Eleven films. Seven nights. All under the stars.
June 25 - July 1
The ICFF Festival used to be the Italian Contemporary Film Festival, but it's now called the Lavazza Inclucity Festival. Same people but a lot more things to see and do. This festival has expanded so much that there is the Main Festival at the Distillery District downtown Toronto and also another theatre at a Cineplex in Vaughan and a new festival in Toronto, you can also watch some films from home.
This year, because of the FIFA World Cup, there is a heavy emphasis on sports films and especially a high amount on Soccer or football, as they call it.
Films like Bend it like Beckham and Next Goal Wins return, and the Documentary from 1982 called Il Viaggio Degli Eroi about the 1982 World Cup Game that Italy won.
A couple of other films that were at TIFF that are going to be screening are Little Lorraine, Secret Agent, which also received an Academy Award nomination, and one of my TIFF favourites, Rental Family, bring tissues for this one.
The films are very diverse, and that's why they changed the name so they could include much more than just Italian films.
On Canada Day, the film is A Good Day.
Other things happening at the festival include a foosball activation at the Distillery.
This year, Illuminarium is being taken over for Airtficial Visions, a project created of AI-created art in an immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of how art is generally seen.
And there's more:
- A focus on Architecture with a panel discussion with a top Italian architect
- ICFF loves Fashion, Fashion Frames, where style becomes Cinema,
- Music, TO the Beat, live music everyday and it's free to attend.
- Industry Days returns to inspire and inform members of the local film industry
The Closing Gala is going to be BIG!
Patrick Dempsey will be doing an In Conversation at the TIFF Lightbox and will also be at the Gala, and Italy's most celebrated actress, Ornella Muti will be a guest at the Closing Night Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton.
What's not at the festival this year is the Late Night Horror movies, but there is a George Romero film screening.
I hope I haven't left anything out. This is a massive film festival that runs for a month. No other festival in Toronto runs that long.
The coolest part and what might also be the hardest thing is the fact that the films are screened outdoors in a couple of spots in the Distillery. On a beautiful night, you can't get much better, but with Toronto's ever-changing crazy weather, be prepared with a warm jacket and umbrella just in case.
This is the 15th year of the Festival. I don't think I have missed any, even if I only got to see 1 film.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that there's always great food at an ICFF festival. With the lead sponsor being Lavazza, you know there's going to be great coffee, and look out for some delicious Gelato from Mizzica, and Ferrero and Barilla are also sponsors, and there are many more. The lead sponsor is Rogers.
One thing to note is that they give you headphones to listen to the movies during the festival so they don't disturb the residents of the area and anything else going on there.
Enjoy La Dolce Vita
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