Touring of Italian films that will arrive at the Autumn Festival circuit

Prepare for an avalanche of Italian films in the circuit of the Autumn Autumn Festival of Venice.

Seven Italian titles are thrown into North America from Toronto. Seven will lean in Asia from Busan. Four will be screened at the New York Film Festival and six in London.

The most significant aspect of these numbers is probably the fact that the New York Fest selected four Italian films: “Down the clouds” by Gianfranco Rosi, “Duse” by Pietro Marcello, “La Grazia” by Paolo Sorrentino and “The Last for the Road” by Francesco Sossai.

Ah, and the New York Fest will open on September 26 with the star of Julia Roberts by Luca Guadagnino “after the hunt”; Although it is not a film in Italian language, it is certainly an Italian director.

“It is a sign of great resurgence,” says the veteran sales agent Catia Rossi, who directs the international distribution in Piperfilms.

“New York usually only selects an Italian movie,” he says. “Having four titles there really gives us the hope that the US market will be heating for Italian cinema.”

Paradoxically, Taslaught Italian cinema is happening at a time when, as the artistic director of Venice, Alberto, recently pointed out, local producers are holding with distribution problems. More than a third of the 431 characteristics of the country produced in 2024 have not been launched in theaters. More recently, the green light process for Italian films has stagnated as the Government with modifications on tax incentives for local film and television productions.

“It is a really strong moment for Italian cinema at this time,” says Carla Cattani, head of the country’s promotional cinema, Filmitalia. This is partly due to the fact that known directors Paolo Sorrentino and Gianfranco Rosi are premiering their new works simultaneously, as well as the venerated author Marco Bellocchio is tilting his television series “Portobello” in Venice and is also getting play at the festival in other places.

“Portobello” will be in Toronto and Busan, where Bellocchio will be honored with a retrospective.

But the great novelty, says Rossi and Cattani, is that this Italian invasion also includes works by younger directors. A case in question is the debut function of Francesco Sossai, “The Last One for the Road”, which was launched from the certain consideration of Cannes and will go to Toronto, Busan and New York. Then there is the third high feature of Horror Helmer Paolo Strippoli “Holy Boy” (in the photo, above), which will be in Busan and London after its launch of Venice out of competition.

London will also exhibit the extravagant comedy of the second year director of Carolina Cavalli, “the kidnapping of Arabella”, while the family drama Sicily-Set Sicily-Set “Sweetheart” of the first time that Scypinato will be in busan after the launch from Locarno.

“In my 20 years of experience, an Italian presence of this scale at the autumn festivals” has no precedents, “says Rossi.” In the past, we could have had a year when a lot of large cars from Italy had a movie ready, but I’ve never seen so many movies [at fall festivals] representing such rank and diversity in terms of genres and directors. “