Lavazza Italian Film Festival: Culture Guide
A comprehensive guide to exploring Italian film, culture and cuisine in Melbourne.
The history of Italian cinema is brimming with highlights. Think filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni and Bernardo Bertolucci; stars like Sophia Loren, Franco Nero and Monica Bellucci; and genres such as post-war neorealism, spaghetti westerns and giallo horror. The list goes on, with the country boasting the most Oscar wins in the Best Foreign-Language Film category, and the second-most Palme d’Ors from the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
Italy is also home to the world’s oldest film festival, in Venice. Perhaps that’s why Italian movies and long-running big-screen celebrations seem to go hand in hand — like the Australia-wide Lavazza Italian Film Festival. First reaching cinemas in 2000, the fest celebrates its 20th year in 2019, treating film buffs to 26 titles that not only span Italy’s recent movie-making prowess, but also showcases the nation’s past hits.
To help you make the most of the festival, we’ve put together a guide to celebrating Italian culture in Melbourne. Check out the films we recommend nabbing tickets for — then find somewhere to get a bite to eat before or after your cinema visit.
Just a year after unveiling their invention in Paris, the Lumière brothers brought cinema to Italy, with the country’s first film screenings taking place in 1896. By the end of the 19th century, the duo’s Italian proteges were making their own short films.
While similar dishes date back to the Neolithic age — beginning in around 10,200BC — the first use of the term ‘pizza’ only occurred in 997 AD. At the time, it was customary to give 12 pizzas to the local bishop on both Christmas and Easter.
Sprawling across more than 300,000 square kilometres bordered by Switzerland, France, Austria and Slovenia, Italy isn’t just home to one country. Enclosed within its landmass are two separate enclaves: San Marino and Vatican City.
One of the world’s most-visited countries, Italy is home to three of the world’s top ten most popular tourist attractions from 2018: Rome’s Colosseum and Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel), as well as Venice’s Grand Canal.
FILMS TO SEE
Variety is crucial to every great Italian menu, including at the Lavazza Italian Film Festival. Grab a wine, settle into your seat and prepare to feast your eyes on a wide array of movies, spanning upbeat comedies, powerful dramas, thorny thrillers and more. Highlighting the best that Italian cinema has to offer, this year’s lineup has something for all tastes. And, it promises a rare treat, too — serving up flicks you won’t see on a big screen anywhere else.
The Vice of Hope
This sensitive, social-realist crime drama tells the tale of a woman caught up in the child trafficking trade.
I'm Not a Killer
Italian star Ricardo Scamarcio plays a cop whose best friend is found dead in this twisty murder mystery.
Don't Stop Me Now
Mid-life malaise meets the spy game in a comedy that promises something different within two well-worn genres.
Promised
An Australian-made affair about love, life and tradition, featuring a huge Italian-Australian cast including Tina Arena and Paul Mercurio.
The Conformist
First released in 1971 and set in the 1930s, Bernado Bertolucci’s political drama ranks among the acclaimed filmmaker’s masterpieces.
Loro
A new director’s cut of Paolo Sorrentino’s 2018 hit, which explores the over-the-top life of media tycoon-turned-politician Silvio Berlusconi.
FILMS TO SEE
Variety is crucial to every great Italian menu, including at the Lavazza Italian Film Festival. Grab a wine, settle into your seat and prepare to feast your eyes on a wide array of movies, spanning upbeat comedies, powerful dramas, thorny thrillers and more. Highlighting the best that Italian cinema has to offer, this year’s lineup has something for all tastes. And, it promises a rare treat, too — serving up flicks you won’t see on a big screen anywhere else.
A Little Italy in Melbourne
Partial to a prosciutto-topped pizza? Love tucking into a bowl of gnocchi doused with as much parmesan as possible? Do you go crazy for calzones — or a good scoop of gelato? Whether you’re looking for antipasti in Windsor, saucy lasagne in the CBD, a cannolo in Avondale Heights or tiramisu in Carlton, there’s plenty to tempt your Italian-loving tastebuds, all without leaving Melbourne.
Cafes
1. Cannoli Bar
2. Pellegrini's Espresso Bar
3. That's Amore Cheese
4. King & Godfree — Temporarily Closed
5. Small Axe Kitchen
Casual Eateries
1. Italian Artisans
2. Leonardo's Pizza Palace
3. Eat'aliano by Pino
4. Grossi Florentino
5. Bar Carolina
