Italian Ambassador Pasquale Salzano speaks before the screening of “L’intrepido: A Lonely Hero” at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Auditorium on Monday.
DOHA: The Italian Embassy provided Doha cinephiles a sneak peek into the great beauty of Italian cinema with the screening of “L’intrepido: A Lonely Hero” at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Auditorium on Monday as part of the ongoing first European Film Festival Doha.
Having won the most Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category with record 14 wins in the history of Academy Awards, Italy is a force to reckon with in world cinema.
The 2013 film L’intrepido by Academy Award-nominated Italian filmmaker Gianni Amelio is a fine example of contemporary Italian cinema with its many remarkable elements.
The film tells the story of Antonio Pane played by popular Italian actor Antonio Albanese who works as a ‘fill-in,’ substituting for blue-collar workers who can’t come to their jobs for any reason.
From working in construction and waiting tables to entertaining children as a mascot and pasting posters on billboards, Antonio takes up temporary jobs not merely to make both ends meet but to articulate his love for work no matter what it is and whatever challenges come his way.
“It is a tribute to the value of work, no matter how prestigious, important or simple it might be: it is always a value,” said Italian Ambassador Pasquale Salzano.
The irony of the lead character’s kind heartedness and optimism and the film’s melancholy mood, the stunning shots of Milan cityscape in unique angles, and the filmmaker’s successful attempt to address economic realities are key elements of this film which took part in several festivals including the 70th Venice International Film Festival and the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
Addressing the audience, the ambassador expressed gratitude to the hosts and organizers of the first ever film festival which gathers some of the best films from Europe.
“I would like to thank Qatar Museums and Museum of Islamic Art for hosting us and also the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Cluster in Qatar, the organizers,” he said.
Prior to the showing of “L’intrepido,” the 2015 Swedish film Nice People was also screened. The film by Karin Klintberg and Anders Helgeson delves into themes of migration, integration, and sport.
Yesterday saw the screening of Infinite Garden (Bulgaria/2017) and Flying Home (Belgium/2014).
The festival concludes this evening with the screening of Atras das Nuvens (Portugal/2007) at 5pm and La Isla Minima (Spain/2014) at 8pm.
In its inaugural edition, the film festival features free public screenings of films from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
