Los Angeles Italian Film Awards & Festival line up

LAIFA FILM FEST 2005 LINE UP ANNOUNCED
April 11 to 14
The 7th Annual Los Angeles Italian Film Awards & Festival (LAIFA) has announced its line-up, including the closing night film, a whimsical romantic comedy, After Midnight (Dopo Mezzanotte). Directed, written and produced by Davide Ferrario, the film stars Giorgio Pasotti, Francesca Inaudi, Silvio Orlando.

The festival kicks-off on April 11 at 8:00 P.M. with the Opening Night Film Presentation 13 At a Table (Tredici a Tavola) a mid-summer night romantic comedy: extremely delightful; charming; very humorous, and most definitely an audience pleaser, directed by Enrico Oldoini and starring Giancarlo Giannini.

The festival then continues right through to April 14, at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood, (6360 W. Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, between Vine & Ivar).

FILM LINE UP 2005:

Monday, April 11 @ 8:00 P.M.
OPENING NIGHT FILM PRESENTATION
13 AT A TABLE (Tredici a Tavola)
Italy 2004 - 100 min. 35 MM U.S Premiere
DIR. Enrico Oldoini
CAST: Giancarlo Giannini, Paolo Bonacelli, Kasia Smutniak, Alessandro Benvenuti,
Angela Finocchiaro, Nicolas Vaporidis.

A romantic comedy that tells the story of Giulio, a divorced middle-aged man, who returns to his family villa in Tuscany in order to arrange the sale of the Villa with his brothers and cousins. The Villa brings back memories of his youth and of the beautiful Anna, relentlessly pursued by all his brothers but ultimately won over by him....

Tuesday, April 12 @ 7:00 P.M.
HOLLYWOOD FLIES (Mosche a Hollywood)
Italy 2004 - 100 min. 35 MM - English - L.A. Premiere
DIR. Fabio Segatori
CAST: Antonio Cupo, Bianca Guaccero, Brad Renfro.

A road trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, where a young Italian brother and sister's journey turns into a terrifying yet exhilarating plunge into an underworld of psychopaths, starlets, crazies and hit-men.

Tuesday, April 12 @ 9:00 P.M.
SARA MAY
Italy 2004 - 90 min. 35 MM - World Premiere
DIR. Marianna Sciveres
CAST: Serena Autieri, Biagio Barone, Vanni Fois, Lucia Sardo

Every film is a miracle in which an illusion becomes reality. The history of Italian Cinema is full of these miracles, where Italians are masters at extracting from the debris of defeat, wreckage and poverty. This is our film1s story: the unusual dream of someone who works the land, a dream which in time becomes reality.

Wednesday April 13 @ 7:00 P.M.
THE SILENCE OF SKYLARK ( Il Silenzio dell'Allodola)
Italy 2004 - 96 min. 35 MM World Premiere
DIR. David Ballerini
CAST: Ivan Franek, Marco Baliani, Flavio Bucci, Anna Maria Gherardi

The strength of the oppressed on the tyrants is their moral superiority2. These are words of Bobby Sands, a young man from Northern Ireland who at the age of 27, died in the Long-Kesh prison after 66 days of hunger strike. With him nine more comrades let themselves pass away as a protest for the inhuman treatment, by the British government. The Film, inspired by those tragic events, recounts the days of the physical and psychological endurance of a prisoner.

Wednesday April 13 @ 9:00 P.M.
THE ESCORT (Il Tramite)
Italy 2004 - 100 min. 35 MM U.S. Premiere
DIR. Stefano Reali
CAST: Maurizio Mattioli, Ana Papadopulu, Valerio Foglia, Ismail Mohamed Bayer

Mauro, a 50 year old nurse in a child hospital, accepts ­as a favour to his head of department to accompany a clandestine boy to Switzerland, where an adopting Swiss family is awaiting him. But with the child, Mauro is forced to take along Rollo, a muscled mid-wit troublemaker. Soon Mauro suddenly realises that the child's destination might be totally different from what he1s been made to believe.

Thursay April 14 @ 6:00 P.M.
NEMA PROBLEMA
Italy 2004 - 85 min. 35 MM - English - L.A. Premiere
DIR. Giancarlo Bocchi
CAST: Labina Mitevska, Vincent Riotta, Zan Marolt, Fabrizio Rongione

A war correspondent ventures into a territory where many factions are at war. To enhance his reputation he invents stories and news, but these manipulations of the truth will ultimately be his undoing.

Thursay April 14 @ 8:00 P.M.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM PRESENTATION
AFTER MIDNIGHT (Dopo Mezzanotte)
Italy 2004 - 89 min. 35 MM L.A. Premiere
DIR. Davide Ferrario
CAST: Giorgio Pasotti, Francesca Inaudi

Is a masterful homage to the silent movie era. Ferrario1s daring visual choices and unconventional storytelling make for a charming celebration of love and cinema.