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Events 2000

 

February
Monday 14 February, 7pm
Concert
Love's strange Harmonies
by the Cromata Ensemble
The songs of this concert explore love in all its many guises and representations, portrayed by poets and musicians in Italy in the first half of the seventeenth-century. Cromata was founded in 1996 and specialize in the performance of Italian songs from the 17th and early 18th centuries. The performers in Cromata trained at the Royal College of Music, London. The Ensemble has been awarded prizes in the UK and abroad.

Wednesday 16 February, 5.45pm
Fiorile
(1993, 127 mins.)
Directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.
With Galatea Ranzi, Claudio Bigagli, Michael Vartan, Lino Capolicchio and Constanze Engelbrecht.

 
Monday 21February, 5.45pm
Il testimone dello sposo
(1997, 95 mins.)
Directed by Pupi Avati.
With Diego Abatantuono, Inès Sastre, Dario Cantarelli, Cinzia Mascoli, Valeria d'Obici and Toni Santagata.

 

Thursday 24 February, 7pm
Concert by the Duo Francesco Parrino (Violin), Yew -Boon Cheong ( piano)
Music by G. Donizetti, I. Pizzetti, N. Paganini, and C. Franck.
Praised by critics as "exceptional" the Duo will present the UK premiere of two Donizetti 's violin compositions.


 
Monday 28 February, 5.45pm
Il postino
(1994, 105 mins., with English subtitles)
Directed by Michael Radford.
With Massimo Troisi, Philippe Noiret, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Linda Moretti, and Renato Scarpa.
Based on the novel by Antonio Skarmeta.
5 Oscar Nominations, Oscar for Best Original Score, 1995

March
Monday 6 March, 5.45pm
Mediterraneo
(1991, 104 mins.)
Directed by Gabriele Salvatores.
With Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli, Giuseppe Cederna, Claudio Bisio, Gigio Alberti and Ugo Conti. Oscar for Best Foreign Film, 1991

 

Thursday 9 March, 6.30pm
Lecture (in English)
Elizabeth I and some Italian Spies in sixteenth-century London
by Arturo Barone
In sixteenth century England it was quite common for foreign merchants with connections abroad to become involved in spying. In this talk the well known lawyer and author, Arturo Barone, will examine the background of certain Italian spies living in London in this period.
A joint event with the British-Italian Society.


 
Monday 13 March, 5.45pm
Al di là delle nuvole
(1995, 116 mins.)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wenders.
With Fanny Ardant, Chiara Caselli, Irène Jacob, John Malkowich, Sophie Marceau, Vincent Perez, Jeanne Moreau and Marcello Mastroianni

 
Monday 20 March, 5.45pm
Pensavo fosse amore, invece era un calesse
(1991, 103 mins.)
Directed by Massimo Troisi.
With Massimo Troisi, Francesca Neri, Angelo Orlando, Marco Messeri, Natalia Bizzi and Alessia Salustri.Ciak d'Oro and Nastro d'Argento, 1992

 

Tuesday 21 March, 6.30pm
Book presentation (in English)
Figures of Lightness- Anorexia, Bulimia and Phychoanalysis

(Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
by Gabriella Ripa di Meana
The author and Dr Andrea Sabbadini (an Italian psychoanalist based in London) will discuss the different forms of eating disorders and psychoanalysis.


 
Monday 27 March, 5.45pm
La scuola
(1995, 102 mins.)
Directed by Daniele Luchetti.
With Silvio Orlando, Anna Galiena, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Antonio Petrocelli and Anita Zagaria

 
Wednesday 29 March, 5.45pm
Caro Diario
(1993, 98 mins.)
Directed by Nanni Moretti.
With Nanni Moretti, Jennifer Beals, Renato Carpentieri, Antonio Neiwiller, Moni Ovadia, Serena Nono and Carlo Mazzacurati.
Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, 1994

 
Thursday 30 March, 6.30pm
Lecture (in English)
Horace's Villa : Digging in the archives, excavating and presenting the site.
by Bernard Frischer and Martin Goalen
Horace, one of the most important and beloved Latin poets, lived in Augustus' circle and was a friend of Virgil. He dedicated many poems to his villa in the Sabine country near Rome. The remains of Horace's villa in the Sabine country, lost for centuries, were located in the 18th century and the Italian State undertook the first scientific excavations in 1911-16. In this illustrated talk, Prof. Frischer(UCLA) and Prof. Goalen (UCL) will present the results of the excavations which were reopened only in 1997 under the directorship of the former and will discuss the future development of the site.

April

Monday 3 April, 6.00 pm
La ciociara (1960, 105 mins.)
Directed by Vittorio De Sica With Sofia Loren, Eleonora Brown, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Renato Salvatori, Carlo Ninchi, Andrea Checchi and Pupella Maggio. Based on the novel by Alberto Moravia. Oscar for Best Actress to Sophia Loren (1961) and First Prize at Cannes Film Festival.


