About Cinema Italiano in Hawai'i
Cinema Italiano in Hawaii is a unique cultural Honolulu event that shares the beauty of Italian cinema and culture with Honolulu's community. Each year, this film festival seeks to share the best in Italian cinema to Honolulu's film lovers, with an eye toward artistic merit, cultural relevance and diversity. Now in its 6th year, Cinema Italiano is the joint project of Istituto Italiano di Cultura San Francisco, Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii, Consolidated Kahala Theatre, Ferrari/Maserati of Hawaii and Movie Museum. These diverse organizations cooperate to form a cultural bridge between Italy and Hawaii: Cinema Italiano 2007 sponsored lectures by visiting Italian directors and performing artists to Oahu public schools. In 2008, in partnership with the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii, the Cinema Italiano Future Filmmaker Award in the amount of $2,000 was awarded to Thomas Takemoto-Chock. We are thrilled to present the premiere of Thomass new short film at Cinema Italiano in Hawaii 2009!
This year, Cinema Italiano in Hawai'i 2009, November 5 - 8, launches in an exciting new venue! Consolidated Kahala Theatre, featuring multiple screens, state-of-the-art technology and convenient ticketing through Fandango, will present Italys best in cinematic art.
The festival proudly presents the USA premiere of Writer/Director Fausto Brizzis MANY KISSES LATER aka Ex. Featuring a cast sparkling with Italy's hottest stars, this sharply observant romantic comedy celebrates the "ex" and what we learn from the break-up of a relationship. Witty dialogue, glamorous settings and Italian charm make this very handsome viewing. MANY KISSES LATER screens on Friday, November 6 at 11:30AM, repeating on Sunday, November 8 at 6:30PM.
THE GIRL BY THE LAKE aka La Ragazza del Lago is an intricate, thoughtful and highly atmospheric murder mystery set in the picturesque Dolomite Mountains that will keep you guessing till the end. The brilliant Tony Servillo stars as inspector Sanzio, who must delve into the carefully hidden secrets of a quiet community to crack a murder case. This winner of 10 David di Donatello Awards screens on Friday, November 6 at 4:30PM, repeating Saturday, November 7 at 9:15PM.
WE CAN DO THAT aka Si, Puo Fare, is a rousing comedy based on true events. Nello, a former trade unionist, uses his managerial skills to transform a cooperative of mental patients into a successful company. Highly original, this hilarious feel-good story won film festival awards around the world. WE CAN DO THAT screens on Friday, November 6 at 7:15PM, repeating on Saturday, November 7 at 11:30AM and on Sunday, November 8 at 4:10PM.
1000 EURO GENERATION aka Generazione 1000 Euro depicts the current plight of Europe's young, who, for the first time, must live at a lower standard than their parents. Eking out an existence on 1000 euros a month, the protagonists of this insightful comedy face job pressures, love and the lure of success in the new world economy. Based on the novel by the same name, this award winner screens Thursday, November 5 at 5:30PM and repeats on Sunday, November 8 at 9:00PM.
GIOVANNAS FATHER aka Il Papa di Giovanna concerns a naïve teacher in 1939 Bologna whose hopes and dreams for his mentally unstable daughter struggle to survive in the Fascist wartime landscape. How does one fit into society when society's order and rules no longer make sense? This compelling drama from great director Pupi Avati screens on Thursday, November 5 at 2:00PM, repeating Saturday, November 7 at 2:00PM.
IL DIVO is a brilliantly stylized dramatization of Giulio Andreotti's remarkable political career. This black comedy delves into the years between 1972 and 1992, when Andreotti served as prime minister, foreign minister, minister of the interior, defense minister and, since 1991, senator for life (he still serves today, at age 90). A blistering indictment of Italy's recent political system, this film reveals, with both outrage and humor, a vast array of skullduggery attributed to "Il Divo Giulio" Andreotti and his associates. This winner of 14 international film awards screens Thursday, November 5 at 8:20PM, Friday, November 6 at 2:00PM and Saturday, November 7 at 4:45PM.
LESSONS IN CHOCOLATE aka Lezioni di Ciccolato
Mattia (Argentero) is a sharp dresser with a nice car and gorgeous girlfriend, and he keeps up his lifestyle by drastically cutting corners in his contracting business in Perugia. When he tries to save 12,000 euros by not using scaffolding, his illegal employee Kamal falls off the roof and ends up in the hospital with his entire upper body in plaster. Kamal has come to Perugia (a city famous for chocolate) to learn to become a chocolate maker. Mattia is confronted with a choice: face the police or stand in for Kamal at an advanced chocolate making course. Mattia cuts off his ponytail, sheds his fancy clothes and smart phone, and learns to make chocolate (and become a better person). This light and breezy comedy was nominated for Best Original Story by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.
Friday, November 6 at 9:30PM and Saturday, November 7 at 7:00PM.
Cinema Italiano in Hawaii is proud to introduce a new short film program for 2009. Sponsored by Slow Foods Hawaii and Whole Foods, this program features delightful stories and mini-documentaries on food and peoples spiritual, sensual and intellectual connection with it. SLOW FOOD SHORTS FICTION is a collection of six short films: "Crapa Pansa" takes us to a Christmas lunch in Piacenza; "Domingo Frango Assado" is a brush with the occult; in "Heterogenic" a mad scientist breeds a special variety of corn; "Nana" is a story of a truffle dog; and in "The Red Gold" a mother tells her child a bedtime story. These treats screen on Thursday, November 5 at 11:30AM and repeat on Sunday, November 8 at 11:30AM.
SLOW FOOD SHORTS "Il Senso della Vite", a comedy about a girl and her collection, is followed by three mouthwatering films that document the production of some of Italys great food products: "Bitto, il Formaggio Perenne" ("Bitto, the Eternal Cheese"); "The Poet of Grappa" and "Portraits from Sicily: the Story of Desserts" which screen Sunday, November 8 at 2:15PM.
Tickets will be available for all screenings through the box office at Consolidated Kahala Theatres and through Fandango. For more information, call 737-CIAO.
