Cinema Italia
Life in a Time of Crisis – An Italian Perspective
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura is proud to announce the launch of a collaboration with Palace Cinemas which will present a series of screenings as well as retrospectives dedicated to some of the most significant cultural and social aspects of Italian life as well as representative figures of Italian cinema.
The first collaboration, Cinema Italia. Life in a Time of Crisis – An Italian Perspective, will present a selection of contemporary Italian movies that will take the viewers on a journey through Italy during a time of economic crisis, offering a spectrum of everyday life which shows that, no matter how dire the situation, life goes on.
Hosted at Palace Cinema Norton Street on one Tuesday of each month, guests will receive an antipasto and prosecco on arrival, with a film introduction to precede the screening, followed by a Q&A with a special guest and moderated by Antonella Beconi, convenor for Italian at the Centre of Continuing Education, University of Sydney, on behalf of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.
11 June, 6.30 pm
Balancing Act (Gli equilibristi)
By Ivano De Matteo, 2013, 107’
When husband and father of two Giulio (Valerio Mastandrea) upsets his comfortable life by having an affair, his wife Elena (Barbara Bobulova, The Ages of Love) cannot forgive him. Taking full responsibility, Giulio decides to move out, promising that he will continue to support the family financially despite his meagre monthly salary. He is faced with the problem of where to move; his friends have their own problems without having to support him, apartments are too expensive and he resists staying with his mistress. Finding a one-room, shared-bathroom flat, Giulio plunges deeper and deeper into poverty as he struggles to pay for his separation, borrowing more and more money before hitting rock bottom. Told with irony and humour amid the tragedy, this is a moving film about the thin line between having it all and having nothing. The beautifully written screenplay is realistic, relevant and also very touching, with the stoic and sympathetic character of Giulio at its heart.
*Q&A with Gino Moliterno – Emeritus SLLL, Australian National University
ADMISSION PRICES
• Full price: $24
• IIC members, Palace Movie Club members & Students: $19*
* University of Sydney, UTS, UNSW, Macquarie University, Centre of Continuing Education students
Information and bookings: www.palacecinemas.com.au