A comedy based on the search for the perfect actors to play “Romeo and Juliet”, the famous tragedy written by William Shakespeare, marked the opening of the 19th edition of the Italian Film Festival in Brazil.
The film “Romeo è Giulietta” (“Romeo and Juliet”), directed by Giovanni Veronesi, was shown at the event’s launch party, at the Ibirapuera Auditorium, in São Paulo, with actress Giovanna Antonelli as master of ceremonies and the presence of the consul general of Italy in the capital of São Paulo, Domenico Fornara.
“It is a great opportunity to promote Italian culture, and the most important thing is that this is a team effort, of the entire Sistema Italia and of many very important Italian companies,” Fornara said in an interview with ANSA.
The event is organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce of São Paulo (Italcam), with support from the Embassy, consulates and Italian Institutes of Culture, as well as the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, and is part of the celebrations for 150 years of immigration that unite the two countries.
“This is the last major event during this year of celebrations, a good way to conclude a very important year full of meetings,” added Fornara, recalling the visits to Brazil by the president of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, and ministers from the government of Giorgia Meloni – the prime minister will also come to the country for the G20.
Until December 8, the festival will make 32 films from the “Belpaese” available for free, with a selection of 17 contemporary features and a retrospective with 14 classics to pay homage to Italian comedy, from “Totò to Roberto Benigni”.
The works will be shown in more than 80 cities and 120 movie theaters, cultural centers and university film clubs throughout Brazil and will also be available via streaming on an online platform.
“It is a great joy to be able to celebrate the 19th edition of this festival that has grown so much. I am very grateful for all of this,” Erica Bernardini, director and curator of the event, told ANSA.
Among the highlights of the exhibition are the films “Toquinho: Encontros e um Violão”, directed by Bernardini herself and which narrates the Brazilian artist's connection with Italy, and “Io, Capitano” (“I, Captain”), by Matteo Garrone, about two brothers who undertake an epic adventure to leave Senegal for Europe.
The opening film, “Romeo and Juliet,” tells the story of a renowned theater director in search of the perfect actors to perform Shakespeare’s play. Vittoria, played by Pilar Fogliati, is a young actress rejected due to accusations of plagiarism, but who, with the help of a makeup artist friend, assumes a male identity and lands the role of Romeo.
However, playing a man proves to be a challenge both on and off stage, especially when her boyfriend is chosen to play Mercutio, the protagonist's close friend.
“It’s a reinterpretation of a literary classic, with lots of laughter and reflection,” said Bernardini. As in previous editions, the film from the selection of new films that is most watched by the public will be awarded the Pirelli Prize. (HANDLE)
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