 

Thursday 6 April, 6.30pm
Lecture
Stones of a Nation
by Gaia Servadio and Ian BurumaTo celebrate the publication of Motya: Unearthing a Lost Civilization (Victor Gollancz) by Gaia Servadio, a talk by the author and Ian Buruma which will cover the issue of nationalism and archaeology.
Motya, a Phoenician city on an island off the coast of Sicily, was destroyed by the Greeks in 397 B.C. Its inhabitants succeeded in concealing their treasures from the Greeks, but not from the insatiable curiosity of twentieth-century archaeologists. Ian Buruma, journalist and essayist, is the author of The Wages of Guilt and Voltaire's Coconuts. He writes for The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books.


 
Monday 10 April, 5.00 pm
Il gattopardo (1963, 190 mins.)
Directed by Luchino Visconti With Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Paolo Stoppa, Rina Morelli, Romolo Valli, Giuliano Gemma, Mario Girotti and Ottavia Piccolo.
Based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival (1963), Three Nastri D'Argento and David of Donatello for Best Production.

 

Wednesday 12 April, 6.00 pm
La ragazza di Bube
(1963, 111 mins.)
Directed by Luigi Comencini With Claudia Cardinale, George Chakiris, Marc Michel, Dany Paris, Monique Vita, Carla Calo' and Emilio Esposito.
Based on the novel by Carlo Cassola.


 

Wednesday 26 April, 6.00 pm
Il giardino dei Finzi - Contini
(1970, 95 mins.)
Directed by Vittorio De Sica With Dominique Sanda, Lino Capolicchio, Helmut Berger, Romolo Valli, Raffaele Curi and Alessandro D'Alatri.
Based on the novel by Giorgio Bassani


May

Monday 8 May, 6.00 pm
Profumo di donna
(1974, 100 mins.)
Directed by Dino Risi With Vittorio Gassman, Agostina Belli, Alessandro Momo, Moira Orfei and Alvaro Vitali. Based on the novel Il buio e il miele by Giovanni Arpino. The film has been remade in Hollywood with the title Scent of a Woman (1992, with Al Pacino)


 

Tuesday 9 May, 6.30pm
Exhibition and slide presentation
From Inferno to Paradiso - a Visual Journey
La Divina Commedia illustrated by Monika Beisner. Prof. Christopher Green (Courtauld Institute) will introduce the work of the artist who will show slides of her beautiful illustrations for Dante's poem. Peter Dale will read some excerpts from his translation of The Divine Comedy. Monika Beisner is an illustrator of books of international repute. Her images are more than mere illustrations, her aim being to make image and text speak together.Some original works will be exhibited.


 

Wednesday 10 May, 6.00 pm
L'innocente
(1976, 125 mins.)
Directed by Luchino Visconti With Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, Jennifer O'Neil, Rina Morelli, Massimo Girotti and Didier Haudepin. Based on the novel by Gabriele D'Annunzio.


 

Monday 15 May, 6.00 pm
Caro Michele
(1996, 110 mins.)
Directed by Mario Monicelli With Mariangela Melato, Delphine Seyrig, Aurore Clément, Lou Castel and Eriprando Visconti.
Based on the novel by Natalia Ginzburg.


 

Wednesday 17 May, 6.00 pm
La pelle (1981, 131 mins.)
Directed by Liliana Cavani With Marcello Mastroianni, Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Ken Marshall, Alexandra King and Carlo Giuffre'.
Based on the novel by Curzio Malaparte.


 
Thursday 18 May, 6.30pm
Book Presentation (in English)
Divided Loyalties: Italians in Britain during the Second World War by Lucio Sponza (Peter Lang, Berna) with the author, Prof. Denis Mack Smith and Dr Christopher Duggan.
Italian immigrants who suddenly became "enemy aliens" when Mussolini declared war on Britain, and the Italian POWs who were subsequently brought over to this country as cheap labour, are the neglected protagonists of Lucio Sponza's book. As is often the case with the unusual and the unorthodox, their condition as a humiliated minority casts perceptive insights into human values.
A joint event with the British-Italian Society.A joint event with the British-Italian Society.

 

Monday 22 May, 5.00 pm
Kaos
(1984, 157 mins.)
Directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani With Margarita Lozano, Claudio Bigagli, Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, Biagio Barone and Regina Bianchi.
Based on the novels by Luigi Pirandello: L'altro figlio, Mal di luna, La giara, Requiem.


 
Thursday 25 May, 7.30pm
Concert
by Corrado Canonici (double bass) and Paolo Zannini (piano)

On the occasion of UK Music Live.Music by Rota, Bottesini, Piazzolla, Cavallari, Greshwin, Paganini.
After several years of orchestral work, Corrado Canonici is now primarily a soloist. He has performed in many European countries and in the USA. Paolo Zannini has won several international prizes. He plays as a soloist with i Solisti della Scala.

September
monday 18 september - 6.30pm
Venice in London
A documentary by David Grieco.
News, events and key personalities of 57th Venice Film Festival which has just ended. In association with Tele +. (The author will be present)

 
thursday 28 september - 6.30pm
Franco Giordano "In the Body"
What has our artist been up to during his three months stay in London? What does the title of the exhibition mean? Now is the moment to find out...

