Discoveries from Italy World Cinema

William Berger and his wife Carol are the protagonists of this silent film, in which bodies come to the fore and the gaze becomes obsessive.

When a man disappears and leaves a daughter and mother in heavy debt they have to live on a houseboat to make ends meet.

After the death of their industrialist father leaves them each with 49% of his company shares, two quarrelling brothers go to war for the remaining 2%.

Giacomo Puccini's bittersweet opera of high-spirited bohemians and the doomed love between Rodolfo, the idealistic poet and Mimi, the consumptive flower-maker, is a beautifully balanced series of tableaux depicting the infectious joie de vivre of youth and the tragic waste of disease and separation. The legendary and incomparable partnership of Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti as the two lovers has been captured in this special live recording from stage of the San Francisco Opera. Brian Large has adapted Francesca Zambello's production for video, further illuminating the fascinating interaction of Puccini's characters. Gino Quilico sings Marcello, the colorful and moody painter, whose tempestuous relationship with the flirtatious Musetta (sung by Sandra Pacetti), comically mirrors the more profound love of Rodolfo and Mimi. Nicolai Ghiaurov sings Colline.

After spending his entire life in a small town with his elderly aunt, 20-year-old Yuri escapes with Agostino, a children's entertainer who lives on the road in a motor home. Yuri is caught in a whirlpool of love and dependence with Agostino.

Agilulfo is a righteous, perfectionist, faithful and pious knight with only one shortcoming: he doesn't exist. Inside his empty armor is an echoing voice that reverberates through the metal. Nevertheless, he serves the army of a Christian king out of goodwill and faith in the holy cause.

Teo is a Somali boy living in Rome, where his mother works in service to a wealthy family. Friendly and outgoing, the young man immediately befriends Mimma when she moves with her family to the neighborhood. Years pass and Mimma begins to suffer the violent attentions of her stepfather. She tired that decided to run away together with Teo. But the two teenagers are tracked down and Teo is accused of the violence. Only with the help of his friends will he succeed in proving his innocence.

A man leaves suddenly. Two men chase him. A woman in black and white. The landscape – the one outside and the one inside of the characters – takes over. Landscape of images and words.

Anna Tredicesimo, wife of Luigi Tredicesimo of Santa Ninfa (Trapani), introduces herself to the private investigator Lionel Lionelli and instructs him to recover some red briefs, purchased by her jealous husband in Paris, and lost by her during a loving meeting with the heartthrob fetishist Gianni Agazzi. Lionel, recommended by his friend ten. Sheridan, begins the research and chases the panties from Agazzi to Lola Lola Bis, a stripper, and from this to Iolanda, Ennio's girlfriend, member of Hell's Angels. Lionelli, a bungler by nature, finds the path difficult and also dangerous because, as he will learn very late, a microfilm with a secret chemical formula is hidden in the briefs and, consequently, his steps are constantly followed by men of the boss Goran , master of Titan.

Stage recording of an Italian adaptation of Neil Simon's 'The Star-Spangled Girl'.

The plan of a rich criminal to avoid a trial by expatriating involves many characters.

Danae, a woman who came from the sea is a beautiful blonde girl at the center of a spy story during the second world war. In Gibraltar, Italian and British divers perform mutual sabotage actions. The secret agents, on the other hand, face off on the mainland and the Italian spies have the best thanks to the girl's intervention.

A series of incidents involving aircrafts belonging to NATO nations indicates a systematic sabotage.

Bodybuilder Ed Fury stars as the legendary Ursus in this above-average sword-and-sandal adventure from veteran director Carlo Campogalliani. The plot concerns Ursus' attempts to rescue his kidnapped fiancee, aided by a pretty blind slave girl. Now an evil queen, Ursus' former love throws him into a gladiatorial arena with a bull, which manages to smack the slave girl in the head and restore her eyesight before Ursus defeats it and his enemies. The bullfight is particularly well-staged, and this exciting spectacle may be the highlight of Fury's erratic screen career. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

A romance between a student of a college of high class and a cadet of the nearby Naval Academy.

In 1944 Tuscany, a group of boxers struggling through World War II stages rigged matches to earn money and travel, accompanied by a missing black American soldier and a girl resisting marriage, as they navigate the challenges of their war-torn world.

An old lady lets herself go with the stories of a sprightly old man, sitting next to her. But when she reveals that she is married, he waves her confused and goes away. The gentle goodbye she returns back reveals who is she actually married to.

A team of doctors sets out through a steamy African jungle to check an outbreak of sleeping sickness.

