50 Days Film Festival at Cinema La Compagnia

The city of Florence lights up with the greatest films of the past and present starting on October 28. The 50 Days of International Cinema Festival offers a home to those films that do not have a place in modern media. Ranging from Finland to Florence, from exploring the topic of women’s rights to raising awareness in the LGBT+ community, this festival covers all topics that are thought-provoking and have the ability to spark stimulating conversations.

Held for the first time at Cinema La Compagnia (via Cavour 50/r), the 50 Days of Cinema festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary in collaboration with the Film Library of Bologna. All films will be shown in their original language with Italian and English subtitles.

Built in the 1980s originally to host theatre productions and later converted to a cinema, La Compagnia will be the permanent home of the 50 Days of International Cinema and host all other film-related events organized by or in conjunction with the Fondazione Sistema Toscana.  Closed for the past 10 years, the Teatro della Compagnia has been renovated and expanded in the meantime.  The theatre now includes a second, smaller screening area, two conference rooms — with one set up to allow simultaneous interpreters to work — plus a café next door at via Cavour 52/r.  Managed by Ditta Artigianale, the café will be open daily from 8 am to midnight.

The first event, the France Odeon Festival, will be held on October 28-November 1 and will celebrate contemporary French film with some earlier works. This year the France Odeon aims to inaugurate a new section dedicated solely to short films. Among many directors featured is French-Afghan filmmaker Chabname Zariab who directed Au Bruit Des Clochettes, a film on overcoming the stereotypes associated with being a transvestite.

Next up is the Finish section of the film festival, A Window into the North. Starting on November 2 and ending on November 3, this two-day festival will focus on the common landscapes and culture of Nordic peoples.

Following this, there will be a festival to celebrate women of all nationalities in cinema from November 5-9. 2016 marks the 70th anniversary of women being given the right to vote in Italy. This festival focuses on political empowerment of women across the globe. The International Festival of Women in Cinema aims to stress the need for women directors in the male dominated world of film.

The Florence Queer Festival starting on November 10 and ending on November 15 looks at the equality and dignity of LGBT+ people. Well-known director Nadia Pizzuti’s film, Lina Mangiacapre, takes an eclectic and provocative look at the feminist movement of the 1970’s. The Florence Queer Film Festival’s purpose is to knock down the stereotypes in which have long been forced upon those who belong to the LGBT+ community.

Next up is the Art on Film Festival from November 16-20. This four day festival will explore the relationship between contemporary art and cinema through films, videos, and installations in La Compagnia Theatre.

From November 21-24, Cinema Ritrovato of Bologna will transport its audiences through time by bringing cinema classics back to life. The films will range from black and white to color, silent and sound, and documentaries. This will be the second year that the Film Library of Bologna will collaborate with the 50 Days of Cinema festival.

Founded in 1959, the Festival dei Popoli will take place from November 25-December 2. The organization that founded the festival over 50 years ago has been works to promote the study of social documentaries. The films featured in the festival will deal with topics such as immigration issues, cults, the relationship between Western and traditional medicine and more.

The only festival of Indian film held in Italy will be shown from December 3-8. In past editions of the River to River Indian Film Festival audiences were able to see several films and documentaries accompanied by their directors and Hollywood stars. The River to River festival will pay tribute to leading figures in Indian cinema.

The last event, NICE is scheduled on December 9 and focuses on movies produced and filmed in the Tuscan region screened in the United States. There will be a section dedicated solely to documentaries. (danna friedman)