It could tempt you into clichés.

While the days are getting shorter and colder in Germany, the Verso Sud film festival has been bringing not only current Italian films to Frankfurt, to the cinema of the German Film Institute and Film Museum (DFF) every year for the past 28 years.

But at the same time a lot of warmth.

Eva Maria Magel

Senior cultural editor of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Because almost all of the films are naturally set in the country of longing for Germans, because the audience consists of the film-loving Italian community from Frankfurt and the surrounding area, who are keen to discuss things, and because Verso Sud is characterized, among other things, by the trademark of constantly showing new works by directors who have already were part of the program or even personally guests at the festival.

Or to whom the festival's homage has already been dedicated.

In this way, the audience can always tie in and compare: This year Giuseppe Tornatore is there with his latest film "Ennio", Daniele Luchetti with "Lacci" and Roberto Andrò with "Il bambino nascosto".

With Andrò's contribution and with "Ariaferma" by Leonardo Di Costanzo, the theme of organized crime, which still plays a role in both society and filmmaking,

Numerous films are shown several times

In "Il bambino nascosto" a piano teacher is confronted with the Camorra because a little boy, son of a Camorra boss, is secretly seeking refuge with him.

And "Ariaferma", which won the Italian film prize "David di Donatello", is about a prison in a state of emergency in which the different biographies of the inmates and the staff collide.

Silvio Orlando plays a leading role in both films - once as the piano teacher, once as a gang criminal.

The boundaries that run between lives in the immediate vicinity, stark contrasts, are something like the common thread of this year's program.

Numerous films are screened several times to satisfy all demands, such as "Come un gatto in tangenziale" by Riccardo Milani, which was a huge comedy success in 2017 and has now found a sequel with the subtitle "Ritorno a Coccia di morto".

The Filmforum Höchst, which itself organizes its festival of Brazilian cinema at the same time, has nevertheless kept free program slots so that part of Verso Sud can also be shown.

And because the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt in Höchst will once again be presenting films by Eckhart Schmidt on December 3rd, this fits perfectly with a special offer from Verso Sud, to which Schmidt is in turn associated: the festival is dedicating December 2nd to the Italo-Disco phenomenon and has Schmidt also invited

Italian film classics

Monica Vitti could also be crazy and funny like this, which she showed especially in the seventies.

Vitti was not only a queen of Italian cinema as a comedian.

Even as a teenager she knew that she wanted to play, yes, had to play.

She came from the theater when Michelangelo Antonioni, with whom she had been in a relationship for several years, discovered her for his films.

Her presence is unforgotten, which makes it all the more tragic that she herself fell into oblivion 20 years ago due to a serious illness, until she passed away on February 2nd of this year at the age of 90.

This year's homage to Monica Vitti from Verso Sud, which is a very special highlight, begins on November 27 at 5 p.m.

It will be continued in the DFF until December 30th, offering the chance to experience some of the most famous classics of Italian film history on 35mm film and in the original version with English subtitles in the cinema: Starting with the first film "L'avventura " (1960), four Antonioni films with her can be seen in chronological order, as well as "La ragazza con la pistola" by Mario Monicelli, "Dramma della gelosia" by Ettore Scola and Alberto Sordi's "Polvere di stelle" as well as on 6.

Verso Sud, DFF cinema and Filmforum Höchst, until December 7th, Hommage Monica Vitti until December 30th.