Verso Sud – Festival of Italian Film
29th Edition | 24 November – 6 December 2023
From November 24th to December 6th, Verso Sud presents an extensive program with many contemporary Italian films and an ongoing tribute to the actress Claudia Cardinale, which will continue until December 30th. Claudia Squitieri, daughter of Claudia Cardinale, will be present at the opening on November 24th, where she will introduce the opening film “LA RAGAZZA DI BUBE” (Bebo’s Girl, 1964) and present a book and a short film about Cardinale. In addition, on November 25th, director Fulvio Risuleo, whose film “IL COLPO DEL CANE” (The Great Caper, 2019) was presented at Verso Sud a few years ago, will personally present his new film “NOTTE FANTASMA” (Ghost Night, 2022).
The tribute to Claudia Cardinale, presented in collaboration with Cinecittà, includes numerous classics and rediscoveries, such as “LA RAGAZZA CON LA VALIGIA” (The Girl with the Suitcase, 1961) by Valerio Zurlini, “IL GATTOPARDO” (The Leopard, 1963) by Luchino Visconti, “IL MAGNIFICO CORNUTO, (1964) by Antonio Pietrangeli, “IL GIORNO DELLA CIVETTA” (The Day of the Owl, 1968) by Damiano Damiani, “C’ERA UNA VOLTA IL WEST” (Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968) by Sergio Leone, and “ATTO DI DOLORE” (Act of Sorrow, 1990) by Cardinale’s longtime partner Pasquale Squitieri.
The selection of new Italian films for the festival includes “BEATA TE” (Blessed You) by Paola Randi, “GRAZIE RAGAZZI” (Thank You, Boys) by director Riccardo Milani, known for “COME UN GATTO IN TANGEZIALE”, “MARGINI” (Margins) by Niccolò Falsetti, “RAPITO” (Kidnapped) by Marco Bellocchio, “L’IMMENSITÀ” (The Immensity – My Fantastic Mother) by Emanuele Crialese, a preview of “LA CHIMERA” by Alice Rohrwacher and the German premiere of “BENTU” by Salvatore Mereu.
The complete festival program will be published online and in a separate festival catalogue in early November.
Start of ticket sales: Tickets for all films will be available online and at the box office starting November 8th at 15:00.
Important Note: Tickets reserved at the box office must be picked up at least two days prior to the screening.
School Screenings: In addition to the public program, Verso Sud also offers school screenings. If you’re interested, please email verso-sud@dff.film.
Tribute to Claudia Cardinale presented in collaboration with
Newsletter
Every winter, the Italian film festival VERSO SUD offers an insight into contemporary Italian cinema. A special emphasis is placed on auteur cinema, with films that have received significant attention in Italy from both audiences and critics.
At VERSO SUD, directors, screenwriters and actors present their work and engage in discussions with the audience. In recent years, the festival has welcomed prestigious guests such as Silvio Soldini, Giuseppe Piccioni, Eugenio Cappuccio and Andrea Segre. The program is completed with special screenings for students.
Every year, VERSO SUD also pays tribute to an important filmmaker and presents remarkable works from the history of Italian cinema. For example, the festival honored the legendary Vittorio de Sica on the occasion of his 100th birthday and organized a retrospective and photo exhibition in memory of the director, writer, poet and playwright Pier Paolo Pasolini on the 30th anniversary of his death. In 2007, VERSO SUD presented the seminal works of Michelangelo Antonioni on the occasion of his death.
Homages of recent years
1998 Gianni Amelio (Director)
1999 Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (Directors)
2000 Gillo Pontecorvo (Director)
2001 Vittorio de Sica (Director)
2002 Giuliano Montaldo (Director)
2003 Gabriele Salvatores (Director)
2004 Pupi Avati (Director)
2005 Pier Paolo Pasolini (Director)
2006 Sergio Castellito (Actor and Director)
2007 Michelangelo Antonioni (Director)
2008 Sergio Rubini (Actor and Director)
2009 Paolo Virzí (Director)
2010 Ferzan Ozpetek (Director)
2011 Liliana Cavani (Director)
2012 Luigi Lo Cascio (Actor and Director)
2013 Giuseppe Piccioni (Director)
2014 Giuseppe Tornatore (Director)
2015 Francesco Rosi (Director)
2016 Cristina Comencini (Director)
2017 Daniele Luchetti (Director)
2018 Marco Tullio Giordana (Director)
2019 Roberto Andò (Director)
2020 Lina Wertmüller (Director)
2021 Federico Fellini (Director)
2022 Monica Vitti (Actress)
2023 Claudia Cardinale (Actress)
Contact
Andreas Beilharz
Phone: 069 – 961 220 504
Email: Beilharz@dff.film
Verso Sud takes place in collaboration with Made in Italy.
The festival is sponsored by:
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Direzione Generale per il Cinema (Rome).
With kind support from:
Consolato Generale d’Italia (Frankfurt), Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Cologne), Italian National Tourist Board ENIT (Frankfurt), Casa di Cultura e.V. (Frankfurt), and Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (Rome).
