calendar of cultural events 2015 -...
TRANSCRIPT
CALENDAR OF CULTURAL EVENTS 2015
Events are listed in inverse chronological order
DECEMBER, 2015 MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 7:00 PM Italian Cultural Centre 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
Italian Short Film Day 2015
December 21 is the shortest day of the year in the northern
hemisphere – this is why it was chosen to celebrate short
films worldwide. The first edition was organized by the
Centre National de la Cinématographie et de l’Image
Animée in France in 2011. It has rapidly spread throughout
Europe and beyond, and today takes place in 50 countries
around the world.
The aim is to offer a showcase of short films to the general public, to people who are not festival goers
or do not have access to specialized programs. The Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio (the Italian
Short Film Centre) proposes a program of recent Italian shorts of various genres and on different
formats, offering an overview of where young Italian filmmakers are heading and what the trends of
tomorrow will be.
Of the seven short films that will be screened - varying in length from 7 to 19 minutes and featuring
both animation and fiction -, some are funny, some are lyrical, some are dramatic, all are engaging.
In Italian with English subtitles. Some scenes may be disturbing to some viewers.
The event is organized by the Consulate General of Italy in collaboraztion with the Italian Cultural
Centre.
Admission is free, but RSVP is required: [email protected]
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 6:30 PM Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music, Pyatt Hall 843 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Domenico Mongelli: a Piano Recital
Organized by the Consulate General of Italy and the Dante Alighieri Society of British Columbia, this recital represents the inaugural event of the newly-born Society, the BC chapter of the Rome-based Società Dante Alighieri, founded in 1889. This local branch of the global organization was established in May, 2015 to promote the Italian language and culture in BC, through the organization of cultural events as well as
language courses, and through administering examinations to certify the knowledge of Italian. For more information on the Society: www.dantesociety.bc.ca. The recital will focus on music by Frédéric Chopin and will be preceded by a 15-minute introduction by UBC's Dr. Arianna Dagnino.
Born in Foggia, Italy, Maestro Domenico Mongelli has an extensive career as a solo pianist and has performed in Italy and many other European countries, most notably Estonia. He is the recipient of several awards.
Admission is free, but RSVP is required: [email protected]
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NOVEMBER, 2015 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 4:30 PM The Cinematheque 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver
"Banana" by Andrea Jublin Screening of the Italian film at the European Union Film Festival
Andrea Jublin, director of the Oscar-nominated 2007 short The Substitute, makes the jump to features
with Banana, a coming-of-age charmer about a young misfit undeterred by his lack of proficiency at
school, sports, or most everything. “Banana (Marco Todisco), so nicknamed because of his fruit-shaped
foot, believes that getting the girl of his dreams will make him happy. He also bases his whole
philosophy on Brazilian soccer, and sees himself as a bold offensive player in the game of life, while his
classmates see him as a weird and awkward child who messes up every chance he has to score, on and
off the field. This doesn’t stop Banana from trying ... A delightful Italian comedy” (Seattle I.F.F.).
Italy, 2005. In Italian with English subtitles.
The EU Film Festival this year features 28 films, one from each member State of the European Union.
Check out this incredible showcase on the website of the Cinematheque!
Info and tickets: www.thecinematheque.ca
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 7:00 PM Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts 149 W. Hastings Street, Vancouver
Alessandra Pomarico: Reflections on Free Home University
Drawing from her most recent project Free Home University, Italian-born but NYC-based Alessandra
Pomarico will share her reflections around the necessity to re-imagine the education approach (and
the art system), in order to build sustainable communities of learners, beyond the neo-liberal model.
The event is presented by SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement.
Info: http://www.sfu.ca/sfuwoodwards/events/events1/2015-2016Fall/AlessandraPomarico.html
Free admission, no pre-registration required
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 3:00-5:00 PM 4025 Granville St., Vancouver
Launch of "The Sicilian Wife", Caterina Edwards' latest novel
Please join author and translator Genni Gunn for a book launch of Caterina Edwards' new novel, The
Sicilian Wife.
