Organised by the Italian Cultural Institute under the aegis of the Italian Embassy in Madrid, this year’s Festival of Italian Cinema will be giving this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to the director Giuseppe Piccioni.
Trained at the Gaumont Italia film school that was created and directed by Renzo Rossellini, Piccioni has received numerous international awards, and in Italy has also won five “David di Donatello” prizes, four “Ciack d’oro” awards, and the “Grolla d’oro” as best producer. Piccioni will be collecting his award in person at the opening gala, which will take place on 25 November at the Italian Cultural Institute in Madrid, kicking off a festival of the year’s best Italian films. The evening will also include a concert to mark the centenary, this year, of the birth of the composer and jazz musician Piero Piccioni , the author of famous film scores including those for Il caso Mattei [The Mattei Affair] by Francesco Rosi and Alberto Sordi’s Un italiano in America and Polvere di Stelle.
This 14th edition of the Festival includes free screenings (bookable on the Festival website) of more than 30 titles including 6 short films, 6 documentaries and 9 feature films. This year the event changes location and moves to the very central Cine Paz, which is the fourth oldest active cinema in Madrid. Other events will be hosted at the Italian Cultural Institute, including the screening of a selection of films for young audiences (aged 8 and above) in collaboration with the Giffoni Film Festival. The Festival of Italian Cinema ends on 02 December.
