Foreign Film Friday: “Amarcord” by Fellini
“Amarcord” (1973, 2h7m, Italy, Comedy/Drama by Federico Fellini)
Classic movies from around the world every Friday at 7!
A semi-autobiographical, episodic comedy-drama, set in a 1930s coastal Italian village during the Fascist era, that unfolds as a series of vibrant, nostalgic vignettes over the course of a single year. The movie is anchored by Titta, a mischievous adolescent boy, and his quirky family, as he and his friends navigate puberty, fantasize about unattainable local women, and get into trouble.
Winner of 20 international awards, including Best Foreign Film Academy Award.
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
Centrally located just off I-240 Exit 8; River Ridge Business Center, Suite 1200, 802 Fairview Rd, Asheville 28803 (behind Hamrick’s and Sun Soo Martial Arts, next to Hot Yoga Asheville and Asheville Dance Theater)
Foreign Film Friday: “Blow-up” by Antonioni
(1966, 1h 51m, United Kingdom, Thriller/Mystery by Michelangelo Antonioni)
Classic movies from around the world every Friday!
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.
In 1966, Michelangelo Antonioni transplanted his existentialist ennui to the streets of swinging London for this international sensation, the Italian filmmaker’s first English-language feature. A countercultural masterpiece about the act of seeing and the art of image making, Blow-Up takes the form of a psychological mystery, starring David Hemmings as a fashion photographer who unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park. Antonioni’s meticulous aesthetic control and intoxicating color palette breathe life into every frame, and the jazzy sounds of Herbie Hancock, a beautifully evasive performance by Vanessa Redgrave, and a cameo by the Yardbirds make the film a transporting time capsule from a bygone era. Blow-Up is a seductive immersion into creative passion, and a brilliant film by one of cinema’s greatest artists.
Cannes Film Festival: won the Palme d’Or
Academy Awards: nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
The film was also nominated for three BAFTA Awards, including Outstanding British Film.
Foreign Film Friday: “Life is Beautiful” (La vita è bella) by Benigni
(“La vita è bella”) (1997, 1h 58m, Italy, War/Comedy by Roberto Benigni)
Classic movies from around the world every Friday!
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
When an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.
A gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), meets Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), a pretty schoolteacher, and wins her over with his charm and humor. Eventually they marry and have a son, Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). Their happiness is abruptly halted, however, when Guido and Giosue are separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp. Determined to shelter his son from the horrors of his surroundings, Guido convinces Giosue that their time in the camp is merely a game.
Academy Awards (Oscars) – 1999
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won three:
Best Actor: Roberto Benigni
Best Foreign Language Film: Italy
Best Original Dramatic Score: Nicola Piovani
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Roberto Benigni), Best Original Screenplay (Vincenzo Cerami, Roberto Benigni), and Film Editing.
Cannes Film Festival – 1998
Grand Prix (Grand Jury Prize): Roberto Benigni
David di Donatello Awards (Italy) – 1998
Best Film
Best Director: Roberto Benigni
Best Actor: Roberto Benigni
Best Script: Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami
Best Producer: Elda Ferri, Gianluigi Braschi
Best Production Design: Danilo Donati
Best Costumes: Danilo Donati
Best Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli
Best Editing: Simona Paggi
Other Major Awards
BAFTA Awards (1999): Best Actor (Roberto Benigni)
European Film Awards (1998): Best Film, Best Actor (Roberto Benigni)
Nastro d’Argento (Italy – 1999): Best Director, Best Actor, Best Script
César Awards (France – 1999): Best Foreign Film
Golden Ciak Awards (1998): Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress (Nicoletta Braschi)
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (1999): Best Foreign Language Film
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