Free admission, no pre-registration required.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 7:00 PM Italian Cultural Centre 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
Jazz Night: Luigi Bonafede Quintet
Italian pianist/composer Luigi Bonafede from Torino and dynamic Vancouver
vocalist Leora Cashe present their music collaboration "Dedicato", with
saxophonist Cory Weeds, bassist Russ Botten and drummer Julian
MacDonough.
Luigi has performed with many jazz luminaries including Michel Petrucciani,
Kenny Clarke, Lee Konitz and toured extensively with popular Italian vocalist
Rossana Casale. He currently holds the chair for jazz piano and voice at the
Ghedini Music Conservatory in Cuneo. With her rich resounding voice, Leora
Cashe delivers an engaging performance that audiences love.
The event is sponsored by Fazioli Showcase Pianos and is presented with the assistance of the
Consulate General of Italy.
Info and tickets: www.italianculturalcentre.ca or 604.430.3337. Tickets are $40 for dinner and concert,
and $20 for just the concert. Cash bar available. Advance registration recommended.
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NOVEMBER 5 TO 14 Buckland Southerst Gallery 2460 Marine Drive, West Vancouver
Art at Large
An exhibition of paintings by Andrea Padovani Opening reception: Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Info: bucklandsoutherst.com
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OCTOBER, 2015
15th "Week of the Italian Language in the World"
The 15th edition of the annual "Week of the Italian Language in the World" takes place all over the world from October 19 to 24, under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 7 PM Italian Cultural Centre "Trattoria" 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
Screening of "Oro verde" (Green Gold), by Swiss director Mohammed Soudani
On the occasion of the 15th "Week of the Italian Language in the World", the Consulate General of Switzerland and the Consulate General of Italy presenmt a special screening of the film Oro verde (Green Gold), by Mohammed Soudani (in
Italian with English subtitles). Inspired by real events which took place in Ticino in the early 2000s, it is the story of Mario and his seedy gang, who are considering the heist of the century: stealing a huge quantity of cannabis which was confiscated by the police and stashed in a military warehouse, leaving ordinary hay in its place. They hope the plan will turn their lives around. Admission free, but RSVP is required by October 23: [email protected] or 604.684.2231 x 226
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OCTOBER 20 AND 22 Performance Works,Granville Island, Vancouver
Italian Author Giuseppe Catozzella at the Vancouver International Writers' Festival
The Vancouver International Writers' Festival, in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto and the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, presents two events with Giuseppe Catozzella:
Grand Openings – the Alma Lee Opening Night Event Tuesday, October 20, 8 pm Giuseppe Catozzella, David Constantine, Denise Mina, Steve Toltz, Damien Wilkins and Sarah Winman
Words for the Undocumented Thursday, October 22, 8:30pm Giuseppe Catozzella, Stella Harvey, Lawrence Hill, John Vaillant Giuseppe Catozzella has published four plays; two collections of short stories, The Life Cycle of Fish and Fuego; and the novels Explants and Hive. His new novel, Little Warrior (Non dirmi che hai paura), addresses the plight of refugees in the Mediterranean through the eyes of Samia Yusuf Omar, a young Somalian athlete who embarks on a perilous journey to Italy in order to escape the violence in Somalia and train for the 2012 Olympics.
Info and tickets: www.writersfest.bc.ca
Note: The Vancouver International Writers' Festival will also feature an event about the mysterious
best-selling Italian author Elena Ferrante, on Saturday, October 24 at 2pm
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 7:00 PM Italian Cultural Centre's "Trattoria" 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
"Miriam ha gli occhi viola": presentazione del volume di Rosanna Giuricin (event in Italian only)
La giornalista e scrittrice Rosanna Turcinovich Giuricin presenta il suo ultimo volume, "Miriam ha gli occhi viola", biografia di una sopravvissuta all'Olocausto, triestina di origine, poi trasferitasi in Canada dove vive tuttora, a Toronto. A presentare il volume sara' il prof. Konrad Eisenbichler. Ingresso gratuito, non e' necessaria la prenotazione.
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 3:00 pm Vancouver Art Gallery 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver
“Inside and Outside the Frame: Understanding Paintings in their Historical Context”
A talk by Prof. Francesco Freddolini, Luther College, University of Regina
An event organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver and presented in conjunction with the exhibition Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from the Glasgow Museums (Vancouver Art Gallery, June 12 – October 4, 2015).
