Celebrate 10 Years of the Italian Film Festival
benvenuti
This year, the festival reached an important milestone - its our 10th anniversary!
In our first year, we started with five cinemas, and in 2025, we will screen in 28 different cinemas around Aotearoa. We created an itinerant Festival spread over the entire year, so we could host Opening Nights and meet our audiences face-to-face. The hospitality, warmth and reception has been humbling. From the sustained official support of The Italian Embassy in Wellington to Italian businesses and societies to film-loving individuals, our Festival is buoyed by Italians and Italo-philes alike. We are grateful for the privilege of traveling around this incredible country to share the best of Italian cinema with you. It’s a lot of fun.
Molto divertente, grazie for your support!
Buon viaggio nel cinema.
Un enorme grazie
Paolo & Renee
-
Embassy of Italy, Wellington
Cristiano Maggipinto
Ambassador of Italy
It is with great joy - having just arrived in this beautiful country to assume my role as Ambassador of Italy - that I write this message on the occasion of the new edition of the Cinema Italiano Festival.
This year the festival reached an important milestone - its 10th anniversary! In the last decade, thanks to the tireless efforts of Renee Mark and Paolo Rotondo, the festival has increased its offerings and audience attendance, sharing this year the best of Italian productions throughout the country in more than 25 theatres, covering 15 cities, including 20 openings nights and more than 1,000 screenings! Cinema Italiano Festival is a testament to the every-increasing appreciation of moviegoers in this country - New Zealanders and Italian alike - for the vitality and high standard of contemporary Italian cinema.The 2025 Festival takes on another special significance as this year we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and New Zealand, an occasion which marks the excellence of our bilateral ties.
In addition to Renee and Paolo’s generosity and commitment, I would also like to recognise the contribution of the Italian Embassy staff, as well as the support given by other institutions, such as the Italian Institute of Culture in Sydney, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Comites, the Societa’ Dante Alighieri, the numerous Italian associations in this country, as well as the support of Italian and New Zealand companies: each one of them has given its invaluable contribution to the success of this endeavour.
Francesco Calogero -
Paolo Rotondo, Artistic Director
Italy is a powerhouse of cinema, from the neorealism of the post-war era through the golden age of the 1960s to the vibrant voices of contemporary filmmakers. Today, Italian filmmakers release inventive, thoughtful stories with bigger budgets, bolder ideas, and more international elements. It’s a wonderful time to share our curation with you. C’e tanto di veramente bello nella nostra selezione.
From the vantage point of Aotearoa, I notice that despite the diversity of regional customs and traditions, with geographic and political divides, Italian films draw on their local peculiarities, communities, identities, and culture. Culture is the secret ingredient that adds something inimitable to everything ‘Made in Italy’. Our culture is our superpower in everything, from cuisine to design, furniture, engineering, music, literature, fashion and cinema. I hope New Zealand can take inspiration and celebrate what makes us unique.
Cinema has the power to connect us, and it is our hope that these films will transport you to Italy’s varied regions and invite reflection, discussion, and entertainment. Grazie di nuovo per il vostro sostegno.