(14 February 2017) In the context of the Mardi Gras Film Festival (February 21 – 27), the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney in collaboration with Queer Screen presents two Italian films, “Io e lei” (Me, Myself, and Her) by Maria Sole Tognazzi starring Margherita Buy and Sabrina Ferilli and “Arianna” by Carlo Lavagna starring Ondina Quadri. The Mardi Gras Film Festival, now in its 24^th year, sheds light on the best of the LGBT cinema celebrating sexual diversity and gender identity on the screen. The films will be screened in Italian language with English subtitles at the Event Cinemas George Street. (PO/Red)

THE FILMS

The first screening will be “Io e lei” by the acclaimed filmmaker Maria Sole Tognazzi. It narrates the story of Marina (Sabrina Ferilli) and Federica (Margherita Buy), a stable couple for five years. Marina is a former actress and successful businesswoman who has always known that she was lesbian but who has delayed her coming-out due to work-related reasons. Federica, an architect, has a son and fell in love with Marina after her divorce with whom she entered her first homosexual relationship. However, Marina doesn’t consider herself to be a lesbian and believes that her relationship with Federica should not be a public matter. When Federica bumps into a man from her past it puts a strain on her relationship with Marina, bringing many of their insecurities to the surface. The second film screening, “Arianna”, Carlo Lavagna’s opera prima, starring Ondina Quadri in the role of Arianna explores with great sensitivity, a young woman who questions herself and her past that progressively re-emerges to ultimately uncover a truth that has long been kept a secret.