Cavaliere d'Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari), Archangel Michael and the Rebel Angels, c. 1592–93, oil on copper, Glasgow Museums; Bequeathed by Archibald McLellan 1856 (153), © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection, Courtesy American Federation of Arts
Many Renaissance and Baroque paintings have experienced a variety of lives. Although we now admire
them in museums, these objects originally existed in ecclesiastical, public, or domestic contexts. For
example, paintings could function as tools for prayer above altars, or as celebratory imagery displayed
in aristocratic palaces. By looking outside the frame—at the context that surrounded the paintings—
this talk will explore historical patterns of display, will cast light on how viewers interacted with
artworks, and how the latter communicated meanings in their original social context.
Francesco Freddolini is Assistant Professor of Art History at Luther College, University of
Regina. His research focuses on early modern sculpture in Italy, as well as on the history of
collecting and displaying art. His recent publications include the book Giovanni Baratta,
1670-1747. Scultura e Industria del Marmo tra la Toscana e le Corti d’Europa (2013). His
current research project, entitled “Patronage, Images and Courtiers’ Identity in Florence, c.
1587-1609” is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Insight Development Grant (2013-2015).
Important Information: Free. No Gallery admission required. Seating requires a ticket and is limited to two per
person. Tickets available from Gallery Reception from 2pm. Doors open at 2pm.
* * * * *
OCTOBER 1 – 23 Various venues in Vancouver
Destinazione Lampedusa: IBBY Silent Books Exhibit
In response to the waves of refugees from Africa and the Middle East arriving on the Italian island of Lampedusa, IBBY Italy launched the project "Silent Books from the World to Lampedusa and Back". The project involves creating the first library in Lampedusa to be used by local and migrant children – books without words, understandable by children of all languages. After being on view in Edmonton and on its way to Toronto in November, the touring exhibit showcasing these books will be on view in three different venues in Vancouver:
Oct. 1-23: University of British Columbia, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Oct. 8-18: Vancouver Public Library, central Branch, Children's Department
Oct. 8-22: Italian Cultural Centre The exhibit is free and open to the public. Specific activities for children will take place on selected dates at both the VPL and the Italian Cultural Centre. * * * * *
SEPTEMBER, 2015
SEPTEMBER 24 – OCTOBER 9 Various movie theatres, Vancouver
Italian Films at the Vancouver International Film Festival
Italy will be represented by a significant number of titles in the 2015 edition of VIFF, from the Taviani Brothers' Wondrous Boccaccio to Paolo Sorrentino's highly-anticipated Youth. Several other titles, including a documentary on the Arena di Verona and one on the Palio of Siena, complete the Italian section. Organized in Vancouver by VIFF, in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto and the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver. For detailed information on films, screening times and tickets, please visit www.viff.org * * * * *
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 3:00 pm Vancouver Public Library, Kitsilano Branch 2425 MacDonald Street, Vancouver
EU Book Club meeting: L’amica geniale (“My Brilliant Friend”) by Elena Ferrante
The next meeting of the European Union Book Club, in September 2015, will discuss the best-selling novel “My Brilliant Friend” by Italian author Elena Ferrante - the first of a very successful four-book series.
As for all meetings of this book club, the novel is read in its English translation and the discussion is conducted in English. The event is free, but registration is mandatory: [email protected]
Organized by EUNIC Canada-Vancouver in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in
Vancouver and the Vancouver Public Library.
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JULY, 2015 JULY 23-27, 29 – various times The Cinematheque 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver
Alice Rohrwacher's THE WONDERS (Le meraviglie) The Cinematheque presents the exclusive first run of Alice Rohrwacher’s Le meraviglie - The Wonders (2014), an understated, observant coming-of-age tale set during a golden summer in rural central Italy. Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes last year, Rohrwacher’s delicate, affecting drama tells the story of an adolescent girl (Maria Alexandra Lungu) living with her three younger sisters, Italian mother, and hippie-agrarian German father. Tradition clashes with modernity when the family’s old-fashioned beekeeping and honey-making business is imperilled, a juvenile offender arrives from Germany, and an Italian reality show moves into town (hosted by an opulently-robed Monica Bellucci). For more information: www.theCinematheque.ca/the-wonders
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JUNE, 2015
JUNE 12 – OCTOBER 4, 2015 Vancouver Art Gallery 750 Hornby Street
“Of Heaven and Earth”: 500 Years of Italian Painting from the Glasgow Museums
With works by some of the greatest names in European art, the exhibition Of
Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums
examines the thematic and stylistic developments in Italian art–from the
religious paintings of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance to the secular
neoclassical and genre paintings of the 19th century.
