My Venice Checklist: The Italian Films At #Venezia73

If you want to find me in Venice, here’s where I’ll be…

Tomorrow, films from the autonomous sections of the festival.

In Concorso (In Competition)

Questi Giorni
Directed by Giuseppe Piccioni

Stars: Margherita Buy, Laura Adriani, Marta Gastini, Caterina Le Casselle, Maria Roveran, and Filippo Timi

I’m particularly interested in this one for so many reasons. I practically cut my teeth writing about his movies and his La Vita Che Vorrei is the very first Italian movie I ever went to see in an Italian movie theater. Piccioni gave us Luce Dei Miei Occhi, Giulia Non Esce La Sera, Fuori dal Mondo, and more recently, Il Rosso e il Blu. Of course I am dying to win the award-winning Margherita Buy and Filippo Timi, but there will always be a special place in my heart for Maria Roveran, who I saw in her first film, Piccola Patria (Small Homelands) at Venezia 70.

Spira Mirabilis
Directed by Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti

This documentary about the duomo Milano, in competition for the Golden Lion has reason to hope: Gianfranco Rosi’s doc, Sacro GRA won the big prize in 2013.

Piuma
Directed by Roan Johnson

Stars: Blu Yoshimi, Luigi Fedele, and Michela Cescon

This movie about teenage pregnancy looks like it has a lot of youthful energy.

Fuori Concorso (Out of Competition)

Tommaso Directed by Kim Rossi Stuart

Starring Kim Rossi Stuart, Jasmine Trinca, Cristiana Capotondi

Kim Rossi Stuart plays an actor with intimacy problems.

Assalto al Cielo Directed by Francesco Munzi

Francesco Munzi, who presented his exceptional film Anime Nere (Black Souls) in competition at Venezia 71 brings this fascinating looking documentary about the years 1967 – 1977, an exceptionally important period of Italian history. Munzi uses images from Instituto Luce to show the violence, the political upheaval, and the social changes in that period of time.

Orizzonti (Horizons)

Liberami Directed by Federica Di Giacomo

A documentary about exorcisms in Sicily! Just try and keep me away from this one!

Il Piu Grande Sogno
Directed by Michele Vannucci

Starring Mirko Frezza and Alessandro Borghi

Mirko is an ex-con who gets voted (without his knowledge) as president of his neighborhood association and decides to use the opportunity to change his life. This is Vanuccis’s first film and it stars the actor I consider Italy’s next really big star, Alessandro Borghi (Suburra, Non Essere Cattivo)