Oscar nominated tale of refugees to open Cork leg of Italian film festival 

A FILM telling the topical tale of two teenage boys from Senegal as they try to get into Europe, which was shortlisted for the best international feature Academy Award, has been chosen to open the Cork leg of a 10-day Italian Film Festival which takes place at the end of this month.

Io Capitano is the opening course of a three-day film feast in the Cork cinema, which sees the festival screen six Italian films, all subtitled in English.

Other films to be shown during the N.I.C.E. Italian Film Festival include Il Primo Giorno Della Mia Via, directed by Paolo Genovese, which tells the story of having the strength to start again in life when everything seems to be falling apart.

Felicità, directed by Micaela Ramazzotti, is the story of a broken family, of selfish and manipulative parents who devour every hope of freedom for their children.

Dieci Minuti, directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi, shows how, in the middle of an existential crisis, doing something new for 10 minutes can change the course of a life, while Palazzina LAF, directed by Michele Riondino, is set in the Ilva Steel Plant in Taranto in southern Italy.

The festival closes on Sunday, April 28, with L’ultima Notte Di Amore, directed by acclaimed Italian actor, writer and director Andrea Di Stefano. It is about a police lieutenant who, on the eve of his retirement, is asked to investigate a crime scene where his best friend has been killed during a diamond heist.

This year’s edition of the N.I.C.E. Italian Film Festival marks its third time in Cork. Screenings will also be hosted in Dublin and Galway during the festival, which is organised by the Embassy of Italy in Ireland, the Italian Institute of Culture, and the Italian Irish Chamber of Commerce.

The Cork leg is organised in collaboration with the Department of Italian in UCC and the Cork International Film Festival. Screenings in Dublin (starting April 25) are in the Light House Cinema while Galway’s Pálás Cinema will host three days between May 3-5.