International Film Stars and Italian Premieres
for the event taking place in Lucca and Viareggio
from 8 to 15 April 2018
Stephen Frears, Rupert Everett, Martin Freeman
and Anton Corbijn
at Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema 2018
Italian Actress Sabina Guzzanti to kick off the Film Festival with the Italian premiere of the first two episodes of Billions, the film-documentary Storie di Altromare by Lorenzo Garzella and Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson
Stephen Frears, Martin Freeman, Rupert Everett, Anton Corbijn, Bertrand Bonello, Sabina Guzzanti and Laura Morante are the guest stars of Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema 2018 taking place from the 8th to the 15th of April in the Tuscan cities of Lucca and Viareggio. A stellar red carpet with the Film Festival paying tribute to each of the film stars with dedicated film screenings, prize-giving ceremonies and encounters open to the public. For the 3rd year in a row, the International Feature Film Contest returns with 14 films competing from around the world that are also premiering in Italy. The Hors-Concours Premiers and the well-established International Short Film Competition further enrich this not-to-be-missed event. The Film Festival will take place in various locations around the city, including the cinema Astra, the cinema Centrale, the Teatro del Giglio, Palazzo Ducale and the Fondazione Ragghianti.
Sabina Guzzanti and the Italian Premieres of Billions and Isle of Dogs (8 April – Day 1)
Sunday, 8 April at 4 p.m. at the Teatro del Giglio, Italian actress Sabina Guzzanti will be the first guest of honor of Lucca Film Festival and will speak about cinema and satire together with journalist Silvia Bizio. Day 1 of LFFEC will continue at the Cinema Astra with the Italian premiere of the first two episodes of the third season of Billions, on air starting Friday,13 April aired exclusively on Sky Atlantic The premiere screening of the TV series is part of the collaboration with Sky Atlantic as a media partner of the 2018 edition of the Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema which will also be providing updates about the event through the Cinepop magazine and Sky TG24. Day 1 continues with the Italian Premiere of “Storie di Altromare” directed by Lorenzo Garzella, a biographical film that introduces the viewer to the visual, visionary and human universe of artist Antonio Possenti (1933-2016). At 8.30 pm. Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson (2018) will be screened in an Italian premiere. The latest animated film by the American director features a young adventurer who stumbles upon a group of dogs quarantined on an landfill-island. Released by 20th Century Fox, the film will be coming soon to Italy.
Martin Freeman, Cinema Astra (9 April – Day 2)
The British actor will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday 9 April at the Cinema Astra at 8.30 p.m. (Via della Dogana 7) and, together with Roberto Recchioni, Martin Freeman will present in Italian premiere his latest work Ghost stories co-directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman adapted from their eponymous stage play in which Freeman interprets Mike Priddle . “Ghost stories” will be in Italian cinemas from 19 April and is distributed by Adler Entertainment. After the screening, Martin Freeman will meet the audience. A multifaceted actor, over the past twenty years, Martin Freeman has encountered remarkable success both on the big and on the small screen, playing unforgettable roles such as Bilbo Baggins in the three film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit the fantasy, Dr. Watson in the publicly acclaimed television series Sherlock and Lester Nygaard in Fargo, the award-winning production inspired by the homonymous film directed by the Coen brothers, without forgetting the witty salesman Tim Canterbury series that led him to be famous, The Office.
Anton Corbijn, Cinema Centrale (10 April – Day 3)
Renowned worldwide for having immortalized the heavyweights of rock history, from Joy Division and Tom Waits to the U2 and Rolling Stones and for having produced over 60 video clips that include masterpieces like Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana and Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode, the Dutch photographer and Director Anton Corbijn will be in Lucca as a guest of the Lucca Film Festival. Corbijn will hold a masterclass open to the public at the Cinema Centrale at 11 a.m. (Via di Poggio Seconda 36) in which he will illustrate his forty-year militancy behind the lens and talk about the relationship between cinema and music Corbjin’s Before the masterclass, at 9 a.m., Control, the biographical film dedicated to Joy Division leader Ian Curtis that won several awards in Cannes 2007, will be screened at the Cinema Centrale. In the evening, Anton Corbijn will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at 8.30 p.m. at the Cinema Astra and present the film Life (2015).
Italian Premiere of Lucky (11 April – Day 4)
Among the special events, Lucky directed by John Carroll Lynch starring Harry Dean Stanton, David Lynch, Ron Livingston, Ed Begley jr, Tom Skerritt and Beth Grant will be screened in Italian premiere at Cinema Astra at 8.30 p.m.. The film, recently presented at the Locarno Film Festival, offers a bittersweet portrait of the aging process by focusing on the face and body of a great actor. The film is scheduled to be released in Italian theaters by Wanted Cinema.
