Italian Film Festival 2020

Overview

In a normal year, Melbourne's annual Italian Film Festival gives cinephiles a chance to venture to Europe from the comfort of their cinema seats. In 2020, it's doing the same — but for everyone desperate to soak in some scenic sights well beyond their own four walls, that mission feels especially resonant.

Cue an impressive array of films that'll whisk you off to the other side of the planet, as screening at Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay and Kino Cinemas from Wednesday, November 25–Wednesday, December 9. With Bad Tales, viewers will head to a southern suburb of Rome during a tense summer. Via psychological drama Feel Your Memories, a trip to 90s-era Naples is in order. And that's just the beginning.

The festival's other highlights include Martin Eden, which nabbed The Old Guard's Luca Marinelli the Best Actor prize at the 2019 Venice Film Festival; crime drama The Traitor, which won big at Italy's version of the Oscars this year; and a 20th anniversary screening of Giuseppe Tornatore's romantic tragedy Malèna, starring Monica Bellucci. Or, you can opt for a rom-com with 7 Hours to Win Your Heart, jump into a holiday comedy via I Hate Summer and get immersed in a legal drama with Ordinary Justice.