By Alberto Macchione
Europa! Europa! is an annual film festival running from 19 February to 19 March, showcasing some of the finest filmmaking talent from across the continent.
This year, organisers are presenting 43 films from 22 countries, with screenings taking place in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart and Auckland.
Among the highlights are eight Italian films, including Below The Clouds (Sotto le Nuvole), a documentary portrait of Naples that captures fragments of the daily lives of the people who live and work in the city.
The festival also features a special retrospective dedicated to legendary Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni. Included in the program is L’Avventura (1960), widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the film launched both Antonioni and his muse Monica Vitti to international acclaim.
Festival audiences will also have the opportunity to see La Notte, considered one of Stanley Kubrick’s favourite films. The cinematic masterpiece reunites Antonioni and Vitti and stars Marcello Mastroianni in a leading role.
Completing the celebrated trilogy is L’Eclisse, starring Alain Delon opposite Monica Vitti. The retrospective also includes Antonioni’s first colour feature, Red Desert (Il Deserto Rosso), which follows Vitti’s character through a profound psychological decline against the backdrop of industrial alienation.
Melbourne audiences will also be able to enjoy Pierfrancesco Favino in the comedy My Tennis Maestro, while the rural drama Trifole completes the Italian selection featured at this year’s festival.
Session times and ticket information for Europa! Europa! are available online, with screenings taking place across major cities throughout Australia and New Zealand.
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