Moviemov 2021 celebrates Italian cinema in PH

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – Filipino movie lovers will have a chance to view contemporary Italian movies online for free.

The virtual 2021 Moviemov Italian Film Festival returns to the Philippines for the tenth time, taking place from February 1 to 6. The movies will be streamed for free via the Italian cinema website My Movies.

The Playtownroma-produced film festival was first staged in 2010 to create a platform for contemporary Italian cinema to be viewed in culturally and commercially-interested destinations like the Philippines.

“We are convinced that more than ever, it’s important to restart through culture and cinema,” said festival artistic directors Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli.

Sara Serraiocco, one of the new international faces of the Italian cinema, is the guest of honor for this year’s virtual Moviemov Italian Film Festival.

“I’m honored to be the guest of honor of Moviemov, a festival that gives visibility to Italian movies in the Philippines,” said Serraiocco.

For the first time, the Philippine edition of the Moviemov Italian Film Festival will be organized in three different parts:

Moviemov Showcase

This year’s showcase presents the following titles:

● NON ODIARE/ Thou Shalt Not Hate by Mauro Mancini

● VOLEVO NASCONDERMI / Hidden Away by Giorgio Diritti

● I PREDATORI / Predators by Pietro Castellitto

● PALAZZO DI GIUSTIZIA / Ordinary Justice by Chiara Bellosi

● PADRENOSTRO by Claudio Noce

● PUNTASACRA by Francesca Mazzoleni

● PINOCCHIO by Matteo Garrone

● IL MIO CORPO by Michele Pennetta

Screenings will be followed by talks with filmmakers, actors, and producers, who will be accessible online both in the Philippines and Italy.

On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of its first appearance in an Italian children’s newspaper, the festival will also pay tribute to Pinocchio through its literature and cinema masterclasses organized by the Embassy of Italy in Manila in collaboration with the Philippine Italian Association and Ateneo de Naga University Press.

Moviemov Industry

The Philippine-Italian cinema industry will converge in dedicated online screenings and meetings to provide Italian and Filipino film professionals an opportunity to be visible and explore co-productions, funding, and distribution of the most interesting and recent audiovisual products.

The 2021 Moviemov Italian Film Festival Industry section will be organized in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Special Social Segment

On the other hand, a special social segment will represent a bridge of dialogue between Italy and the Philippines on realities that are often hidden but can emerge thanks to the power of images.

For this edition, Moviemov will shed a light on the terrible fire that destroyed the homes of a Filipino community in Rome last August. The short film “Princess”, directed by Silvia Luzi and Luca Bellino, presents a silent community that lives on the edge of the river in the center of Rome: men and women whose existence is ignored.

The 2021 Moviemov Italian Film Festival is organized in the Philippines with the support of the Italian Embassy, the collaboration of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Philippine Italian Association, Ateneo de Naga, Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, De La Salle University Bacolod (Institute of the Moving Image), De La Salle University Manila, College of Saint Benilde School of Arts and Design, University of the Philippines Diliman Film Institute and the endorsement of the media partners like CNN Philippines, ANC, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Business and News.

For more info on the 2021 Moviemov Italian Film Festival, contact the Philippine Italian Association at philippineitalianassociation@gmail.com.