A couple having marital problems goes on holiday around Corsica. At their vacation home they're haunted by disturbing ghostly visions of a young girl.

A deadly manhunt takes three people through the sordid streets of the Philadelphia underworld, in search of killers and the truth, where every clue brings new questions.

To inherit a fortune, all Robert has to do is reopen a delapidated theatre and stage "Hamlet". Unknown to everyone else, Robert witnessed a murder in that theatre as a child... and the murderer is one of the cast.

In the words of the director, a movie about 'the colonizers in the view of the colonized', the movie presents a series of disconnected happenings throughout Europe and Brazil emphasizing the perception of human life as trance-like experiences and thus offering a view of the human history as a connection of symbolic behavior.

The three Sarracino siblings haven’t seen each other in 10 years. Ray, the youngest, has finally managed to bring his two sisters - Michelle and Miriam - to Italy, where he lives with Renzo, who is a recognized artist. Their grandmother confided to Ray that Miriam is a bit "strange" again lately and that maybe a holiday could be good for her. Miriam’s arrival brings a strange atmosphere to the house. When Miriam reads an old self-help book stolen from a bookstore, she is convinced that she is really connected to a greater force. Her enthusiasm attracts the attention of Renzo’s eccentric aunt, Carlotta, who tries to organize a group of followers around her. Soon Ray, Renzo and Michelle are catapulted into the phenomenon of "Santa Miriam". While Renzo is increasingly entranced by Miriam’s teachings, Ray and Michelle are weirded out by her newfound popularity. Finally, Miriam ends up in hospital firmly convinced that her illness

The story of a young boy who wants to be part of the great soccer italian team: il Grande Torino.

italian movie

A melodrama about a female lion tamer who has an extramarital relationship with a distinguished gentleman, and then moves in with him. When she later comes to regret her actions, her husband has already died of sorrow.

Two Sicilian royalist soldiers flee the island in a trunk at the arrival of Garibaldi's republican troops. They end up in the Far West with the army fighting the Indians and with their ineptitude they contribute to the army's defeat.

"Marx can wait" was something Camillo Bellocchio said to his twin Marco the last time they met before the former died at a young age in the heated days of 1968. This documentary is dedicated to his memory.

In order to persuade the Emperor to spare his village, the mighty Ursus is forced to fight the greatest gladiator in Rome in the Roman Arena.

Nino is a pianist, he runs into Valentina in the underground and falls for her. Valentina is rich but she tells nothing to Nino who is proud. Andrea was the boy of Valentina before Nino and wants to marry her for her money. Nino leaves Valentina when he finds out that she is rich while Andrea, turned down again, kidnaps Valentina.

Claudio is married to Cesarina, a frivolous and unfaithful woman. After the death of their only son their marriage is cold. While his wife lives her free life, Claudio is dedicated to the development of sophisticated weapons, elaborating the project of a new cannon; but smitten by the virtuous Jew Rebecca he can not surrender to his feelings because his religion prevents him from getting a divorce.

Quite a few decades ago, the Italian immigrants in this movie came to live in the Venezuelan countryside. They have settled in a region dominated by a crusty local aristocrat, and over the years they have had many encounters with him. It is finally time to take stock of their successes and failures and to decide whether to remain in Venezuela or return to Italy. The immigrant family is headed by a strong-willed and very earthy woman, and her evolving relationship with the aristocrat determines the outcome of their deliberations.

A comedy of misunderstandings caused by words. Walter Chiari is a stage actor who tries to cash a check at a public office.

Journalist Mike Harway decides to help his friend Christine in her search for her father, professor Baker, who mysteriously disappeared. The investigation brings them to Africa where they are captured and brought to the El Faium abandoned fort. It now hosts a laboratory designed by the twisted mind of Devilman, who dreams of swapping his natural brain with an artificial one that will make him perfect.

A shy 17-year-old girl playing classical piano discovers soul music through a strange friendship with an old rocker in a summer that will change her life.

Gemma and Benny, two children, end up meeting the White Wizards of Maga Feliza's school and the Black Wizards of Master Badabè's school.

Cora is a 19-year-old woman who has recently returned home for a gap year.  Her father is the mayor of Bucco, a town whose livelihood depends on the tourism of Christians who believe in the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.  While busy organizing the celebration of the Virgin of Bucco, an annual event that attracts numerous pilgrims, Cora notices a mysterious man whose presence will slowly rupture the tranquility of the town and her nascent adulthood.

