PORTUGAL. One more year, one more Festival of Italian Cinema that will take place in several Portuguese cities. On April 7th, Lisbon will open its doors to the 7th edition of the Italian festival, 8 1/2 Festa do Cinema Italiano. It will continue traveling until May to cities such as Coimbra, Porto, Funchal, and Loulé.

Each year, Portugal has the pleasure to receive different cinema festivals, and April is the month to appreciate the humor and drama of some new and famous Italian directors. This time, the theme is the Italian family, or la famiglia.

This year, the Italian film festival will show a total of 39 films. In the official selection, nine films will be competing for the festival’s Best Film Award. Additionally, Mario Bava, one of the most famous Italian directors of the giallo film genre, will be honored.

But that’s not all. Beyond the screen, this edition will also focus on some other beloved aspects of Italian culture like gastronomy, with the Route of Flavors – Italian Portions, a taste of the best Italian restaurants and ice cream stores in Lisbon.

If you’re in Portugal, don’t let this great festival pass you by. Tickets cost between 2.50 and 4€, and there are parties after the sessions. The festival will be in Lisbon from April 10th to the 18th at Cinema São Jorge and Cinemateca Portuguesa. It will then head to Coimbra from the 21st to the 23rd, to Porto from the 24th to the 27th, to Funchal from May 8th to the 11th, and finally to Loulé from the 16th to the 18th.

The Festival is organized by the association Il Sorpasso and supported by the Italian Embassy in Portugal and of the Italian Institute of Culture in Lisbon.

More information: http://www.festadocinemaitaliano.com/