Cinema Italia celebrated its fifth anniversary on April 22, bringing the best of Dino Risi to San Francisco. Once again, for one entire day, the Castro Theatre welcomed Italian cinema lovers, who watched four movies and enjoyed the Commedia all'Italiana Party at the Mezzanine.
 
Thanks to the collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute and Luce Cinecittà, four of Risi’s most significant movies - all featuring renowned Italian actor Vittorio Gassman in his shooting star roles - were shown. The Italian director had the ability to break up some Italian stereotypes: from the charlatan to the cheating husband, the characters of the commedia all’italiana find themselves playing funny roles, most times with tragic endings revealing depth and moral rigor behind the laughs.