Rupert Everett (12 April – Day 5)
Rupert Everett will present his latest film The Happy Prince at the Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema at 8.30 p.m. on 12 April at Cinema Astra. On Thursday evening, the British actor will meet the public and receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. Recently presented at the Sundance Film Festival and at the Berlinale Special Gala Event, The Happy Prince narrates the last days of Oscar Wilde’s life and stars Everett in the dual role of director and protagonist alongside actors such as Colin Firth and Emily Watson. The film will be in Italian cinemas starting that same day, distributed by Vision Distribution and produced by Palomar. Rupert Everett’s career has been intense and extraordinary, a multifaceted one that ranges from literature to comics, from cinema to theater and television. The making of The Happy Prince was strongly yearned for by the British actor and director and crowns a long career that has led Everett to interpret some of the best-known roles of British literature, such as Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lord Arthur Goring in An ideal husband, Algy in The importance of being Ernest. Over the years, Rupert Everett has also collaborated with internationally renowned Italian directors such as Francesco Rosi in Chronicle of a death foretold, Giuliano Montaldo in The golden rimmed glasses and Michele Soavi in Cemetery Man.
Stephen Frears, (13-14 April – Day 6 and Day 7)
Having celebrated David Lynch (2014), David Cronenberg (2015), George Romero (2016) and Oliver Stone (2017), Stephen Frears will be the protagonist of one of Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema 2018’s main sections. The twice Academy Award nominated British director (in 1991 for The Grifters and in 2007 for The Queen) on Friday 13 april at 8.30 p.m. at the Cinema Astra will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award introduced by journalist Francesco Alò. Immediately after the screening of Victoria and Abdul (9 a.m.), on Saturday 14 April Stephen Frears will hold a masterclass on cinema moderated by Alò at the Cinema Centrale in which the British director will answer questions from the audience and meet students. The Festival will also honor Stephen Frears with a film retrospective of some of his most iconic works, retracing the highlights of his career as a filmmaker; from his debut film Gumshoe (1972) to the recent Vittoria and Abdul (2017) passing through unforgettable classics that include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), High Fidelity (2000) and Florence (2016), without forgetting Vendetta (1984) and The Grifters (1990).
Tribute to Bertrand Bonello
(15 April – Day 8 last day)
The film festival will celebrate director Bertrand Bonello by screening several of his works at the Cinema Astra on Sunday, 15 April. Bonello and Antoine Barraud will introduce Le dos rouge in Italian premiere. After this screening, Bonello’s films Sarah Winchester, Opéra fantôme e Nocturama will also be shown.
Cinema and Women with
Sabina Guzzanti & Laura Morante
(8, 11 and 14 April)
Italian actresses Sabina Guzzanti and Laura Morante will also be guests at the Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema to take part in meetings and screenings that focus on women’s cinema, a section organized by the journalist and historical member of the festival Silvia Bizio. A strong and bold look, a new and timely one that interprets intra-generational, international, religious and political conflicts and uses images to depict the relationship between mothers and daughters, women and work, physical abuse and gender-based violence. Film as a means to reinterpret the most pressing current events. On Sunday 8 April at 4 p.m., Sabina Guzzanti will hold a masterclass at the Teatro del Giglio whereas Laura Morante will meet the public on Saturday 14 April at 5 p.m. at the Cinema Astra. Two opportunities to focus on women and on their ability to reflect and carry out activities in a creative and professional way while at the same time finding a balance between family, work and daily life. Another not-to-be-missed event is the public roundtable entitled Women who Break Barriers: literature, cinema and society moderated by Silvia Bizio with the participation of Concita De Gregorio, Martha De Laurentiis, Paola Ferrari De Benedetti, Cinzia TH Torrini, Laura Mancuso e Stefania Ippoliti. During the roundtable Anna Lanave will present the cook she co-curated entitled “#quellavoltache Storie di molestie” in collaboration with the Lucca Association Città delle Donne.
Hors-Concours Premières
As previously mentioned, Lucca Film Festival 2018 features the premiere screening of Ghost Stories directed by Anton Corbijn and of The Happy Prince by Rupert Everett. Additionally, this section also features in a world premiere Storie di altromare directed by Lorenzo Garzella – a tribute to Lucca artist Antonio Possenti (Sunday 8 April, 6.30 p.m., Cinema Astra); Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson soon to be distributed by 20th Century Fox in Italy (Sunday 8 April, 8.30 p.m., Cinema Astra); Lucky by John Carrol Lynch, produced by Wanted to be released in September 2018, starring American icon Harry Dean (Wednesday 11 April, 8.30 p.m., Cinema Astra); and Papa Francesco by Claudio Rossi Massimi (Thursday 12 April, 8.30 p.m., Cinema Astra).