The remarkable breadth of the exhibition showcases the outstanding quality of works by figures such as Giovanni Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Domenichino, Francesco Guardi and Titian alongside other lesser-known masters. Organized by the American Federation of Arts and Glasgow Museums in
collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the
Arts and the Humanities, the JFM Foundation, and Mrs. Donald M. Cox.
Additional funding for the extension of the exhibition tour to the Vancouver Art Gallery is provided by d'Amico Società di Navigazione. In-kind support is provided by Barbara and Richard S. Lane and Christie's. Info and tickets: www.vanartgallery.bc.ca
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 7 pm
Il Centro – Italian Cultural Centre, room 4
3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
EVENT IN ITALIAN ONLY:
Presentazione del libro
Andarsene sognando: l’emigrazione nella canzone italiana, di Eugenio Marino (Cosmo Iannone editore) Saluto introduttivo
Fabrizio Inserra Console Generale d’Italia a Vancouver Rocco Di Trolio Presidente Comites di Vancouver Modera
Anna Ciampolini Foschi Scrittrice e rappresentante Associazione scrittori italo-canadesi Discutono con l’autore
Diego Bastianutti Docente universitario, poeta e scrittore Margherita Repetto Alaia Storica, gia’ Direttore dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Vancouver
Ingresso libero. Non e’ richiesta la prenotazione.
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MAY, 2015
MAY 28 – 30, 2015
The Vic Theatre
808 Douglas St., Victoria
Three Italian Films at the “Feast – Food and Film Festival” (May 28 – 31, 2015)
An event organized in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto and the Consulate
General of Italy in Vancouver
Italy is well represented in this year’s edition of “Feast” – the Festival devoted to food in film, taking place in Victoria this weekend: Barolo Boys: The Story of a Revolution (Paolo Casalis & Tiziano Gaia, Italy, 2014, 64 mins) Award-winning documentary telling the fascinating story of Barolo wine and how it exploded as a world phenomenon. Now one of the most famous red wines in the world, 30 years ago Barolo was unknown even in its own production region, the beautiful Langhe, in Piemonte. Thursday, May 28, 5:30 pm I nostri ragazzi / The Dinner (Ivano De Matteo, Italy, 2014, 92 mins) This drama turns an ordinary meal among family into a taut morality play as the limits of polite society are tested and two brothers discover just how little they know about each other. Friday, May 29, 6:00 pm Vinodentro / Rewined (Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani, Italy, 2014, 85 mins) In this tasty mix of noir and comedy, a thirst for the genius of Italian winemakers transforms a shy bank clerk into a powerful wine writer, lothario and…possibly murderer. Saturday, May 30, 1:30 pm Screenings are paired with tasting events. Please visit the Festival’s website to learn more about each
event.
Info and tickets: http://www.feastfoodfilm.ca
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THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015
Il Centro – Italian Cultural Centre
3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
BC Italian Business Excellence Awards Gala
The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada-West presents a Gala evening celebrating the artisanship
of Italian food by recognizing businesses and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding
achievements in preserving the artisanship and authenticity of Italian food in Western Canada.
The Gala reception starts at 6:30 pm, followed by a 5-course dinner at 7:30 pm.
Info and tickets: www.iccbc.com or call 604.682.1410
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015
Coal Harbour Community Centre – Activity Room 480 Broughton St., Vancouver
“Maksimovic: The Story of Bruno Pontecorvo” A film on the life of the famous Italian physicist, introduced by Prof. Samoil Bilenky
Written and directed by Giuseppe Mussardo, a theoretical physicist with the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, Italy, this 2013 docufilm traces the main events in the life of Bruno pontecorvo, the nuclear physicist who was born in 1913 in Pisa, Italy, and died in 1993 in Dubna, Russia. Bruno Pontecorvo was one of the most brilliant scientists born in Italy in the last century; he was
involved, against his will, in the Cold War tensions in the 1950s, so much so that he chose to cross the
iron curtain in September 1950 and settle in the Soviet Union.
