Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival, in partnership with the College of Charleston, is proud to announce the 16th edition of the annual celebration of contemporary Italian cinema and culture. The 2022 event is set for Nov. 10-13 at the Queen Street Playhouse, 20 Queen St., downtown Charleston.
“The movies to be screened at the festival this year are wide ranging and include comedies, dramas and documentaries,” says Giovanna Caterina De Luca, professor of Italian and Film and artistic director, Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival. “We will have guest artists from Italy, live performances and students assisting with the programs and interacting with the filmmakers. I’m thrilled we can share with Charleston audiences these critically acclaimed and award-winning movies, all recent releases, including ‘Nostalgia’ by Mario Martone, which will represent Italy at the 2023 Academy Awards as an entry in the International Feature Film Award category.”
Founded in 2006, Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival is the premier event of its kind in the United States, with 13 screenings, presentations by special guests from Italy and a variety of related events, all designed to promote Italian arts, language and culture. No other university organizes an Italian film festival of this scope.
Highlights of the festival include “The Shadow of the Day,” a romantic drama set in charming Ascoli Piceno in the late-1930s, directed by Giuseppe Piccioni part of a new generation of directors who have raised the profile of Italian cinema. Andrea Segre will discuss his film “Welcome Venice,” which he presented at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival. His film is a compelling story about two Venetian brothers who confront the challenges of the tourist industry.
Among its screenings, the festival will offer the documentary “Ennio” by Giuseppe Tornatore, a “painstakingly detailed, fantastically entertaining and profoundly exhausting deep dive into the career of the composer Ennio Morricone” (The Guardian). The evening will include a performance of Morricone’s songs by the Charleston Opera Theatre.