CINEMA: LELOUCH, EVERY FILM IS A LIFE At the start under the snow the Monte-Carlo Film Festival directed by Ezio Greggio
Improvising is an obligation for comedy. Claude Lelouch, Ezio Greggio and Nancy Brilli present the 15th edition of the Montecarlo Film Festival of the Comédie, the event conceived and chaired by Ezio Greggio, which takes place until March 3, 2018 in the Principality of Monaco. The Festival, which will also present in this edition the best of international comedies, has chosen as president of the Jury the French Film Master, twice Oscar winner, Claude Lelouch who has dedicated precisely to the importance of improvisation part of the initial press conference. “In almost all of my films – Lelouch said – I happened to use actors who were not part of the cast but that I had seen on the set and seemed suited to cover certain roles that I had not foreseen”. A life in the sign of cinema, that of the director of ‘A man, a woman’: “For me every film is a life – he explains – when they ask me how old I am, I do not answer 80 but 47, which are the number of films that I realized”.
In addition to Lelouch’s work as a juror, two of the greatest Italian actresses of Italian cinema: Nancy Brilli and Valeria Solarino and the international film critic Nick Vivarelli. “An extraordinary quality edition, with world premieres – Greggio explains – the Festival is now well known also in America and we are an international point of reference for the comedy film. The presence of Lelouch is a precious seal of this edition “.
A festival that opens with the snow that descends on Monte Carlo: “And so -scherza Greggio- could only be dedicated to comedy, a festival with all the trimmings!” – “When you play in the comedies – says Nancy Brilli – go arm it’s fundamental, the characters change and come to life thanks to improvisation. Making people laugh is much harder than making people cry, but the hardest thing is to make people laugh talking about a drama “.
Born with the aim of promoting and disseminating the various genres of comedy through film previews in competition and out of competition, the Monte Carlo Film Festival has now become a unique showcase on the international scene for a genre much loved by the public but usually considered “minor” by the criticism, which thanks to the commitment of Ezio Greggio and the master Mario Monicelli (co-founder of the Festival) has in fact revalued the play in other international festivals such as Cannes, Rome and Venice. The Festival will be great films and great guests and will culminate in the Gala evening on Saturday 3 March where, Ezio Greggio together with numerous guests of cinema and TV, will reward the candidates of this year: the Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani, the best actress of Italian comedy of the last ten years, Paola Cortellesi, the director and screenwriter Riccardo Milani, box office with ‘Come un gatto in tangenziale’, the eclectic and beloved actor, director and screenwriter Christian De Sica, the charming French actor Eric Elmosnino, star of the out-of-competition film “Je Vais Mieux”, the highly anticipated couple of American actors Travis Fimmel and Rachael Taylor, at the Festival with the world premiere of the film “Finding Steve McQueen”; and again the director Gabriele Muccino, back from the success of his latest film “A casa tutti bene”, and one of the most iconic faces of Italian cinema Maria Grazia Cucinotta. Lelouch will receive the prestigious Movie Legend Award.
But the fifteenth edition of the Festival conceived by Greggio is above all great international films: a program, that of this year, which opens a gash on films and unusual stories and will guide us on an “exotic” journey that goes from the Caribbean islands of Colombia, to the suburbs of Barcelona, from the desolate lands of Ukraine, to China, Beijing and the meanders of the Brazilian megalopolis of São Paulo. A “world tour” that testifies to the universality of the comedy genre, more and more able to detach itself from local realities and specific cultures. Grand finale on March 2 at 7:45 pm with the eagerly awaited world premiere of Finding Steve McQueen (out of competition, USA 2017) by Mark Steven Johnson with Travis Fimmel, William Fichtner, Rachel Taylor and Forest Whitaker. The festival opens with the monegasque and French preview of “The Disaster Artist” (out of competition – USA 2017), the highly anticipated film directed and performed by James Franco. During the week of the Festival an authentic parade of stars will arrive in Montecarlo to present the films scheduled: Travis Fimmel, Rachael Taylor, Mark Steven Johnson, Nicola Nocella, Andrea Magnani, Fernando Colomo, Jean-Pierre Ameris, Eric Elmosnino, Oded Raz , Guy Amir, Hanan Savyon; at the Gala evening on 3 March, the participation of Paul Belmondo, Paolo Bonolis, Paola Perego, Alfonso Signorini, Elena Barolo and Lorella Boccia will also be attending and will join Ezio Greggio on the Grimaldi Forum stage.
The event takes place under the High Patronage of S.A.S. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Ambasciata d’Italia.
