(April 26, 2017) The best contemporary Italian director in Australia thanks to “Beyond classics. New Italian Cinema”, organized by the Italian Cultural Institute, after the success of the previous movie cycles Masters of Neorealism: Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica in 2015 and Marcello Mastroianni: Lover and Legend. The kermesse will open on May 4 at 6PM at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (1 Powerhouse Road, Casula) by the Mayor of Liverpool, Wendy Waller, the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Donatella Cannova, the Italian Consul General, Arturo Arcano, and the Director of the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Craig Donarski. For the opening night the IIC selected “La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar”, a “fake documentary”, or mockumentary, where some real facts are intertwined with other, fictitious moments, directed by Giuseppe Gagliardi. The series will offer viewers a historical perspective, , as well as a selection of the best films depicting the genius, the irony and the intensely emotional nature which characterize Italian dramatic comedy, through some of the most recent works by the great Italian directors as Mario Martone, Daniele Ciprì, Giuseppe Gagliardi, Gianni Amelio and Carlo Mazzacurati. (Red)

ABOUT / THE OPENING FILM

La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar revisits the story of Antonio Ragusa, a migrant from Calabria who in 1952 left Genoa for Argentina to became Tony Vilar, the most famous South American melodic singer of the early 60s, disappeared at the peak of his success without leaving any trace. The main character, played by Peppe Voltarelli, tracks down his cousin Vilar (Roy Paci), in a journey that from Buenos Aires takes him to New York. During this journey the filmmaker takes some pictures of Italians living in America, and who seem to have come out of John Fante’s pages.