October 14th, 2015 - What are the ten best Italian films? Which films left their mark on the history of the seventh art in Italy? Italian cinema and one of its leading experts are flying to Japan to discuss the issue. The critic and film scholar Adriano Aprà – on Saturday, October 17 – will be at the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo. The essayist and film professor, author of several films, and occasional actor will host a conference on Italian cinema and, in particular, on what he considers the "10 best Italian films." Based on his personal list (a list of thirty-three movies and one of ten) distributed to the audience, the well-known film critic will lead the public on a quick tour of Italian cinema history, highlighting the "excellence". The appointment is at 3pm (seating opens at 2:30pm) at the headquarters of the Italian Institute of Culture, which organized the event in collaboration with the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (NPO). Adriano Aprà (born in Rome in 1940) wrote “Per non morire hollywoodiani” (Reset, 1999), “Stelle & strisce”. “Viaggi nel cinema usa dal muto agli anni '60” (Falsopiano, 2005), “In viaggio con Rossellini” (Falsopiano, 2006). Ha realizzato “Olimpia agli amici” (1970), “Rossellini visto da Rossellini” (1992) and the video-essays Circo Fellini (2010) e “All’ombra del conformista” (2011). Arà was the protagonist of Othon (1969) by Straub-Huillet, and also oversaw the publication of some of their film texts (Progress Publishers, 1992). (Red)

ADRIANO APRÀ

Adriano Apra was born in 1940 in Rome, where he lives. He has been writing since 1960, first on Filmcritica, then from 1966 to 1970 on Cinema & Film - a quarterly he founded and directed. He then wrote numerous essays on Italian and foreign books and magazines; and edited dozens of books on Italian and international cinema, including “Il mio metodo. Scritti e interviste di Roberto Rossellini,” now in its third edition (Marsilio, 2006) and translated into English and Japanese. He also published: Per non morire hollywoodiani (Reset, 1999), Stelle & strisce. Viaggi nel cinema USA dal muto agli anni ’60 (Falsopiano, 2005) e In viaggio con Rossellini (Falsopiano, 2006). And in the 1970s he co-directed the "Filmstudio 70" of Rome. He has worked in various festivals, directing those of Salsomaggiore and Pesaro between 1977 and 1998. From 1998 to 2002, Aprà directed the National Film Archive; and from 2002 to 2008 he taught History of Italian Cinema at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata".