Matteo’s ruthlessness brings him to the attention of Mr. Feng (Kenneth Tsang), CEO of the conglomerate responsible for much of this criminal trafficking. Feng puts Matteo in charge of plans to cash in on Africa’s rising population through sales of substandard milk formula. Celebrating his new position of power, Matteo meets chef Jiazhen (Jingchu Zhang), whose son died after eating contaminated food. As he falls in love with Jiazhen, Matteo begins to question his actions, but pressure inside the company keeps pulling him deeper into the game. Can love truly change a man’s heart? And if Matteo told Jiazhen the truth, could she forgive him?—Dave Nuttycombe
SCHEDULE/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
MONK WITH A CAMERA
by
TINA MASCARA , GUIDO SANTI
USA, France, India, Italy, 2013, 90 minutes, digital, Color, official site
Perhaps no one possesses a more beguiling or disarming laugh than the Dalai Lama. To be in his presence and hear his laugh must be truly overwhelming. Such is the case for Nicholas “Nicky” Vreeland, sitting in a nondescript hotel room in Long Beach, California, across from His Holiness (and Richard Gere), as the Dalai Lama laughs and makes a request of Nicky that will change the course of his life. So why is Nicky, who is the grandson of fashion icon Diana Vreeland and was once on the path of becoming a high-powered photographer, now in this position? This enthralling documentary grants us intimate access to Nicky and his spiritual journey. We see behind the curtain of Tibetan Buddhism and inside the heart and mind of a man whose every step takes him further away from a seemingly preordained life and toward another.—Palm Springs International Film Festival
SCHEDULE/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
STILL LIFE
by
UBERTO PASOLINI
UK, Italy, 2013, 87 minutes, digital, Color, official site
Who remembers us when we’re gone? And what of the poor souls whose passing isn’t noticed by anyone? These big questions underscore writer/producer/director Uberto Pasolini’s delicate drama of loss and remembrance, Still Life. John May (the always-reliable Eddie Marsan) lives a solitary life working in the euphemistically named South London local council office’s Client Services—which means he’s responsible for tracing the relatives of those who’ve died alone. He’s dedicated to the job, arranging proper funerals for those whose kin can’t be found and even attending them—usually as the only mourner. When the man across the street from his council flat dies, it gives him a glimpse of his own mortality, particularly when he meets the man’s estranged daughter (the luminous Joanne Froggatt, from “Downton Abbey”). Full of lovingly rendered details and knowing character moments, Still Life is a modern fable that will resonate for all.—Eddie Cockrell
SCHEDULE/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
VIVA LA LIBERTÀ
by
ROBERTO ANDÒ
Italy, 2013, 94 minutes, digital, Color
In Italian with English subtitles
It’s always fun to watch politicians tell the unvarnished truth—because that so rarely happens. Italian opposition party leader Enrico Olivieri (Toni Servillo) is far too burdened by sinking poll numbers to dare speak honestly. After a public speech where angry hecklers do more talking than he does, Olivieri leaves a vague note and simply disappears into the night. His chief of staff Andrea (Valerio Mastandrea) is left to keep the campaign going. Andrea desperately turns to the only person who can fill Enrico’s shoes, Enrico’s twin brother Giovanni. A haiku-quoting philosopher, Giovanni is under a doctor’s care and on prescription medication, but he’s still the best option available. As Giovanni becomes a darling of the press and the public for speaking openly, Enrico returns to a woman he knew years ago and confronts the secrets of his past. But how long can everyone’s charade last?—Dave Nuttycombe
SCHEDULE/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
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