International Feature Film Contest
This year, the International Feature Film Contest will feature 14 films premiering in Italy. The Chairman and Members of the Jury who will award the “Best Film” prize are Daniele Gaglianone, Paola Raddi e Irene Dionisio. The winning director will receive a sum of 3,000 Euros. Also in the 2018 edition, University Jury will award the “Best Film – University Jury” prize and the Popular Jury will bestow the “People’s Choice Special Mention” to one of the competing works.
International Short Film Contest
LFFEC International Short Film Contest continues to be one of the most important European showcases for experimental cinematography. The composition of the Jury that will assign the “Best Short Film” award and the 500 Euro prize will be announced at a later date. Starting in 2018, all competing short films will also be viewed by the University Jury that will award the “Best Short Film – University Jury” prize. The International Short Film Contest features 22 selected works that will be screened over four days (10-13 April 2018) in Lucca and Viareggio. The 2018 selection is characterized by the narration of the most current news thanks to its geographical and gender heterogeneity. Director Luca Ferri, the visual artist Laurina Paperina and the director and curator of the 2Annas Riga International Film Festival Astra Zoldnere will be members of the jury.
Effetto Cinema Notte – Day for Night 2018
Effetto Cinema Notte 2018 (Day for Night) is a section in its own right within the international film festival that was created to tribute the greatest films of all times and that transforms the whole city of Lucca into a giant open-air movie set. Extending over the whole week of the Festival, 41 local downtown establishments will stage screenings, performances, build sets and create costumes in the five different areas matched to a film genre. Every evening the city will become alive with concerts and events leading up to the Grand Finale scheduled for Saturday 14 April starting at 7 p.m., when all sets designs and roving performances will take place at the same time from the afternoon until late at night. On Saturday night, Effetto Cinema Notte will host a Main Event dedicated to the stars of the Film Festival co-produced by the LFFEC and by the establishments located in the theme area. A Technical Jury will award the Effetto Cinema Notte Best Costumes Prize to the staff of the venue staging the performance most in line with the assigned film.
For the first time, this year Lucca Film Festival and Europa Cinema exhibitions will be open until midnight with free admission to Palazzo Ducale and the Ragghianti Foundation.
LFFEC Educational
Among the events, the Educational section continues to have a leading role. Dedicated to schools of all levels, LFFEC Educational aims to of bring students closer to cinema by screening targeted documentaries and giving the young an opportunity to meet and dialogue with the directors and people working in the entertainment industry. Among the works to be screened in 2018, Pertini-The Fighter by Graziano Diana e Giancarlo De Cataldo, The Forgotten History of Camp Monticello directed by Matteo Borgardt, Seeking the Roots of Evil by Piero D’Onofrio e Israel Cesare Moscati and Let us not speak about this war by Fredo Valla
Film Industry meetings with directors
Samuele Rossi and Roan Johnson
A conference entitled “Tuscany on the mov(i)e” on the development strategies for the Tuscan audiovisual sector will take place on Saturday 14 April at the Cinema Centrale. The roundtable is organized by CAN with the participation of of Monica Barni, vice-president of the Region of Tuscany, Stefania Ippoliti, President of the Italy Film Commission, Stefano Mutolo, vicar spokesman CNA Cinema and Tuscan Audiovisual and film directors Samuele Rossi and Roan Johnson for a “Creative Match”
The Exhibitions
This year, Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema host two exhibits. The first, Luchino Visconti. In Search of Lost Time. History of a Never-Made Film is curated by Alessandro Romanini and by set designer Francesco Frigeri, produced by the Experimental Center of Cinematography in Rome and will be hosted at the Palazzo Ducale in Lucca (17 March-21 April 2018). After last year’s tribute to Federico Fellini and The Journey of G. Mastorna hosted at the GAMC in Viareggio, the students of the Department of Stage Design headed by Francesco Frigeri and those led by costume designer Maurizio Millenotti have drafted over 40 executive storyboards – that is to say ready to be transformed in a film set – and designed a similar number of costumes. Aided by a wide range of original documents, the goal is to recreate a journey that illustrates Visconti’s dream of transposing on film Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu, a pharaonic project, which had to be abandoned due to lack of funding.
