Italian Screens is promoted by Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Italian Ministry of Culture, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and organised by Cinecittà in collaboration with Italian Cultural Centre and India Habitat Centre.
C’e` ancora domani / There is still tomorrow (2023) – directed by Paola Cortellesi
Thursday, 28th November
Delia is the wife of Ivano and the mother of three children. Wife, mother. These are the roles that define her, and they are enough for her. We are in the late 1940s, and this ordinary family lives in a Rome divided between the hopeful push of liberation and the hardships of a war just left behind. Ivano is the supreme head and master of the family. He works hard to bring home the little money they have and never misses a chance to point it out—sometimes with scornful tones, other times with the belt. The only person he respects is his scoundrel of a father, Sor Ottorino, a bitter and tyrannical old man for whom Delia essentially acts as a caregiver. Delia’s only relief is her friend Marisa, with whom she shares moments of lightheartedness and some intimate confidences.
It’s spring, and the entire family is abuzz with preparations for the imminent engagement of their beloved eldest daughter, Marcella. Marcella, for her part, only hopes to quickly marry a good middle-class boy, Giulio, and finally free herself from her embarrassing family.
Delia doesn’t ask for anything else either. She accepts the life that has been handed to her, and a good marriage for her daughter is all she aspires to. However, the arrival of a mysterious letter will ignite the courage in her to overturn the predetermined plans and imagine a better future—not just for herself.
Mia (2023) – directed by Ivano De Matteo
Friday, 29th November
Max and Anna Mancini have been married for 25 years and have two teenage children. Although they are twins, the two are polar opposites in terms of their character. Tina is rebellious and unenthusiastic about studying, Nico is quiet, solitary and obsessed with video games.
There is a constant war between the parents and their children, which reaches a climax on the twins’ 18th birthday, when the house party their parents allowed them to have degenerates into chaos.
Max and Anna realize they do not know anything about these two teenagers, they ask themselves where they went wrong, and they think back nostalgically to the days when Tina and Nico were adorable little slips of things who only needed to be protected. But do they really remember what it was like?
At the end of that disastrous evening, a second chance presents itself for Anna and Max to have a clearer vision of their relationship with their children and to try, where possible, not to repeat the same mistakes.
Mi fanno male i capelli / In the Mirror (2023) – directed by Roberta Torre
Saturday, 30th November
Monica is losing her memory, and her life is unraveling. It’s Korsakoff’s syndrome, the doctor says. It’s irreversible. Then, the unexpected happens: the woman finds a way to give meaning to things by borrowing the memories of another Monica, whom she has always admired: Monica Vitti. She dresses like her, imitates her, relives scenes from her films, and identifies with her characters to the point of confusing cinema with reality. Her husband Edoardo, who loves her deeply, allows this game to become their new life.
La Bella Estate / The Beautiful Summer (2023) – directed by Laura Luchetti
Sunday, 1st December
Turin, 1938. For Ginia, who has just moved to the city from the countryside, the future seems to offer infinite possibilities. Like all girls her age, she wants to fall in love, and she finds her man in a young painter. Amelia, a little older, sensual and provocative, guides her into the artistic circles of the bohemian Turin. She is different from anyone Ginia has ever known, and ready to shake her certainties.
Torn between a sense of duty and the discovery of a desire that confuses her, Ginia is overwhelmed by emotions she dares not name. During her “beautiful summer,” she finally surrenders to her feelings, celebrating the courage to be herself.
Date: 28th November to 1st December
Time: 7:00pm
Venue: Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre
Entry will be on a first come first served basis.