Movie lovers . . . Listen up!  Italian Festivals of New Mexico has announced its film lineup for the 12^th Annual New Mexico Italian Film & Culture Festival, and it’s fantastico!  You’ll find thrillers, dramas, comedies and a free bonus documentary, all award-winners and highly-acclaimed recent films that showcase Italian cinematic storytelling at its best.

The 2019 lineup is being called the best EVER in the festival’s 12-year run.  What makes it so is the inclusion of several market premieres and audience favorites fresh from last year’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival.  These are high-grossing box office hits in Italy that have yet to make the rounds of Italian film festivals in the US.

Opening night’s comedy, Benedetta follia (Blessed Madness), is one such film.  A huge hit with more than 1.3 million Italian filmgoers, it stars its renowned director, Carlo Verdone, in the story of Guglielmo, a religious man and faithful husband who gets dumped by his wife of 25 years.  In an effort to forget her, he signs up on an Internet dating app . . . and the laughs begin!

The festival’s showcase film, Come un gatto in tangenziale (Like a Cat on a Highway), also screened at Cannes, was the #1 Italian box office hit in 2018, and it’s one that’s beginning to show up on the rosters of a number of 2019 film festivals in the US.  It’s a multi award-winning comedy, worthy of its showcase, best-of-the-best status.  Come un gatto is the tale of Monica and Giovanni, parents from two different social worlds who are awkwardly brought together when their young teenagers begin dating each other.

While comedy is front and center in the 2019 festival program, it’s not the only genre on tap.  You’ll laugh andcry with Alessandro and Giorgio in Tutto quello che vuoi (Everything You Want) when young Giorgio forms an unlikely bond with elderly poet, Alessandro, who has Alzheimer’s.  You’ll find romance in In guerra per amore (At War with Love), a tender love story set in 1943 when Allied forces landed in Sicily.  And you’ll find mystery and a strong environmental message in Finché c'è prosecco c'è speranza (The Last Prosecco).

And there’s more.  See the full lineup, schedule, ticket information, and trailers at www.italianfestivalsnm.org.  Get it on your mind!  Get it on your calendar!  

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR VIDEO PROMO

https://youtu.be/JWiiZBodjPM