15th Annual Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival Kicks Off Nov. 4

The Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival, in partnership with the College of Charleston, is proud to announce the 15th edition of the annual celebration of contemporary Italian cinema and culture. The 2021 event will take place Nov. 4-6, 2021, at the Queen Street Playhouse and will feature 10 award-winning films.

“We are very happy to have a real premier of the documentary Django and Django directly from the Venice film Festival, with Quentin Tarantino discussing the Italian version of a Spaghetti Western and the first Django of Sergio Corbucci,” says Giovanna De Luca, CofC Italian professor and artistic director of the Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival.

Highlights of the festival include the documentary In Prima Linea told through the lens of 13 photojournalists depicting the suffering of war, followed by a Q&A with the directors. The drama Favolacce presents a looming disaster in a community of families when tensions run high. A Q&A with the D’Innocenzo brothers, co-directors of Favolacce, will follow the viewing. Giulio Base, director of Starry Sky under the Roman Ghetto, will answer questions about his work, which explores the history of Rome’s Jewish ghetto and one Jewish girl’s fate during World War II. Throughout the festival, viewers will enjoy a range of films including comedy, romance, drama and films that explore the horrors of the Holocaust.

Individual tickets cost $12 each. All screenings are general admission. Each ticket is valid for one ticket per person per screening. The Queen Street Playhouse at 20 Queen St. will be the venue for all screenings. Tickets are only available in advance through the Queen Street Playhouse Box Office (with an additional fee), or on the night of the screening (if tickets are still available).

This year’s festival is co-sponsored by Società Dante Alighieri Charleston, the Henry & Sylvia Yaschik Foundation, the Nathan and Marlene Addlestone Foundation, the Charleston Jewish FilmFest and the College of Charleston.

Founded in 2006, the Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival (NCIFF) presents the most artistically significant of contemporary Italian cinema from both established and emerging directors. With feature film screenings, special guests and a variety of events, the NCIFF is the premiere event in the Southeast, U.S.A., promoting Italian arts, language and culture.

For more on the Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival, visit nuovocinemaitaliano.com, follow @nuovocinemaiff on Instagram or visit facebook.com/nuovocinemaiff. Watch movie trailers at nuovocinemaitaliano.com/films/.