Italy's cinema festival ranges from classics like Marriage Italian Style to acclaimed contemporary films that explore hopes, dreams and everyday life such as The Last Kiss about frivolous young men panicked by the prospect of settling down.

Thirty outstanding Italian films - classic, contemporary and memorable - will be screened from January 19 to 28 in the movie festival, "Italiana - Cinema Explores Italy."

The film festival made its world premiere in China when it opened first in Beijing. Films will be screened in four Shanghai cinemas: the Shanghai Film Art Center, Stellar Cinema City, Cathay Theater and the UME International Cineplex.

"Chinese moviegoers will have the opportunity to watch some of the best films reflecting the dreams, hopes and everyday life in Italy," says Francesco Carducci, CEO of Cinecitta Holdings, organizer of the festival.

Most of the 30 movies have won international honors such as Federico Fellini's classic La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life), Nanni Moretti's La Stanza Del Figlio (The Son's Room), and Pietro Germi's Serafino.

Naturally Marriage Italian Style starring Sophia Loren is high on the list. The festival will open with director Gabriele Muccino's acclaimed L'ultimo Bacio (The Last Kiss). It's a comedy romance that interweaves the tales of a group of young men who panic at the prospect of settling down. It's considered by some "the love story of all love stories."

It was one of Italy's highest-grossing films and actress Stefania Sandrelli was named Best European Actress by the European Film Academy in 2001. It also won five Donatello Awards (the Italian Oscars) including Best Director in 2001 and the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002.

The emotional family drama The Son's Room won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. It depicts the harrowing psychological effects on a couple on the death of their son. The once tight-knit, happy family must come to terms with the loss and get on with their lives. Director Moretti creates the fiction so well that it's hard to believe it's not a documentary.

The Missing Star, a road movie by award-winning director Gianni Amelio, traces a trip from Italy to China. It was filmed across China's vast landscape. It's about an Italian worker who goes to China in search of a steel mill in the hope of preventing a fatal industrial accident.

During the festival Italian actress Maria Cucinotta (The Postman and Picking Up the Pieces) and Italian film officials will exchange views with fans and seek possibilities for future collaborations with Chinese filmmakers.

Italy produces around 100 films a year and generates about US$1.6 billion in ticket sales. A big sum for a nation with just 55 million people. Its art-house films are widely appreciated worldwide.

"We used to see Italian masterpieces on DVDs or small-scale screenings at film salons or universities," says Mark Zhang, a student from Fudan University. "The film exhibition is a rare opportunity for us to learn more about the brilliant Italian cinema."

The year 2006 was also the Year of Italy in China. "Presenting the beauty of Italy through movies 'Italiana' will be a prefect conclusion to the cultural gala," says Paolo Sabatini of the Italian Consulate General in Shanghai.

All the films will be shown uncut in their original versions with both Chinese and English subtitles. Tickets will be priced from 40 (US$5.13) to 50 yuan.

(Shanghai Daily January 18, 2007)