The Italian Film Festival continues this month at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge and Luna on SX in Fremantle. There’s a good dose of queer films in this year’s program.
Loose Cannons stars Riccardo Scamarcio as Tommaso who has a comfortable life in Rome as an aspiring writer and is in a steady relationship with his boyfriend Marco — a life he has kept secret from his family.
When he’s called back to his hometown in Southern Italy to help run the family business, he decides to reveal his homosexuality to his conservative family and hopefully be relieved of his business obligations in the process. But when his plans are thwarted, Tommaso gets stuck on the path that he was desperately trying to avoid.
In Ozpetek’s playful and heartfelt film, Tommaso isn’t the only one struggling to navigate between la bella figura (a good public image) and his true desires.
See this film at Cinema Paradiso 3:30pm Sunday 14 October.
Ignorant Fairies tells the story of Antonia who has been happily married to husband Massimo for over ten years, living in a chic residential area near Rome.
When Massimo is killed in a car accident, Antonia is grief-stricken and isolates herself from her friends. One day, by chance, she discovers Massimo had been having an affair for the past seven years. Going to the Rome apartment of Massimo’s lover, Antonia discovers not a woman but a man, Michele. Gradually Antonia and Michele find they have more in common with each other than they ever had with Massimo.
See the film at Cinema Paradiso on Sunday 7 October at 3:30pm.
My Big Gay Italian Wedding is sure to get you laughing.
Antonio and Paolo are finally getting married. They decide to celebrate in the stunning old Italian village where Antonio grew up. While Antonio’s mother immediately supports his intentions, her husband Roberto, the town Mayor, is much more reluctant. Paolo, who has not spoken to his conservative mother in a long time, must get her to the wedding as a condition of the marriage. Throw in a couple of wacky roommates and the aisle to the altar is paved with hilarity, hijinks and lots of love!
Alessandro Genovesi’s lively comedy tackles social issues in a unique and unforgettable setting, and explores the obstacles that come with breaking traditions and gaining acceptance.
See this film at Cinema Paradiso on Saturday 6 October at 6:30pm, on Friday 12 October at 8:45pm and on Tuesday 16 October at 8:40pm. Plus it’s screening at Luna SX on Wednesday 17 October at 11:00am.
Plus rush in to see the original version of Suspiria before the new remake is released later this year.
In 1977 Suspiria terrified audiences worldwide. Now, just over forty years later, Dario Argento’s neon-soaked nightmare returns to the big screen in dazzling 4K, showcasing the film’s vibrant Technicolour palette in all its deep red (and green, blue and gold) glory.
Ballet student Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) arrives at a prestigious dance academy in Freiburg, a school plagued by gruesome and supernatural happenings. Soon students begin to die in horrific circumstances – is Suzy next, and can she uncover the academy’s sinister secret before it’s too late?
Italian horror auteur Dario Argento’s visionary symphony of terror, Suspiria abandoned the traditional conventions of giallo in favour of a witchy brew of magic and mystery. A ground-breaking masterpiece beloved for its bravura use of colour and hallucinogenic storytelling, Argento’s masterpiece is the most famous Italian horror film of all time.
Before you see Academy Award-nominated director Luca Guadagnino’s (Call Me By Your Name, A Bigger Splash) hotly anticipated remake, give yourself over to the incomparable beauty and horror of Dario Argento’s Suspiria.
See this film at Cinema Paradiso on Wednesday 17 October at 6:30pm or catch the screening at Luna SX at 7:00pm.
OIP Staff
