‘Apriti Cinema’: Free Films at the Uffizi

A scene from ‘Nocturne in Black’

Florence’s summer film festival, Apriti Cinema, has always been celebrated for the diversity of the films that it features. This year’s festival will include all of the elements that have made this event a success: free entrance until 285 available seats have been filled, original language films with Italian or English subtitles, from last fall’s 50 Days of International Cinema Festival and the 2017 Asian Spring Festival.

One notable aspect, however, has changed: the festival’s location. From June 26 to July 29, this year’s festival will be held in the Piazzale degli Uffizi, the square outside the gallery.

According to Mayor Dario Nardella, the “Piazzale degli Uffizi is one of the historical and architectural hearts of Florence, but in recent years it has lost its identity as a historical and cultural center.” Nardella hopes to remedy this loss of cultural significance by moving the summer festival there.

The English subtitled highlights of this year’s festival include: FAME by Giacomo Abbruzzese and Angelo Milano, Nocturne in Black by Jimmy Keyrouz, Haemoo by Shim Sung-Bo, and Chongqing Hot Pot by Yang Qing. FAME will be shown on June 26 at 10 pm. This film documents Angelo Milano’s creation of a street art festival that ran for five years in his southern Italian hometown, Grottaglie.

Nocturne in Black, a film from the Middle East/Voices and Sound Festival that will play on June 27 at 10 pm, tells the story of a Syrian pianist, Karim. His music is an inspiration to his neighbors, but he is forced to try to reconstruct his piano after it is destroyed by Jihadists.

Haemoo, a Florence Korea Film Fest film, will be shown on July 6 at 10 pm. The movie is based on real-life events and details a fishing boat crew’s attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants in order to earn enough money to save their business.

Lastly, Chongqing Hot Pot is a film from the Dragon Film Festival that will play on July 15 at 10 pm. The film follows a group of friends who own a Chinese restaurant that become involved in a bloody robbery.

To make sure you don’t miss out on this classic Estate Fiorentina Festival, arrive early before available spaces run out. No matter which film you decide to see this summer, you can it enjoy it in an historic venue on an 8 by 4.5 meter screen. (margaux glovier)