The Festival celebrates a decade of laughter, tears, suspense, high drama and unrequited love in
2009, with a brilliant selection of contemporary Italian cinema to transport Australian audiences to
the land of love. Italians are renowned for boisterous emotions and zest for life, and this outstanding
programme of films presents the country in all her many colourful guises.
 
The critically acclaimed, Cannes-nominated drama VINCERE has been selected as the Opening
Night film. Part love story, part mystery and epic in its scale, VINCERE, from auteur Marco Bellocchio
(GOOD MORNING, NIGHT), tells the little-known but heartbreaking story of Ida Dalsar, the first wife
of Benito Mussolini, whose role in the tyrant’s rise to power has all but been airbrushed from history.
Starring the ravishing Giovanna Mezzorgiorno (FACING WINDOWS) in a career-best performance,
VINCERE is a film that will haunt you long after the credits have rolled.
 
THIS YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
 
The Australian premiere screenings of Michael Winterbottom’s moving drama Genova, a beautifully
nuanced new film about love, loss and forgiveness, set against the captivating beauty of the
eponymous city and starring Colin Firth and Catherine Keener.  
 
Brave Men (I galantuomini) by Edoardo Winspeare. A tantalizing blend of melodrama and
investigative cinema firmly built on the rare figure of the female Mafia boss (Donatella Finocchiaro
in a stand-out role).
 
A Perfect Day (Un giorno perfetto) by Ferzan Ozpetek. A compelling, ensemble drama from the
director of FACING WINDOWS which follows 24 hours in the lives of a group of people, before they
all become irreversibly connected.
 
Many Kisses Later (Molti baci dopo) by Fausto Brizzi. A runaway box-office smash-hit in Italy which
follows the romantic misadventures of six couples and their exes between Christmas and
Valentine’s Day.   
 
Fortapàsc by Marco Risi. An idealistic young reporter stumbles upon the information that will enable
him to write a searing exposé on the local mafia chapter, only to learn that truth comes at a
terrifying price.