Italian Contemporary Film Festival

The Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) is a not-for-profit, publicly attended Italian film festival, programming both films from Italy, and Canadian films about Italian-Canadian culture. Founded in 2012 in Toronto, ICFF has grown from a 4-day, single-venue festival of 18 films, to a 10-day, 9-city festival of over 130 feature films, documentaries and short films.[1]

Italian Contemporary Film Festival
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
FoundedJune, 2012, 10 years ago
Festival dateJune (dates vary but generally coinciding with the Italian Heritage Month)
LanguageEnglish and Italian
Websitewww.icff.ca

The ICFF has a monthly program with screenings and events held in its main cities, a Youth Festival program and its main June Festival initiative.

Every year ICFF takes place during the month of June in celebration of Ontario’s Italian Heritage Month with screenings in the cities of Toronto, Vaughan, Vancouver, Hamilton, Markham, Niagara, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City.[2] The ICFF festival screenings in Toronto are held at the TIFF Bell LightBox. The ICFF also runs special events and international programs throughout the year, which aim to involve different niche audiences.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 the 9th edition of the ICFF took place online.

History

2012 – 1st Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2013 – 2nd Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2014 – 3rd Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2015 – 4th Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2016 – 5th Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2017 – 6th Italian Contemporary Film Festival
  • Films screened: 36 films
  • Shorts screened: 25 shorts
  • Notable films featured: Like Crazy/La pazza gioia, Flower/Fiore, Indivisible/Indivisibili, It’s the Law/L’Ora legale
  • Opening Film: Something New/Qualcosa di nuovo, Directed by: Cristina Comencini, Italy
  • Closing Film: Like Crazy/La pazza gioia, Directed by: Paolo Virzì, Italy
  • Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vaughan, Quebec City, Hamilton, Vancouver[16][17][18]

2018 – 7th Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2019 – 8th Italian Contemporary Film Festival

2020 – 9th Italian Contemporary Film Festival

Postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival took place online from November 29th to December 8th.

  • Films screened: 18 films
  • Shorts screened: 28 shorts
  • Notable films featured: Aspromonte: the Land of the Forgotten/ Aspromonte - la terra degli ultimi, Tolo Tolo, Fellinopolis, Hidden Away/Volevo nascondermi, All My Crazy Love/Volare
  • Opening Film: Fellinopolis, Directed by: Silvia Giulietti, Italy
  • Cities: Canada-wide online program[24][25][26]

Special Events

Part of ICFF’s mandate is to celebrate Italian culture in all its aspects and each year ICFF organizes different events and initiatives to display renowned Italian traditions.

ICFF Industry Day

Industry Day is an annual event which first launched in 2015. The event poses an opportunity for filmmakers and industry professionals to network and share ideas, which in past editions has led to collaborations and co-production projects. ICFF Industry Day discusses the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry, startups and talent development. The day-long program includes panel discussions and industry professionals who discuss their experiences working on Italian-Canadian productions and share ideas for the next phase of co-productions between the two countries.[27]

Guest speakers in recent years included: Academy Award winning composer, Nicola Piovani, for Life is Beautiful and Oscar Award winning producer and screenwriter, Nick Vallelonga,[28] for Green Book. Film institutions who participated in the event include: Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, Take 5 Productions, Rogers Communications, SIRT, Indigo Film and Istituto Luce Cinecittà.

ICFF Architettura & Design

The annual event showcases the work and contributions from Italian architects and designers who have influenced this industry. The event includes a combination of film screenings and panel discussions where industry professionals share their outlook on new industry developments, challenges and upcoming opportunities.[29]

ICFF Letteratura

ICFF Letteratura is an event that hosts poets, novels and poem writers who are the centre of a film or an important part of the story. The event aims to underline and celebrate the importance of Italian-Canadian writers and poets in Canada, giving them a platform to share their works.[30]

ICFF in the Vineyard

This ICFF annual event brings together film, wine and food in partnership with Two Sisters Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario. Its aim is to celebrate Italy’s gastronomic culture, flavours and food traditions through a film screening that accompanies the experience at the vineyard. The evening features Two Sisters Vineyards wines accompanied by Italian dishes.[31]

ICFF Call the Shots

Call The Shots is an annual event that celebrates and honours women’s achievements in thought, leadership, and action. Call the Shots: Female Power Through Film tackles various themes and subject matter from the perspective of women who have achieved great success and become experts in their respective fields. In every aspect, in every field, and in every sector - be it filmmaking, journalism, the arts or industrial entrepreneurship - our guests represent the Canadian and Italian-Canadian women making an impact on their community and society as a whole.[32][33]

ICFF Care

Every year ICFF focuses on a community building social justice event, discussing and supporting communities affected by unfortunate events. In 2018 the event was dedicated to support those affected by the earthquakes that ravaged Italy in 2017.

Apericena at ICFF

Each year ICFF, in honour of TIFF, organizes a networking dinner-aperitivo night.

