Emanuele Crialese's Terraferma
For over a decade, the Film Society has been showcasing new Italian cinema in our annual series Open Roads. The lineup for this year's showcase has just been announced, and it is sure to please cinephiles of all tastes. Whether you've been attending Open Roads for years or this is the first you've heard of it, this selection offers the best of what contemporary Italian cinema has to offer.
We've packed 17 magnificent films into a week-long celebration beginning on Friday, June 8. Helping with the festivities will be numerous filmmakers and actors, who will be in person for introductions and Q&As at many of the screenings. Annalisa director Pippo Mezzapesa will be in town to discuss his impressive debut feature. Daniele Vicari will discuss his film Diaz: Don’t Clean Up This Blood, a haunting recreation of the 2001 police raid of the Diaz School during the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa. Audiences of Magnificent Presence are in for a special treat as both up-and-coming director Ferzan Ozpetek and actor Elio Germano will be at the June 8 screening of the paranormal tale.
This year's selection includes a healthy mix of genres. In addition the aforementioned dramas, there are also documentaries, including Dante Ferretti: Italian Production Designer with Ferretti in person. Sci-fi fans should take note of The Legend of Kaspar Hauser and The Arrival of Wang. Luckily the directors will be at both, because you will definitely have question for them after watching these strange and provocative films. If sci-fi isn't quite your thing, perhaps you'd prefer a comedy? You can meet the actors that had you laughing so hard at Step Into Paradise and Escort In Love.
That's not even half of what this year's festival has to offer. With so many great films in the lineup, we just can't fit it all in a few paragraphs! Check out the Open Roads festival page for the full schedule of films playing this year.
The series runs from June 8 – 14. Member priority ticketing is now open and tickets go on sale to General Public on Friday, May 17. Become a Film Society Member today to take advantage of the priority period, not to mention $8 tickets to films in this series and year round in both the Walter Reade Theater and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center! Planning to see a bunch of these exciting new Italian films? Don't miss out on our three-film Open Roads ticket package!
