Chapter Arts Centre will be home to a celebration of some of the quirkiest Italian films around this November
Photo courtesy of Montse Monmo on Unsplash
Offbeat Italian cinema has found a home in the Welsh capital for the fifth year running, as the Italian Film Festival Cardiff (IFFC) is due to take place again from 16-19 November.
The festival is dedicated to offering an insight into the culture of independent Italian film here in Cardiff and often serves as a platform for Italian filmmakers and industry workers to showcase their work in the UK.
Luisa Pèrcopo, one of the festival’s artistic directors, feels IFFC is a hotspot for the portrayal of a varied Italy – particularly as this year, she strove to include a number of films in the minority languages found in the country.
The festival’s 2019 programme includes films in the old Venetian language, in Sardinian dialogue, and even in Arbëreshë: the ancient Albanian language found in Southern Italy.
Luisa stated: “The intention of IFFC is to bring to the screens of Wales a dynamic and diverse portrait of contemporary Italy, without hiding its contradictions.”
Fedor Tot, editor of Buzz magazine and a regular attendee of IFFC, believes that the festival is satisfying a need in Cardiff and South Wales for the recognition of independent foreign language cinema.
He said: “The Italian Film Festival is the kind of thing we always need more of – festival directors and programmers willing to take on unique, often ignored films that might otherwise struggle to be seen in the UK and given a home.”
Photo courtesy of Jake Hills on Unsplash
As of this year, IFFC is the only festival celebrating Italian cinema in the UK that will award a prize to both the best film and the best documentary of the competition – which highlights its unique position within UK film festival culture.
IFFC 2019 is shaping up to be an alternative and inclusive event, where the depths of Italian cinema can be shown to audiences here in South Wales.