Grazie, the Italian film festival comes to Hamilton
The Italian film festival is coming to the Lido cinema in Hamilton from October 8 – October 21.
Paulo Rotondo and his partner Renee Mark have spent the last ten months collating 27 widely ranging Italian films for the Italian Film Festival, which covers thirty cinemas across Aotearoa.
Now it’s Hamilton’s turn.
Rotondo is a New Zealander of Italian descent who came to Aotearoa when he was twelve years old but still sees himself as a proud Italian.
He feels that people are drawn to Italian cinema as the Italians have an amazing ability to make the most mundane things seem extraordinary, a different pathos and narrative to film from other countries.
A career in the film industry as a director, writer and actor of stage and screen has given Rotondo the experience required for staging this festival. As the manager of the Lido cinema Nigel Corboy said, “I like working with Paulo because he’s a really nice guy and knows his stuff.”
Rotondo highly recommends Paulo Sorrentino’s film La Grazia which he said is,” amazingly thoughtful with a lot of philosophical, ethical questions and beautiful photography.”
Executing the festival has had its challenges logistically with the Hamilton festival opening on Thursday and the Wellington festival opening on Friday.
Rotondo and Mark feel that one of the great strengths of the Italian Film Festival is the intimacy, “we come out to meet the audience and give the festival a personal touch.”
From the glamour of Turkish Italian director Ferzan Özpetek’s film Diamonds, to the gritty neo-realism of Gabriele Salvatores film Napoli – New York and the classic Sergio Leone film Once Upon a Time in the West, all appetites for Italian film will be filled.
Tickets are available here:
Follemente