At the Rome airport two men are taken into custody. Inspector Scott Luce thinks their two suit-cases are full of drugs, but the suit-cases contains only white powder. Afterwards the corpse of Susan Palmer is found. She was a drug runner for the Cosa Nostra boss Frankie Agostino. Susan's friend, Jenny Ryan, meets a mysterious man from America, Arthur Ardigan, supposedly her cousin. In the meantime Inspector Luce is investigating.

The story of a drug dealer from Romania and his son in Rome's suburbs.Roman is an immigrant from Romania arrived in Italy 30 years ago. He sells drugs and lives in criminal contexts. His dream is to see his child, Nicu, whom he raised without a mother, live a different and better life.

Stella works in a restaurant in Rome. She feels frustrated about her life. In spite she has turned 40, she dreams of a film career.

Beni is an Albanian who came clandestinely to Italy with the mirage of a career as a dancer. He will find himself the victim of a scam, performing in second-rate shows and almost a prisoner of an organization bordering on legality. He will overcome a thousand difficulties thanks to his determination, his passion for dance and his love for a dancer who seemed unattainable.

The story of a newly married couple intersecting with three more stories.

It often happens that at the moment of death, transgender individuals are shorn of their identity. Their families are ashamed, the funeral takes place in secret, and on the tomb appears the name the deceased had before their transition, in one stroke nullifying the entire life path they had chosen. The same thing happened to Antonia. Her girlfriends gather to honor her memory and give her back her identity denied. In telling her story, the film’s stars, all drawn from the variegated transgender world, interweave the narrative with tales of their own lives, experiences, and memories.

While desperately looking for a change, the 40yo Anna - a bored housewife - decides to start gambling. Luck is not on her side though: she loses everything she had, she's almost broke. Caught up by a moment of madness, she steals her daughter’s lifetime savings. She even pawns her own car - , she’s willing to do anything to try to win… Her only wish is for her lotto number to be the winning one… She tries, and tries, and tries… Till the day when that lotto number gets drawn - is it the truth or has the gambling driven her crazy and she can’t distinguish between reality and a dream anymore?

Lucia Spinelli, orphaned by both parents, is taken as a housekeeper in the house of Mrs. Carla Parodi, when she reaches the age of majority, the young woman is almost forced to marry Mrs. Carla's brother. After the marriage and the birth of the first child, Parodi's intrusions on the life of the two spouses continue.

Promotional short film for Lancia.

Three sisters, Stella, Luce and Aria, live in an isolated house, immersed in the shadows, submitted by a violent and authoritarian father, a religious fanatic obsessed with the end of the world, who keeps them prisoners behind locks and closed windows, under the pretext that the Apocalypse has finally arrived.

On his way to Africa, Don Pietro, a young missionary priest has his suitcase stolen in the station of Naples. While trying to retrieve his baggage he realizes how miserable the city of Naples is. Then he decides that his mission is there in Naples, He creates his 'The Boys' Town' a shelter for poor kids, aka the 'scugnizzi' (street urchins), with a view to putting them back on the right track. Some of the kids, though, do not play by the rules just using that 'home' as a convenient place for hiding the product of their thefts...

During the Years of Lead in Italy, a student approaches extra-parliamentary terrorist groups, but comes to realize that he has to get away from those circles as he's hunted by both his former comrades and the police.

The movie is about a student in Turin during the 1920s (moved up from the earlier versions) and his love for a a seamstress. The student, Mario, is played by Walter Slezak; the girl Dorina by Carmen Boni. The femme fatale Elena (Elena Sangro) threatens the relationship. When school days end, seen here as a kind of transitory idyll, it is "farewell to youth" as the title states, and a melancholy goodbye to youthful romances as well to allow new lives to take form.

Lincoln Tate and Lorenzo Rineschi are the Kennedy/Connelly brothers who are out to avenge their father's death at the hands of the Crow and his men. In their search, they stumble upon a gold shipment that the bandits are after.

Master Sorran is obsessed by his search for an ancient civilization which, according to legend, holds the secret of immortality. After many years he lights upon the wreck of the civilisation's most powerful starship: the Resurrection. Sorran ignores the dangers and orders his crew to dock. The explorers and Sorran himself will face the mysteries of the Resurrection and the secret of the origins of the dark side.

Naples. Home of the unbowed, of madmen and paupers. A city that refuses to lick anyone's boots, let alone stoop to pretense. This documentary bad trip takes us on a tour of the city's dismal suburbs and into the homes of the marginalized and rejected: a man, a girl, and a masked boxer - three protagonists yearning for something else, although they're not quite sure what. (Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2019)