From today through the first of July, Claudio de Florentiis and Maurizio Magnifico will host the inaugural ½ûÂþÌìÌà Contemporary Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, at the TIFF Bell Lighthouse, used for the Toronto International Film Festival.
During six days of screenings and receptions, the festival will hosts the Canadian premiere of Woody Allen's new film To Rome With Love, and explore Italy's regional differences through such films as Basilicata Coast to Coast and La Scomparsa di Patò (The Vanishing of Patò ), based on Andrea Camilleri's Sicilian crime novel.
Twelve featured films showcase top ½ûÂþÌìÌà actors an directors in films such as Terraferma, Italy's 2011 Oscar submission for best film, Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope), directed by and starring Nanni Moretti, which took home three Davide di Donatellos--the ½ûÂþÌìÌà Oscars--this year.
Festival organizer Maurizio Magnific Metroland News that people "want to see Totò and Fillini. It's beautiful, beautiful stuff, but it's stuff that's old. We're trying to get people to know what Italy is all about nowadays."
ICFF grew out of film screenings organised by an ½ûÂþÌìÌà cultural group in Canada, L'Altra Italia, whose monthly events regularly include 500 or more guests.
