Benvenuti! Monday August 9, 2010

Eleven years ago, nobody was organising an Italian Film Festival in Australia. Amongst Australia's many wonderful cultural film festivals that were taking place, this seemed like a sad omission. How could Italy, a country with such a long-standing tradition in filmmaking, not be represented by its own festival in a country bursting with Italophiles, Italo-Australians and film buffs? It was for this reason that Palace Cinemas, an independent family business, took up the challenge to create and run the Festival ourselves from scratch!

Now in its eleventh year, the Festival has grown into a national event attracting 70,000 admissions in 6 Australian capital cities. The 2010 edition highlights the best line up of new Italian cinema ever presented in Australia with 26 films including a diverse range of comedies, dramas, thrillers and documentaries from award-winning directors and actors, as well as spotlighting debut films from exciting new talent and closing with a classic. This is your only chance to see the latest and greatest Italian movies at your local Palace Cinema.

Escape for an afternoon or evening to Italy and enjoy the complete Italian experience, from the exceptional movie to the barista-made coffee, limoncello cocktail or glass of vino rosso.

I would like to sincerely thank festival patrons and sponsors for your ongoing support.

Viva il cinema Italiano!

Elysia Zeccola
Festival Director, Lavazza Italian Film Fesival
Palace Cinemas