2023 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival

The 2023 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace returns to cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Byron Bay from 19 September, transporting audiences to Italy with a stunning selection of the best in contemporary Italian cinema. Award winning drama, comedies and documentaries will feature, timed perfectly to celebrate the start of spring.

The Festival is thrilled to welcome the wonderful and talented Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer and host Silvia Colloca as the 2023 Festival Ambassador. A great lover of film, Silvia will be talking about her top picks for the festival plus her Italian heritage, and will be in attendance to open the Festival in Sydney and Melbourne.

Opening the 2023 Festival is the exciting drama THE LAST NIGHT OF AMORE (L'ultima notte di Amore) led by Italian superstar Pierfrancesco Favino. The stylish Milan set thriller follows a police lieutenant (played by Favino) who is drawn into a web of crime and corruption on the eve of his retirement and was a major Italian box office hit.

The first of two Special Presentations to be announced is the searing, intense crime story of love and revenge BURNING HEARTS (Ti mangio il cuore). Set in Puglia and shot in stunning black and white, the film features singer Elodie in her first acting role.

Festival Special Presentation CARAVAGGIO’S SHADOW (L'ombra di Caravaggio), is an eagerly anticipated historical drama from writer/director Michele Placido, starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Isabelle Huppert. It explores the struggles of the notorious and brilliant Renaissance painter as he is investigated by the Vatican.

Other unmissable highlights include A BRIGHTER TOMORROW (Il sol dell'avvenire), the latest offering from the legendary Nanni Moretti, which arrives direct from the Cannes Film Festival where it screened in Competition. Featuring an all-star cast, Moretti’s new film is a meta-comedy in which a movie director struggles with his family, art and culture.

Starring Toni Servillo, STRANGENESS (La stranezza) was the Film of the Year at the 2023 Nastro d’Argento Awards and a top box office performer in Italy. Inspired by true events, it follows legendary playwright Luigi Pirandello on a trip to Sicily in the 1920s where he meets a pair of amateur actors – a meeting which brings great surprises.

The full Festival programme will be announced and tickets on sale on Thursday 24 August.

For information and updates, please visit italianfilmfestival.com.au and sign up or follow us on Facebook @ItalianFF and Instagram @ItalianFilmFest for all the latest news.

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