If there is one European country that most Bombayites love, it has to be Italy. We love Italian food or the American/Gujarathi/Udupi variants of it that we get in this city. Anyone who claims to be an expert on films will list Bicycle Thieves as one of his or her favourites. Then there's the popularity of Serie A football and Formula 1 car racing. Several trendy shops claim to sell everything from clothes to handbags to furniture made in Italy.
Well, the Italians love us too. They are organising a set of wonderful cultural programmes in the city this month. While the rest of the world celebrates the World Italian Language Week, festivities in Bombay go on for more than 15 days.
It all starts on October 8 with the opening of an exhibition of photographs at the Prince of Wales Museum (I refuse to call it the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj whatever) titled "The Persistence of Memory" by Dr Ishrat Syed, a noted surgeon and author. The exhibition, on how travel bookends history, will be curated by Syed and co-author Kalpana Swaminthan, who form the Kalpish Ratna team that has written several books, including The Quarantine Papers.
The exhibition will be launched along with another exhibition at the Prince of Wales Museum: Voyage to India of Ludovico de Varthema. The exhibition, which is based on the book 'Itinerary' by de Varthema, which was published in 1510, will be on view at the museum till October 23.
On October 8, at 11:00 am, the ICSSR seminar room at the University of Mumbai (Kalina Campus) will host a programme titled "Storytellers and jesters in the Middle Ages: Dario Fo's theatre." Dr Roberto Bertilaccio, our beloved Italian professor, will present 2 video extracts from Fo's Mistero Buffo (Comic Mystery). This is part of the World Storytelling Association's international conference, festival and workshop "Magic of the Word: Storytelling for Ecological Conservation and Inter-Racial Harmony."
And then there's Lettera Amorosa, an Italian Music and Dance Concert with music composed by Italian composers of the 17th and 18th century. The concert by Basel, Switzerland-based Musica Fiorita is an invitation-only event at the Tata Theatre at the NCPA at 7:00 pm on October 10.
The celebrations culminate with an Italian Film Festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
Here's the list and timings of the films, all of which will have English subtitles, at the YB Chavan Centre. (Entry is free)
Oct 17:- 4:30 pm- La Presa di Roma (The Capture of Rome) (1905, silent, 6 minutes)
Il piccolo garibaldino (The Garibaldian Boy) (1909, silent, 14 minutes)
5:00 pm- Allonsanfan, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (1973, 113 minutes)
7:30 pm- Senso, directed by Luchino Visconti (1954, 120 minutes)
Oct 18:- 5:00 pm- Arrivano i bersaglieri, directed by Luigi Magni
(The marksmen are coming) (1980, 120 mins)
7:30 pm- Bronte: cronaca di un massacro, directed by Florestano Vancini
(Bronte, chronicle of a massacre) (1972, 110 mins)
Oct 19:- 5:30 pm- Siamo uomini o corporali, directed by Camillo Mastrocinque
(Are we men or corporals?) (1956, 94 minutes)
7:30 pm- I soliti ignoti, directed by Mario Monicelli
(Big deal on Madonna Street) (1958, 110 minutes)
This festival is the result of months of work by Dr Roberto Bertilaccio, the Instituto Italiano di Cultura, New Delhi and the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai and is supported by the Prince of Wales Museum, The Rome Archives, UNESCO, The Swiss Confederation, Swiss International Airlines, Musica Fiorita, the National Centre for Performing Arts, the Indian Centre for Cultural Relations, the Chavan Centre, VFS Global and the French Department at the University of Mumbai.
Well, the Italians love us too. They are organising a set of wonderful cultural programmes in the city this month. While the rest of the world celebrates the World Italian Language Week, festivities in Bombay go on for more than 15 days.
It all starts on October 8 with the opening of an exhibition of photographs at the Prince of Wales Museum (I refuse to call it the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj whatever) titled "The Persistence of Memory" by Dr Ishrat Syed, a noted surgeon and author. The exhibition, on how travel bookends history, will be curated by Syed and co-author Kalpana Swaminthan, who form the Kalpish Ratna team that has written several books, including The Quarantine Papers.
The exhibition will be launched along with another exhibition at the Prince of Wales Museum: Voyage to India of Ludovico de Varthema. The exhibition, which is based on the book 'Itinerary' by de Varthema, which was published in 1510, will be on view at the museum till October 23.
On October 8, at 11:00 am, the ICSSR seminar room at the University of Mumbai (Kalina Campus) will host a programme titled "Storytellers and jesters in the Middle Ages: Dario Fo's theatre." Dr Roberto Bertilaccio, our beloved Italian professor, will present 2 video extracts from Fo's Mistero Buffo (Comic Mystery). This is part of the World Storytelling Association's international conference, festival and workshop "Magic of the Word: Storytelling for Ecological Conservation and Inter-Racial Harmony."
And then there's Lettera Amorosa, an Italian Music and Dance Concert with music composed by Italian composers of the 17th and 18th century. The concert by Basel, Switzerland-based Musica Fiorita is an invitation-only event at the Tata Theatre at the NCPA at 7:00 pm on October 10.
The celebrations culminate with an Italian Film Festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
Here's the list and timings of the films, all of which will have English subtitles, at the YB Chavan Centre. (Entry is free)
Oct 17:- 4:30 pm- La Presa di Roma (The Capture of Rome) (1905, silent, 6 minutes)
Il piccolo garibaldino (The Garibaldian Boy) (1909, silent, 14 minutes)
5:00 pm- Allonsanfan, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (1973, 113 minutes)
7:30 pm- Senso, directed by Luchino Visconti (1954, 120 minutes)
Oct 18:- 5:00 pm- Arrivano i bersaglieri, directed by Luigi Magni
(The marksmen are coming) (1980, 120 mins)
7:30 pm- Bronte: cronaca di un massacro, directed by Florestano Vancini
(Bronte, chronicle of a massacre) (1972, 110 mins)
Oct 19:- 5:30 pm- Siamo uomini o corporali, directed by Camillo Mastrocinque
(Are we men or corporals?) (1956, 94 minutes)
7:30 pm- I soliti ignoti, directed by Mario Monicelli
(Big deal on Madonna Street) (1958, 110 minutes)
This festival is the result of months of work by Dr Roberto Bertilaccio, the Instituto Italiano di Cultura, New Delhi and the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai and is supported by the Prince of Wales Museum, The Rome Archives, UNESCO, The Swiss Confederation, Swiss International Airlines, Musica Fiorita, the National Centre for Performing Arts, the Indian Centre for Cultural Relations, the Chavan Centre, VFS Global and the French Department at the University of Mumbai.
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