The New Mexico Italian Film & Culture Festival returns Feb. 5 through 15. The eighth annual celebration of cinema, food and art gets underway in Santa Fe Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Jean Cocteau Cinema (418 Montezuma Ave.) with a food and wine reception beginning at 5:30pm and a film (Gabriele Salvatores’ 2010 comedy Happy Family) beginning at 6:30pm. The next night it’s the Santa Fe Showcase film Salvo, Fabio Grassadonia’s award-winning crime drama about a Mafia bodyguard looking for revenge who falls for his moral enemy’s blind sister. That starts at 6pm. The Santa Fe leg of NMIF&CF closes out on Saturday, Feb. 7, with Bianca Come il Latte, Rossa Come il Sangue (White Like Milk, Red Like Blood), a coming-of-age comedy/drama about a 16-year-old who falls in love with a beautiful girl who’s dying of leukemia. That starts at 5pm and is followed by a benefit dinner and silent auction at Osteria d’Assisi (58 S. Federal Place). On Sunday, Feb. 8, we change venues and cities for “Strings Attached,” an opening night gala in Albuquerque at the Hyatt Regency (330 Tijeras NW). It will feature films, live music, a marionette presentation and a “sumptuous Italian buffet.” Monday, Feb. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 15, the Guild Cinema (3405 Central NE) and the Domenici Center on UNM’s North Campus (1001 Stanford NE) open their doors for a string of recent comedies, dramas and romances from Italy. Individual film tickets run $10 apiece. “La Fiesta Finale” takes place at noon on Sunday, starting with a screening of the Academy Award-nominated comedy Si Puo Fare, followed by “Italian family-style food, music and fun” at Saggio’s (107 Cornell SE). For a complete list of films, events and ticket prices, head to the festival’s website. As always, a portion of the proceeds benefit UNM Children’s Hospital. Movies, music, food and a good cause? You can’t go wrong.
Reel World: Act Fast Act Fast
The deadline to submit your video audition to the New Mexico Film Foundation’s 2015 Actors’ Showcase has been extended to Sunday, Feb. 8. Actors are asked to submit a 60-second video in one of four age/experience categories. The top five actors in each category will be given the opportunity to perform an audition live on stage on March 14 at the African American Performing Arts Center in front of an audience. Casting directors and talent agents will be on hand to choose the best actor from each category and award a number of prizes. For complete details, go to nmfilmfoundation.org/nmff-actor-showcase.
