Christchurch is the first city to host the Italian Film Festival when it begins its seven month, 15 venue tour of New
Zealand in June.
For the 2019 Festival, director and curator Paolo Rotondo has selected a lineup of comedies, dramas, documentaries and
cherished classics that all have family at their core, infused with the myriad of forms of how ‘famiglia’ shapes
everything in Italian culture.
“For millennia, family has been an important social construct in Italian society and this year’s Festival celebrates
family in all its manifestations. It is perhaps my own perspective, or age and stage, that has allowed me to harvest
this theme from so many films.”
“I believe that the attitudes and values around family remain one of the great cultural assets of Italian society. The
curation this year, is a wonderful exploration of ‘famiglia’ in so many different ways.”
From director Gabriele Muccino’s impressive ensemble piece ‘A Casa Tutti Bene / There’s No Place Like Home’ and ‘Dogman’
from one of Italy’s most exciting filmmakers Matteo Garrone, to Fellini’s remastered classic ‘8½’ and Alessandro
Genovesi’s lively comedy ‘Puio Baciare Lo Sposo / My Big Gay Italian Wedding’’, the Festival has literally something for
everyone in the family.
2019 sees Studio Italia sign on as the Festival’s new principal sponsor.
“Italian cinema has always celebrated design, architecture, style and passion, and at Studio Italia we share those
attributes by representing the finest in Italian furniture design and craftsmanship. Just as cinema can stimulate our
minds and lives, the design of beautiful interior pieces can bring us pleasure and elevate our personal spaces,” says
Studio Italia owner Valeria Carbonaro-Laws.
The Festival will begin its season in Christchurch on 11 June, moving through Nelson, Tauranga, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa,
Arrowtown, Matakana, Cambridge and Taupo before reaching Auckland on 17 September. Wellington follows, with the final
screenings in New Plymouth starting on 8 November.
The 2019 Studio Italia Cinema Italiano Festival will screen in the following centres:
Christchurch 11 - 20 June
Nelson 14 - 28 June
Tauranga 5 - 15 July
Napier 25 - 31 July
Havelock North 30 July - 11 August
Masterton 7 - 12 August
Martinborough 8 - 15 August
Arrowtown 21 - 25 August
Whakatane 3 - 8 September
Matakana 6 -14 September
Cambridge 10 - 15 September
Taupo 13 - 19 September
Auckland 17 - 30 September
Wellington 6 - 18 November
New Plymouth 8 - 14 November
Waiheke Island 9 – 15 January 2020
For cities, screening dates and ticket bookings, see www.cinemaitalianonz.com