Italian film writer and director Wilma Labate will speak at the IU Cinema starting Wednesday, accompanying screenings of her films.
The visit is part of the cinema’s 10th annual “New Trends in Modern and Contemporary Italian Cinema” series.
The series is organized by the IU Department of French and Italian.
Labate made her first film “Ambrogio” in 1992 and has since directed more than 14 films. She was the second Italian female director to have her movie be the Italian nomination for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1997.
The first film in the series, “My Generation,” is set in Sicily, Italy, in the 1980s and follows a political prisoner named Braccio. When Braccio is moved to a new prison, he is persuaded to reveal the names of other terrorists he collaborated with to a military captain.
“My Generation” won the Grolla d’oro award for best film in 1996. It will be shown in Italian with English subtitles.
Many of Labate’s films explore themes of the struggles of women, decline of the working class and consumerism.
The other films in this series include “Domenica,” which will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday. The 2001 film explores the friendship between two people living in solitude in the streets of Naples.
“Signorina Effe” will be screened at 7 p.m. Friday. The movie follows Emma, a girl from a working class family, who is romantically involved with a top executive from Italian car company Fiat. But soon enough, Emma finds herself falling for Sergio, an assembly-line worker.
The final film, “Arrivederci Saigon,” at 7 p.m. Saturday, is a documentary about five young female musicians who find themselves caught in the middle of the Vietnam War.
All of the films are free but ticketed. Tickets are available on the IU Cinema website.
