from icff

The Italian Contemporary Film Festival, presented by IC Savings, is pleased to reveal its Closing Night Program which includes a tribute to veteran Italian-Swiss filmmaker Silvio Soldini, one of the most acclaimed directors of contemporary Italian cinema. Soldini will receive ICFF’s first Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the veteran filmmaker’s commendable body of work spanning a career of over three decades. Soldini will be in Toronto on July 6 to receive his award and to introduce two of his films at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

ICFF is proud to close the 2013 Festival with the Canadian premiere of Silvio Soldini’s COME UNDONE (Cosa voglio di più), an absorbing, beautifully acted relationship drama about infidelity starring Alba Rohrwacher and Pierfrancesco Favino. In addition, the ICFF will present the North American premiere of Soldini’s FOR OTHER EYES (Per Altri Occhi) a compelling documentary examining how the blind live in a world designed for the sighted.

Silvio Soldini is one of the most acclaimed directors of contemporary Italian cinema. His most decorated films include the 2000 romance comedy Bread and Tulips (Pane e tulipani), which won him international recognition and box office success, and the 2007 drama Days and Clouds (Giorni e nuvole). His first feature, The Peaceful Air of the West (L’aria serena dell’ovest) (1990), represents the revival of New Italian Cinema. One of the heirs of Italian comedy of the 50s and 60s, Soldini has proven himself to be equally adept directing dramatic, realistic films that explore social issues, such as Burning in the Wind (Brucio nel vento) (2001); A Soul Split in Two (Un’anima divisa in due) (1993); and Le acrobate (1997).

Throughout his 30-year career, Soldini has received 11 awards and 14 nominations for his shorts, documentaries and feature films. Born in 1958 in Milan, Soldini’s filmmaking career began in the mid-1980s after returning to Milan following two years in a film studies program in New York.

scene from Come Undone

Artistic Director Cristiano de Florentiis said: “We are delighted to present Silvio Soldini with the ICFF’s first Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the exceptional and inspiring quality of the body of his work. It is a great pleasure to welcome Silvio to Toronto to present him with this award and to feature two of his films on the closing day of our festival.‟

The second edition of the ICFF will kick off on June 26th during Ontario’s Italian Heritage Month, and will run until July 6th in Toronto and Vaughan. Building on the success of the 2012 inaugural edition, the expanded 11-day event will showcase the best in new Italian cinema from around the world and Canada, including 24 feature film premieres. The exciting and eclectic slate of 62 Italian and Italian-themed films and shorts will screen at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and the Royal Cinema in Toronto, and at AMC Interchange in Vaughan.

This year’s slate, 50% larger than the inaugural edition, includes a wide array of genres – from comedies and searing political dramas – to documentaries and shorts, and covers a variety of issues. Other highlights include Opening and Closing Night parties, and international and local guests who will present their films and treat audiences to post-screening Q&A sessions.

For more info on the festival please visit: www.icff.ca