I’d like to thank the members of an amazing Italian meetup group in Washington DC, Passatempo, for inviting me to come for their screening of Luigi Lo Cascio’s La Citta’ Ideale last night. I had a wonderful time meeting all of you and I am super impressed with your group, particularly your organizer Keith, who devotes so much time to making a great experience for all of the members.
We didn’t count heads but around 60 people were there for the movie last night and maybe they were sparing my feelings (I made it pretty clear how I feel about Luigi Lo Cascio so perhaps I didn’t leave much room for debate) but I think that most people really liked it. There were some great comments, some of which I will be stealing and adding to my review ( I will try to remember all of your names and give you credit!)
They’ve got such a nice facility there; the Casa Italiana Language School has a great hall with a huge screen for watching movies, and Keith has brought in a whole lot of great ones. Almost every movie I asked him about had already been shown there. They’ve got wine, gelato, and even popcorn for your viewing pleasure ( ” A real bang for your buck”, says Keith.)
Casa Italiana Language School
595 1/2 3rd St NW, Washington D.C.
(202) 638-1348
Their mission is to “promote an appreciation of Italian language and culture through Italian language lessons, cooking lessons, film, art, music, literature, wine tastings, sports, travel and social engagement.” They help people with a strong interest in Italy connect with one another, both online and in person. Membership is FREE and they’re open to all levels of Italian language from zero to native fluency.
If you are in the Washington DC area and would like to join them, CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE HERE. And if you are a meetup group in another city and would like to let us know about it, contact me in the “About Me” section of this blog.
And hey guys, a friend of mine sent me this bit of news from Italy this morning about Luigi Lo Cascio at the Rome Film Festival:
Arrivano i primi premi al Festival internazionale del Film di Roma.
Durante la conferenza stampa di Marina,il film di Stijn Coninx, sul cantante italiano emigrato in Belgio Rocco Granata, Luigi Lo Cascio ha ricevuto a sorpresa il premio Agiscuola, assegnatogli per il suo percorso di attore, ricco di ruoli di impegno civile, da I Cento passi al padre emigrante in Marina, presentato come evento speciale in Alice nella città e in uscita in Italia a gennaio distribuito da Movimento Film.
«Grazie mi fa molto piacere, non me l’aspettavo, se l’avessi saputo mi sarei vestito un pò meglio» ha commentato sorridendo Lo Cascio.
Luigi won a surprise special award for his acting career, a sort of lifetime achievement award, I guess, for his roles that are “rich in
civil commitment”.
“Thank you, I’m really pleased, I wasn’t expecting it, if I had known I would have dressed better,” said the smiling Lo Cascio. Ahhh Luigi, you are adorable.
I Love Italian Everything 