Countdown to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which will open its 49th edition on Thursday, September 5, two days before the conclusion of the one in Venice, and run until Sunday, September 15. The overlap with the Italian festival is not only in the timing, but also in the selection of films: in the program of the Centrepiece section, which collects and enhances titles acclaimed by festivals around the world – in this edition from 41 countries, 18 of them world premieres – there are several films that we will see in Venice 81 and among them stand out those for Italian production (or co-production). On the list we find the debut feature by Iranian-born Turin-based director Milad Tangshir, “Anywhere Anytime,” which, winking at Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic “Bicycle Thieves,” reminds us that something as simple as a bicycle can make or break someone’s survival.
Italian filmmakers, eight in total, we find them spread across various programs. Particularly in the Gala Presentations selection, reserved for high-profile Canadian and world premieres, we highlight the presence of Cosima Spender’s “Because I Believe,” the documentary about the famous tenor Andrea Bocelli, whose portrait is sketched against the backdrop of last year’s impressive concert at the Baths of Caracalla, and Uberto Pasolini’s “The Return” (Italy, UK), the adaptation of Homer’s classic starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Binoche.
In the Special Presentations program, however, we find Maura Delpero’s film “Vermiglio,” about the arrival of a young Sicilian soldier in a village in the Alps toward the end of World War II, and “Queer,” Luca Guadagnino’s film based on the 1985 novel by William S. Burroughs, will also make its North American debut.
Also in the lineup of the program of official presentations at this year’s TIFF are, Italian titles “Iddu – The Last Godfather” co-directed by Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia and starring Elio Germano and Toni Servillo; “The Damned” by Roberto Minervini; and “Nineteen” by Giovanni Tortorici, a coming-of-age film produced by Luca Guadagnino and shot in 35mm.
Photo Credits: By Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Scalable Grid Engine – Own work, CC0, commons.wikimedia.org