October

october 2000 - january 2001
Federico Pietrella
A recent graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, who has already exhibited in some of the most prestigious Italian galleries. At present he works in Milan at the Enzo Cannaviello gallery. He has been much reviewed by distinguished art critics of his generation, from Ludovico Pratesi to Giuliana Stella. An exhibition, comprising of work produced during his stay at the Institute, opens on Thursday 11 January 2001.


 
monday 2 october - 6.30pm
Dacia Maraini meets Richard Mason
Dacia Maraini is one of the most notable and acclaimed Italian writers, the winner of the Premio Strega in 1999. The titles of works translated into English are: "The Silent Duchess" (Feminist Press), "Isolina", "Bagheria" (Peter Owen). "Sweet in Itself" (Arcadia Books), her latest novel, will be out in October. Richard Mason is the author of just one novel, "The Drowning People" (Penguin), which has had success here and in Italy ("Anime alla deriva", Einaudi).

 

monday 9 october - 6.30pm
Andrea De Carlo meets Michele Roberts
Andrea De Carlo made his debut with the novel "The Cream Train" (Olive Press) highly praised at the time by Italo Calvino. Other titles available in English are: "Macno" and "Yucatan" (Harcourt Brace). Michele Roberts latest novel is "The Looking Glass" (Virago). The Italian translations of "Daughters of the House" and "Fair Exchange" (coming out in October) are both published by Tufani Editore.


 

monday 16 october - 6.30pm
Daniele Del Giudice meets Ian McEwan
Harvill Press and Penguin have each published one of Daniele Del Giudice's books: "Take-off" and "Lines of Light". Hopefully, others will be published in the future. Ian McEwan is as famous and well loved in Italy as he is in Britain. Some of his titles: "Amsterdam", "Black Dogs" and "Enduring Love" are published by Vintage.


 

monday 23 october - 6.30pm
Simona Vinci meets Mavis Cheek
Simona Vinci has written one of the most talked about Italian novels in recent years: "Dei bambini non si sa niente", Einaudi ("A Game We Play", Vintage). The work of Mavis Cheek has yet to be translated into Italian. But at least "Three Men on a Plain" and "Mrs Fytton's Country Life" (Faber & Faber) ought to be.


 

monday 30 october - 6.30pm
Alessandro Baricco meets Hanif Kureishi
Alessandro Baricco is the author of "Ocean Sea" (Penguin) and "Silk" (Harvill Press). He is also an essayist ("L'anima di Hegel e le mucche del Wisconsin", Garzanti) and playwright ("Novecento", Feltrinelli, on which the film "The Legend of 1900" with Tim Roth was based). We all remember Hanif Kureishi's novel "The Budda of Suburbia" (Faber & Faber), but his latest novel "Intimacy" (Faber & Faber) is even finer.
At the end of the conversation, opening of the photographic exhibition "Wr
iters in pose", comprising unpublished portraits of Italian intellectuals between the 19th and 20th centuries by Mario Nunes Vais. In association with ICCD - Ministero per i Beni e le Attivita' Culturali.


November
monday 6 november - 6.30pm
Marisa Fabbri in "Dall'opaco" by Italo Calvino
A performance by Marisa Fabbri with the musical dramaturgy of Paolo Terni. The favourite actress of Giorgio Strehler and Luca Ronconi reinterprets in her inimitable style a short story from Italo Calvino's "La Strada di San Giovanni", with the complicity of one of the most sophisticated musicologists on the Italian scene.

 

sunday 12 november - 11.30 am
Colin Firth reads Leonardo Sciascia (in English)
One of the best known and popular actors working today, reads from the Sicilian author's works: "The Day of the Owl" and "Council of Egypt".


 

monday 20 november - 6.30pm
Paolo Bonacelli reads Ennio Flaiano
A talented writer ("A Time to Kill") and a very successful screenwriter ("La dolce vita"), Flaiano is today an author to be rediscovered. Paolo Bonacelli, a theatre and film actor (with Pier Paolo Pasolini and Alan Parker), reinvents Flaiano with words and music from the 60's, painting a portrait of one of the most eccentric personalities of the latter half of the 20th century.


 

saturday 25 november - 6.30pm
Elizabeth McGovern reads Cesare Pavese (in English)
The renowned Oscar-winning actress celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pavese's death by reading excerpts from works such as "The Moon and the Bonfire" and "The Business of Living". After the reading, opening of the exhibition "Solitude". Ten prestigious photographers of today reinterpret themes that were closest to the heart of the Italian writer who died in 1950. In association with Casa delle Letterature - Rome.

 

thursday 30 november - 6.30pm
A meeting with the editors of Italian Perspectives
Italo Svevo, Elio Vittorini, Italo Calvino and the Italian feminist narrative: these themes are the focus of four new volumes of "Italian Perspectives".


December

monday 4 december - 6.30pm
Susanna Tamaro meets Ken Loach
Susanna Tamaro made a name for herself world-wide with "Va' dove ti porta il cuore" ("Follow your Heart", Vintage). Her collection of short stories "Per voce sola" ("For Solo Voice" Minerva) attracted the attention of Federico Fellini. Ken Loach needs no introduction. The director of "Carla's Song" "My Name is Joe" and "Bread and Roses" is well known to the Italian public.


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