Cinema Italia: Lamerica (Gianni Amelio, 1994)

Sunday 26 May 2024, While There’s War There’s Hope [FINCHE’ C’E’ GUERRA C’E’ SPERANZA] (1974) directed by Alberto Sordi is cancelled for technical problems. Apologies for the inconvenience. We will watch together, instead:

LAMERICA [THEAMERICA] (1994) * Directed by Gianni Amelio * 116 min * In Italian with English subtitles * doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30. After the film, please engage in sharing comments, ideas, and inspiration with the host(s) of the evening.

In 1991 a ship with 10-20 thousand Albanians came to Bari. They were escaping extreme poverty and a chaotic situation in their country, after the fall of the dictatorship. This film draws from that episode, and tells the story of two different generations of Italians in Albania through the eyes of the two protagonists, whose identities between the two countries make us think about what it means to belong to a nationality in general and how fragile is our social status when society around us suddenly collapses. The film also invites us to ask ourselves about the effects of migration in a foreign country which is more a dream than a reality.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

Cinema Italia: Blown to the heart (Gianni Amelio, 1982)

Sunday 29 October 2023, BLOWN TO THE HEART [COLPIRE AL CUORE] (1982) * Directed by Gianni Amelio * 105min * In Italian with English subtitles * doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30. After the film, please engage in sharing comments, ideas, and inspiration with the host(s) of the evening!

Dario is a university professor who wants to live a quiet life, dealing with research and being a good husband. What is happening in Italy does not concern him. His son, Emilio, does not confront with him, so he tries to connect with him at the university, listening to his father reading poetry in French. He becomes intrigued by politics, thanks to a friend of his father’s, Giulia. Then, a terrorist act attributed to the Red Brigades changes the perception by Emilio forever.

Considered a masterpiece in the depicting the psychology of its characters, Gianni Amelio’s Colpire al Cuore shows a turbolent moment of the Italian recent history (early 80s) through the lenses of the conflict father-son. Notwithstanding the political background, Amelio puts intimacy and emotional transformations at the heart of his poetic view of cinema.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net