Maksimovic: the Story of Bruno Pontecorvo reconstructs in detail the life of the scientist as well as the
man, following his footsteps in Italy, France, the United States, Canada, England and Russia.
The international première of the film was held in Moscow on August 22, 2013, the day of the
hundredth anniversary of the scientist’s birth.
Introducing the film will be Prof. Samoil Bilenky, who worked with Pontecorvo from 1975 to 1989 in Dubna; together, they developed the theory of neutrino masses and oscillations, and proposed experiments on the search for neutrino oscillations. This event is organized by ARPICO, the Society of Italian Researchers and Professionals in Western Canada (www.arpico.org) Free admission, registration required by May 24: [email protected]
Doors open at 6:45 pm. Underground parking available.
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FRIDAY, MAY 15, 7:00 PM
"Il Museo" at Il Centro – Italian Cultural Centre
3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
Book launch event: Diego Bastianutti’s “The Bloody Thorn”
Poet and author Diego Bastianutti will be launching his fourth collection of poems, The Bloody Thorn (2014), featuring intensely beautiful poems of social criticism, love for the feminine mystery and grief-born catharsis.
Diego Bastianutti was born in Italy, completed his studies at the University of Toronto, and was a
professor at Queen’s University (1970-96). Since his retirement he counts among his publications, A
Major Selection of the Poetry of Giuseppe Ungaretti, in 1997, winner of the “1998 John Glassco Prize”;
his third poetry collection, For a Fistful of Soil /Per un pugno di terra, was awarded the 2008
International Literary Prize Scritture di frontiera.
His prize-winning poems and short stories have been featured in various literary journals and
anthologies in the Americas and in Europe. Currently he is a Canadian correspondent for an Italian
cultural magazine in San José, Costa Rica. He resides in Burnaby, BC with his wife. He is the happy
father of two daughters and four grandchildren plus two. He delights in travelling with his wife.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. The event is organized in collaboration
with the Consulate General of Italy.
Admission is free. For information, visit www.iccvancouver.ca * * * * * SATURDAY, MAY 2, 7:30 PM Pyatt Hall, VSO School of Music 843 Seymour St., Vancouver
"Gloria!" – Puccini and Vivaldi The West End Chamber Choir performs two masterpieces of Italian music: Giacomo Puccini's Messa di Gloria and Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria.
Info and tickets: westendchamberchoir.com * * * * * FRIDAY, MAY 1 and SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2015 Il Centro – Italian Cultural Centre 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
"Sapori di Puglia": Food Fair, Performances, Dinner An all-Pugliese Festival in two nights: on Friday, May 1st, a Food Fair with typical foods and wines from Puglia, followed by a performance by singers Carlo Rotunno and Carmela D'Auria, at 7 pm (free admission). On Saturday, May 2nd, at 6 pm, Dinner with a special menu from Puglia, followed by a performance by the singers + live performance by "The Moon Coin Trio". Presented by the Federation of Pugliese Clubs of BC. Info and tickets: 604-299-0866 or www.associazionepugliese.bc.ca * * * * * APRIL, 2015 APRIL 30 - MAY 10, 2015 Various theatres in Vancouver
Italian Films at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival Italy is represented in the 2015 edition of DOXA Documentary Film Festival by two full-length films: The Special Need (Italy, 2013) is an exploration of the non-negotiable human need for romance, tenderness, and sexuality, involving an autistic young man and his two good friends on an international road trip in a Volkswagen bus. Directed by Carlo Zoratti, the film has been awarded several prizes and awards in Europe and around the world. Friday, May 1, 7:00 pm – Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver Le cose belle (The Good Things, Italy, 2013) is - at least on the surface - the story of four young people coming of age in Naples. When filmmakers Agostino Ferrente and Giovanni Piperno started shooting their film in 1999, Fabio, Enzo, Adele, and Silvana were just kids. At age 14, Adele is filled with the certainty of youth, despite being held back at school. Fabio, a scamp of the first order, holds court in the street, expounding with complete assurance on politics and bomb attacks. Enzo sings for money in nighttime cafes, and swoons over girls, while Silvana struggles with her mother, but looks towards the
