This year due to Covid 19 the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) was unable to present their June film festival in Toronto due to the pandemic emergency closures.In a technology and creatively driven way they decided to take the Festival to a Drive-In Format at Ontario Place by the lake in Toronto. July 20-31, 2020
Get out of your house and go to a real film festival instead of watching one on your computer or tv.
Twelve international contemporary films have been programmed for viewing on a Huge screen that is being built just for ICFF and it will run from July 20th
through the 31st.
The festival is being presented by ICFF, IC Savings, and CHIN Radio/TV, who will provide the audio portion on their CHIN radio channel.
The Festival will offer something for everyone - from comedies to musicals, historical dramas to crime thrillers to family-friendly films, and everything in between. A different nation will be represented each night at Ontario Place, including France, China, Russia, the US, the UK, Brazil, India, Canada, and Italy. The event will open on Monday, July 20th with the Toronto Premiere Screening of Sergio Navarretta’s The Cuban, representing Canada. The film, which follows the
budding friendship between an Alzheimer patient and his caregiver, is a musical
journey of love and the power of imagination.
Throughout the Lavazza Drive-In Film Festival, four contemporary Italian films
will be screened as part of the special “Focus on Italy” series, presented in
partnership with the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura a Toronto.
They will move the festival to Vaughan in August and there are still plans for a scaled down festival in November 2020.
A portion of ticket sales will go directly to the Canadian Red Cross to
assist with COVID-19 relief efforts.
On Tuesday, July 21st, Simone Spada’s Tomorrow’s a New Day/Domani è un altro giorno will be screened.
The film is the touching story of two friends reflecting on a life well-lived, after one is handed a terminal diagnosis.
Fausto Brizzi’s If You Love Me/Se mi vuoi bene, starring ICFF fan-favourite Claudio Bisio, is the story of a middle-aged man, feeling depressed and confused, who executes a series of lies and manipulations to help his loved ones. The film will be screened on Saturday, July 25th.
On Monday, July 27th, the International Premiere of the latest film starring comedy troupe Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo, I Hate Summer/Odio l’estate, will be presented. The film, directed by Massimo Venier, follows three strangers who are forced to spend the summer holiday together, after accidentally being booked in the same vacation home.
Lastly, the Festival will close on Friday, July 31st with the Canadian Premiere Screening of the touching comedy-drama, If Only/Magari, directed by Ginevra Elkann. It’s the story of three tight-knit siblings who spend their summer caught between the eccentric lives of their divorced parents, each more concerned with themselves than their family.
Among the international titles, the Canadian Premiere Screening of the crime thriller Sheep Without a Shepherd/Wu sha, directed by Sam Quah, will represent China on Wednesday, July 22nd.
The film, which made history with its highest-grossing opening weekend sales in Mainland China, tells the story of a man who takes desperate measures to try and save his family from the dark side of the law, after committing an unexpected crime.
The Canadian Premiere Screening of the hilarious comedy Fisherman’s Friends, representing the UK, will be screened on Sunday, July 26th. The film, directed by Chris Foggin, is the story of a London music exec who becomes a true “fish out of water" when he tries to sign a record deal with a group of singing fishermen.
Jorge Gurvich’s football dramedy Back to Maracanã will represent Brazil on Thursday, July 23rd. The film follows three generations of men who embark on an unplanned road trip, which leads them on an emotional journey, changing them all forever.
Representing France, Nicolas Vanier’s Spread Your Wings/Donne-moi des ailes is a delightful adventure the whole family can enjoy. Screening on Friday, July 24th, the film is inspired by the real life story of a visionary scientist on a mission to save an endangered species of birds, and guide them along a new migratory route.
Representing Russia, Aleksey Sidorov’s WWII action flick T-34 will screen on Tuesday, July 28th
. T-34 is a story of unfailing bravery, and the incredible escape of a soldier and his tank crew from Nazi capture. The critically-acclaimed historical drama is presented with the generous support of the Representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Canada within the Russian Embassy.
A truly heartwarming tale representing the United States, The Peanut Butter Falcon, winner of the SXSW Audience Award, will be presented on Wednesday, July 29th. Co-directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, the critically-acclaimed film is a modern-day Mark Twain adventure; the harrowing tale of a young man fighting the odds to achieve his dreams with the help of two unlikely friends.
The penultimate screening of the Festival is Amar Kaushik’s latest film Bala, representing India, which will be screened on Thursday, July 30th. Bala is a fresh new comedy about the struggles of a young man facing premature baldness and his inability to cope with social pressures.
Audience members will be invited to vote on their favourite films over the course of the Festival, and a prize for People’s Choice will be awarded on the last day.
A selection of short films will also be screened ahead of the feature presentations, including Milkoffee, directed by Edoardo Vanja Raffaele; Best Friend, directed by Sara Cardillo; The Mona Lisa’s Aura, directed by Eric Delbaere; and Finding Harold, directed by Katarzyna Kochany.
After months of isolation, the event will transform the most classic movie-going experience into a
contemporary film festival, providing Canadians the perfect opportunity to engage with the community once again, in a safe and physically-distanced manner. To eliminate concerns over large crowds at concession stands during the event, the Festival has partnered with sponsor Pizza Nova to design a tailored app which offers contactless delivery of snacks directly to vehicles.
The audio of the presentations and the films will be broadcast live on Radio CHIN - AM1540. Each
evening of the Festival, a feature film will be preceded by live and live-streamed interviews and
Question & Answer sessions with actors and directors.
Visit www.icff.ca
or call 416-893-3966 for ticket information.