The second exhibit entitled Art Cinema – An Unprecedented Dialogue. Behind the scenes of Sky Art Cinema curated by SKY in collaboration with Alessandro Romanini will be on display at the Fondazione Ragghianti, (23 March-23 April 2018). Over 40 large-format photographs guide the visitors through a journey to discover the “dream machine” in all of its aspects: the sets, the actors in the various stages of filming, film and art professionals at work, the Directors of Photography, the Studios of Cinecittà in Rome, set preparation from the initial sketch to the making of it, the process of costume design and, last but not least, the processes of the new 3D “immersive” technologies. Viewers will be able to enjoy never-seen-before stills of the masterpieces of Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio, of the Vatican Museums and breathtaking aerial views of the Papal Basilicas (filmed for the first time close-up thanks to a special permit granted by the Holy See) and of The Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
From 19 to 22 April, Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema’s program will be further enriched thanks to the screening all the art films produced by Sky in collaboration with Magnitudo Film. The art film screening will open with Caravaggio – the Soul and the Blood at the Monumental Complex of San Micheletto and is promoted by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca in collaboration with the Film Festival and with the Fondazione Ragghianti. The documentary on Caravaggio premiered in cinema halls last February and in Italy ranked as the most seen art documentary counting over 130.000 viewers. On 19 April, Cosetta Lagani, Director of Sky Art Cinema, film director Jesus Garces Lambert and screenwriter Laura Allievi will introduce this unrivalled, emotional and visceral journey into the life, works and torments of Michelangelo Merisi, Caravaggio. Art film screenings will continue on the following days in the nearby San Franceschetto with previous Sky Art Cinema blockbusters that have been distributed in 60 countries: Vatican Museums – Between Heaven and Earth, Saint Peter and the Papal Basilicas (20 April), Florence and the Uffizi Gallery. A journey into the heart of the Renaissance (21 April) and Raphael – Prince of the Arts (22 April).
This year, the exhibition section of the 2018 Lucca Film Festival is complemented by a series of screenings dedicated to the intense and multifaceted relationship between cinema and visual art. To celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage, a special focus is dedicated to the use of the camera as a means to illustrate artistic creation and enhance cultural heritage will take place at the same time as SKY Art Cinema’s retrospective from 19 to 22 April. Documentaries range from those dedicated to one of the most famous international video artists Bill Viola, to Archi-star Bjarke Ingels, to the history of Land Art and to the restoration of the Reggia di Carditello to documentaries focusing on the superstar of street art Banksy and on a poetic journey from China and Amsterdam to see Van Gogh.
Images that sound good
In collaboration with Lucca Summer Festival, this section takes a closer look at the relationship between cinema and music, thanks to the presence of Anton Corbijn as a special guest at the Lucca Film Festival. Anton Corbijn is the author of countless award-winning video clips, of films and of photos that portray the music world.
An exhaustive retrospective will celebrate his career. Works that will be screened in this section include two films dedicated to two protagonists of the female rock scene, Marianne Faithfull (directed by the French actress and director Sardine Bonnaire) and the one dedicated to Andy Warhol’s and Velvet Underground’s muse, Nico, directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli who was a guest in a previous edition of the Lucca festival. Last but not least, “To Stay Alive: A Method”: a film that brings together cinema, music and literature, featuring the controversial French writer Michel Houellebecq and rock music’s iguana Iggy Pop.
Costs:
€ 35 full season ticket, € 30 reduced season ticket, € 12 daily ticket, € 10 reduced daily ticket, € 7 single event ticket, € 5 single event ticket.
Venues
Cinema Astra: via della Dogana, 7
Cinema Centrale: via di Poggio, 36
Teatro del Giglio: piazza del Giglio, 13, 15
Auditorium “Vincenzo da Massa Carrara” via San Micheletto, 3
Media Partners:
Sky Atlantic; MoviePlayer.it; Comingsoon.it; Badtaste.it; Anonimacinefili.it
Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema
segreteria@luccafilmfestival.it ; www.luccafilmfestival.it
Press Office Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema:
PS Comunicazione: Antonio Pirozzi (+393395238132) www.pscomunicazione.it
Accreditation: Martina Angeli; accreditation@luccafilmfestival.it
English: Tessa Wiechmann
Press Office for Exhibitions:
Davis & Co. Lea Codognato e Caterina Briganti; +390552347273;
info@davisandco.it | www.davisandco.it
Communication and External Relations Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca:
Marcello Petrozziello e Andrea Salani (+390583472627 – +393406550425) comunicazione@fondazionecarilucca.it
