Italians in Paris
Existing cultural links between France and Italy became even stronger following last Tuesday’s announcement by the French Embassy in Rome of the first Les Italiens festival. Scheduled to take run in Paris as of 23 September 2003, the two-month review is the brainchild of film and stage director Maurizio Scaparro. The idea is to introduce French audiences to various aspects of Italian culture, including its cinema, poetry, literature and theatre.
The section dedicated to film will be held in the Le Latina Cinema in Marais and include retrospectives dedicated to Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini and Ettore Scola; debates about Italy’s most famous comic actors like Alberto Sordi, Totò, Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni); and French actors of Italian origin like Lino Venture, Serge Reggiani and Yves Montand.
The programme is still very much a work-in-progress and it is quite possible that films by contemporary authors may be added to this high profile showcase. In 2002 just 12 Italian films were distributed in France, with rather disappointing box office results. The titles being: The Last Kiss (210.000 tickets sold), Callas Forever [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (200.000), Vajont (70.000), My Mother’s Smile [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (50.000), The Profession of Arms (24.000), Ignorant Fairies (23.000), Nonhosonno (22 000), The 100 Steps (20.000), Angela [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (16.000), Le parole di mio padre (8.000), Alla rivoluzione con la Due Cavalli (7.000) e Una lunga lunga lunga notte d'amore (1.000). However none of the above came anywhere near the outstanding performance of Emanuele Crialese's Respiro [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Since its 3 January release, this film has attracted some 570.000 French filmgoers.
(Translated from French)
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