American audiences do not always get a concentrated look at contemporary Italian cinema. Still, Film at Lincoln Center’s “Open Roads: New Italian Cinema” has spent 25 years making the case in New York. This year, the annual showcase returns May 28 through June 4 with 15 features, nine North American premieres, filmmaker appearances, and a lineup that ranges from comedies and dramas to documentaries and period pieces, culminating in a major tribute to one of Italian cinema’s defining masters.
The Playlist is exclusively debuting the trailer for the 25th anniversary edition of “Open Roads,” co-presented by Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà.
The festival opens with “The Kidnapping of Arabella,” the sophomore feature from Carolina Cavalli (“Amanda”), starring Benedetta Porcaroli as Holly, a stifled 28-year-old who meets 8-year-old Arabella and becomes convinced the girl is literally a younger version of herself. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Porcaroli won the Orizzonti Best Actress Award, and the cast also includes Chris Pine as Arabella’s novelist father. The Opening Night screening will include a Q&A with Cavalli and Porcaroli.
The broader lineup includes several North American premieres, among them Ludovica Rampoldi’s “A Brief Affair,” Andrea De Sica’s “The Eyes of Others,” Andrea Di Stefano’s “My Tennis Maestro,” Massimiliano Camaiti’s “Agnus Dei,” Virgilio Villoresi’s “Orfeo,” and Laura Samani’s “A Year of School.” The festival will also feature “Mosquitoes,” the debut feature from sisters Valentina Bertani and Nicole Bertani; Gianluca Matarrese’s “I Want Her Dead”; Nicolangelo Gelormini’s “La gioia”; and Mario Martone’s “Fuori,” which comes to the festival after nine Donatello Award nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress for Valeria Golino.
This year’s edition also marks the 120th anniversary of Roberto Rossellini’s birth with a tribute screening of his 1946 landmark “Paisan,” plus the North American premiere of “Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script,” a new documentary from Ilaria de Laurentiis, Raffaele Brunetti, and Andrea Paolo Massara. Both screenings will include introductions by Ingrid Rossellini.
“It’s always a pleasure to bring the most exciting new films in Italian cinema to our audience here in New York,” Film at Lincoln Center programmer Dan Sullivan said, adding that this year’s lineup spotlights “some of Italy’s greatest up-and-coming talent” while paying tribute to Rossellini.
All films will screen at the Walter Reade Theater. “Open Roads: New Italian Cinema” runs May 28 through June 4 at Film at Lincoln Center. Watch the exclusive trailer below.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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