This is an event open to everyone in the industry and the Italian delegation at TIFF. Invitations are sent to celebrate Italian films in partnership with TIFF, as well as an early look at the next year's ICFF program.

ICFF Motori

The event brings together all car enthusiasts from both Italian and Canadian backgrounds, who have an interest in learning more about the history, culture and manufacturing through films and documentaries. ICFF hosts discussion opportunities with film directors and actors as well as panels for further exploration of the theme.

ICFF Arte

ICFF Arte is an annual initiative that showcases films and documentaries focused on some of the most influential Italian artists in modern and contemporary art.

ICFF Cucina

Every year ICFF Cucina honours the Italian culinary traditions through a program that combines film and food. ICFF presents movies and panel discussions about the most classic and traditional dishes that characterize the cuisine "made in Italy”.

ICFF Cycling

ICFF Cycling is an initiative that takes the audience on a tour which celebrates this very sport and the champions who made Italian cycling history.

ICFF Moda

ICFF Moda is an event that encompasses three important elements of the Italian experience: food, film and fashion. This initiative features a fashion show inclusive of local and notable Italian brands and designers, accompanied by short films focused on Italian fashion.[34]

ICFF Befana in Vaughan

This event focuses on a longstanding tradition in Italian culture known as “befana”. The initiative takes place every year in Vaughan, where the day is filled with events and activities dedicated to children.[35]

Opening Party

The ICFF festival opens each year with an official ‘Opening Party’ for guests. The event signifies the start of the 10-day festival week that celebrates all things Italian.

Closing Gala

The ICFF festival closes each year at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel with an official Closing Gala Award Ceremony. Guests attend for a sit-down dinner followed by presentations, performances and award hand-outs to the star guests in attendance.

ICFF Youth Film Festival

ICFF Youth is the annual film programme of ICFF that promotes film as an art form using the platform of International Cinema, while providing students (ages 8 to 18) with exposure to a variety of cultures and languages.

The program includes feature films, documentaries, animations and shorts. It provides educators with an alternate teaching strategy that respects a variety of learning styles.

The mission of ICFF Youth is two-fold:

1.     To use cinema as a tool to enrich students’ analytical and critical skills while learning about key elements of the art of filmmaking.

2.     To give students the opportunity to develop their knowledge of International languages and culture while enjoying the best of contemporary International Cinema.[36]

Eight to ten movies are selected each year for screenings set in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, North York and Toronto. The films are screened in their original language (Italian, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and Portuguese) with English subtitles,[37] and come with pedagogical material provided to all participating teachers. All suggested activities and strategies are based on the Ontario Curriculum which serves as a guide for all prepared educational material.

References
  1. "About ICFF". Italian Contemporary Film Festival.
  2. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival". Filmitalia. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  3. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival's inaugural year presents new Woody Allen film". thetfs.ca. 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  4. Torontoist (2012-06-27). "Say Hello to the Italian Contemporary Film Festival". Torontoist. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  5. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival coming to TIFF". Toronto.com. 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. "The new Italian film festival in Toronto". Toronto.com. 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  7. "ICFF 2013 Gala Opening & Top Films". MyETVmedia. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  8. "Benvenuto Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2013!". Hye's Musings. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  9. Rideout, T. D. (2014-06-12). "ICFF – Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2014". The Mind Reels. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  10. Small, Courtney (2015-05-13). "Italian Contemporary Film Festival Launches its 2015 Program". Cinema Axis. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  11. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2015". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  12. "Films to See: ICFF 2015". MyETVmedia. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  13. Festival, Italian Contemporary Film. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival launches its 2016 program". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  14. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2016". Hye's Musings. 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  15. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2016". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  16. "The Sixth Annual Italian Contemporary Film Festival". NUVO. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  17. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2017". City Life Vaughan Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  18. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2017". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  19. "ICFF concludes with a record-high attendance". City Life Vaughan Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  20. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2018". Toronto Arts and Events. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  21. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2018". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  22. Cines. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2019". Cine in Style. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  23. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2019". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  24. "Italian cinema, now from the comfort of your living room". Rogers. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  25. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival goes virtual across the country". TheBUZZ Magazine. 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  26. "ICFF @ Home - Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2020". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  27. "Italia-Canada: l'ICFF riduce la "social distance"". politicamentecorretto.com (in Italian). 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  28. "Italian Contemporary Film Festival Industry Day". Sirt. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  29. "ICFF Architettura & Design". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  30. "ICFF Literature". Italian Contemporary Film Festival.
  31. "Icff in the Vineyard". Italian Contemporary Film Festival.
  32. "Call the Shots Archive". Italian Contemporary Film Festival.
  33. "ICFF Call the Shots: Female Power through Film Telling the Story". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  34. "ICFF Moda". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  35. "ICFF Befana - A children's Italian holiday tradition!". iictoronto.esteri.it. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  36. "ICFF Youth". Italian Contemporary Film Festival.
  37. "Cristiano de Florentiis on the ICFF and the State of Italian Cinema in Canada". Accenti Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
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