future with optimism. After the course of more than a dozen years, the filmmakers returned to Napoli to catch up with their subjects. Monday, May 4, 8:30 pm – Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver Info and tickets: www.doxafestival.ca * * * * * THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015 - 6:00 to 9:00 pm Opening reception of the photographic exhibition titled "Buona fortuna", by Madrid-born but Amsterdam-based young photographer and artist Jorge Mañes Rubio. The exhibition transports us to the mountains of the “Parco Nazionale del Cilento” in the south of Italy (a UNESCO world heritage site), where several isolated villages were abandoned after a series of devastating earthquakes and landslides. Hidden among these ruins, and despite all the decay and destruction, several churches and chapels reveal themselves in all their glory. The exhibition will remain on view at Initial Gallery (2339 Granville Street, Vancouver) until May 9. For more information, please visit the Gallery's website. * * * THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015 – 7:00 pm Vancouver Public Library (Mount Pleasant branch), Multipurpose room 1, 1 Kingsway
SFU Philosophers’ Cafe’ Series: an evening in Italian with Carolina Bergonzoni Who am I? Who are you? "My name is...." Is the name enough to identify the identity of a person? Why is a name so important? These are the questions moderator Carolina Bergonzoni will try to answer. Bergonzoni is an Italian dance teacher, dancer and…philosopher! She studied philosophy at the University of Bologna where she received her BA and MA. She is currently studying at SFU in the School for the Contemporary Arts, in the MA - Comparative Media Arts program. Her research focuses on phenomenology in dance, as well as the notion of presence and embodiment. Admission is free. Please note: THIS EVENT WILL BE CONDUCTED IN ITALIAN, NO TRANSLATION PROVIDED. This event is presented by SFU Continuing Studies in collaboration with the Vancouver Public Library. It is part of the Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés and
restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime. To learn more about the Philosophers’ Café, please visit their website. * * * APRIL, 2015 Saturday, April 25, 2015 – 8:00 pm Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver)
Green Porno, Live on Stage The Italian Cultural Centre and PuSh International Performing Arts Festival present a one-night only performance of Green Porno, Live on Stage with Isabella Rossellini on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 8:00pm at the Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver). Green Porno, Live on Stage is the iconic Isabella Rossellini’s provocative and comedic performance that explores the fascinating sex lives of land and sea creatures. Originally a popular web series for the Sundance Channel, Green Porno features Rossellini live on stage discussing and acting out the reproductive habits of marine animals and insects, both scientifically accurate and extremely entertaining. “The secret to Green Porno is that it allows us to laugh but also communicate true scientific information,” said Rossellini. “Because of what I learned in doing the research I felt strongly that there needed to be an added environmental element to really inform people how delicate the futures of these creatures are.” For more information, contact Il Centro - Italian Cultural Centre (604.430.3337); to buy tickets, click here. * * * * * JANUARY, 2015 From January 9 to 15, 2015, Vancouver will host the second annual edition of the Italian Film Festival, that this year will feature a homage to Sophia Loren, who has just turned 80. As was the case already last year, the Festival presents some classics of Italian cinema (comedies such as de Sica's Marriage Italian Style or dramas such as Antonioni's L'eclisse) along with recent successful titles – M.S. Tognazzi's Five-Star Life or Pif's The Mafia Only Kills in Summer. A small section of the Festival is also devoted to documentary films, featuring one very interesting film on Barolo winemaking in Piedmont.
Festival-goers will also be treated to a photographic exhibition on the decades-long (and international star-studded) career of Sophia Loren, titled "80 Years of a Film Star", presented by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto. The Festival - which is organized by the Italian Cultural centre, the Consulate General of Italy and VIFF - will open on Friday, January 9, with a gala evening that will include two feature films, live music and a special reception. For further information on the Festival and to purchase tickets for the screenings, please visit the Festival's website.
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