"This year, the festival's focus will be on Russian cinema, knit with Italian film by so many life threads. Yet, nowadays, even specialists don't know much about the Russian film [industry's] high production capacity, which we could see during the Moscow International Film Festival this past June. We are very proud of the partnership we are building with the famous Moscow Film Festival, something that will give Italian audiences the chance to see the latest in Russian film," said Giancarlo Carriero, the President of the Ischia International Arts Academy and one of the driving forces behind the Global Film & Music Fest.
A program showcasing contemporary Russian film opened with Alexei Uchitel's "Dreaming of Space," awarded the Moscow festival's top prize this year.
A RIA Novosti photo exhibition, "Russia in Ischia: Two Cinematic Traditions, One Passion," is on display on the sidelines of the festival and spans the 40-plus years of collaboration between Russian and Italian filmmakers. The forty pictures on display depict Italian movie stars, such as Sofia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Marcello Mastroiani, and Alberto Sordi, during their Moscow visits, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Russian-Italian production sets.
The panel discussion "Russian Cinema and Italy: Reality and Prospects in the Globalization Era" is another event to be held as part of the Ischia festival. Also forthcoming is the screening of "And Quiet Flows the Don," Russian director Sergei Bondarchuk's last picture, made with Italian collaboration.
The Ischia festival is being held for the third time this year. The first forum profiled India's Bollywood and the second, China's film industry.
