RIVIERA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021 STARTS TODAY

FULL SCHEDULE: SCREENINGS, MASTERCLASSES, TALKS AND NATIONAL PREMIERES

The festival starts today, Thursday May 20, with the streaming of the first competition movies and documentaries on MyMovies.it, and with the announcement of the last major guests who will take part at the grand finale in Sestri Levante from Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May 30: the American actress Aubrey Plaza, for the Italian premiere of her latest movie “Black Bear” and the authors
of the docu-fiction “SanPa – luci e tenebre di San Patrignano”, Carlo Gabardini and Gianluca Neri

SESTRI LEVANTE (GE) – The fifth edition of the Riviera International Film Festival starts today with the streaming of the first competition movies and documentaries on MyMovies.it. The festival is dedicated to independent cinema, to young directors under 35 and to the environment. The grand finale will take place from May 28 to 30 in Sestri Levante with international guests, masterclasses, talks and exclusive national premieres.

The schedule is now richer, with the announcement of the last exceptional guests: the American actress Aubrey Plaza and the television authors Carlo Gabardini and Gianluca Neri.

Actress, stand-up comedian and producer, Aubrey Plaza is very popular on social media, where she has more than three million followers. In Italy she is best known for her participation in the series “Criminal Minds” and the recent “Legion”, in which she plays the role of Lenny Busker. Her activity in movies is very intense, not only as an actress: she is the protagonist and producer of “Black Bear” by Lawrence Michael Levine, alongside Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. The movie was presented at the Sundance Festival and will have its national premiere at the Riviera International Film Festival 2021, where it will be screened out of competition on Friday, May 28 at 6 p.m. at the Cinema Ariston, with free admission subject to seat availability. Plaza also recently produced Lina Roessler’s “Best Sellers,” starring Michael Caine, which was presented at the Berlin Film Festival 2021.

Carlo Gabardini and Gianluca Neri, former authors of the successful sit-com “Camera Cafè” with Luca Bizzarri and Paolo Kessisoglu, creators of the docu-series “SanPa – luci e tenebre di San Patrignano“, winners of the special prize of “Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti e Critici Cinematografici” at Nastri d’Argento Awards 2021, will both be in Sestri Levante on Saturday, May 29 at 6:30 p.m. for a talk moderated by Marta Perego, journalist for TgCom 24 and contributor to the weekly broadcast “Supercinema” on Canale 5.

Other guests at the Riviera International Film Festival will be actresses Greta Ferro and Fiorenza Pieri, who will be interviewed by Sky Cinema correspondent and host Barbara Tarricone Hamilton, respectively at 12 noon on Friday, May 28 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 29, and the very popular comedian and TV anchorman Enzo Iacchetti, who will retrace his forty-year career in theater, cinema and television on Friday at 7 p.m.

The six masterclasses are already almost sold out. They will feature, among others, the two presidents of the juries: the Oscar-winner Kenneth Lonergan for the Movie Jury and the environmental activist Andrea Crosta for the Documentary Jury.

All masterclasses and talks will be completely free of charge and will be available in presence, booking a seat on the Eventbrite platform to access the Riff Lounge set up in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, or online, on the official Facebook page of the Riviera International Film Festival.

The ten competition films and the ten competition documentaries, available from today (May 20) on MyMovies.it, will also be screened at the Ariston Movie Theatre in Sestri Levante, via Eraldo Fico 12, from May 24 to 28.

LIVE EVENTS

  Friday, May 28 11:00 am, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONY and PRESS CONFERENCE Speakers: Stefano Gallini Durante, President of Riviera International Film Festival; Vito D’Onghia, Executive Director; Massimo Santimone, Programmer. Kenneth Lonergan, President of the Movie Jury, together with jurors Ada Bonvini, Paola Casella, Greta Ferro, Eric Kopeloff. Andrea Crosta, President of the Documentary Jury, together with jurors Davide Demichelis and (in streaming connection) Maren Olson; Ilaria Cavo, Councillor for Culture of Regione Liguria; Valentina Ghio, Mayor of Sestri Levante.

12:00 am, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Talk / “Beauty is not enough” GRETA FERRO with Barbara Tarricone Hamilton From experiencing fashion on the catwalks to telling it on TV for “Made in Italy”: the It Girl of the Italian fiction between dreams, ambitions and a letter from King George…

2:30 PM, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Masterclass / “Synergy between emotions, music and images” MOKADELIC with Flipper Music The experience of one of the main Italian bands specialized in the realization of soundtracks for cinema (ACAB – All Cops Are Bastards) and TV (Gomorra, Romulus) and of their manager Fabio Di Bari.

4:30 PM, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Masterclass / “The work of the producer” ADA BONVINI The executive producer of The Family/Maremosso talks about what it means to be a producer for cinema and television in Italy today: from the search for talents to the choice of projects, from the definition of the budget to the screening.

6:00 pm – Ariston Movie Theatre NATIONAL Preview / “BLACK BEAR” with AUBREY PLAZA The leading actress Aubrey Plaza attends the screening of the out of competition movie “Black Bear” by Lawrence M. Levine (United States, 2020) and then she meets the journalists present in the theatre.

7:00 pm, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Talk / “So sensitive that I’m moved by gnats squished on my windshield.” ENZO IACCHETTI with Barbara Tarricone Hamilton 40 years of career – the beginnings, the cabaret, Maurizio Costanzo, Striscia la Notizia, his partners on the scene, “Il Signor Ezio”, directing, comedy, theater – from the point of view of a sensitive person who knows how to make us smile.

8:30 PM, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti ICON AWARD CEREMONY 2021 At each edition of the Riviera International Film Festival, a person from the world of cinema is awarded with the Icon Awards for his or her artistic achievements. And this year it will be the turn of…

Saturday May 29 10:00 a.m., Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Talk / “The girl next door in Italian fiction”. FIORENZA PIERI with Barbara Tarricone Hamilton An unsuspected vocation for horror and a great talent as an acting coach, the job of the actor between theater, independent cinema, great TV series and (not) easy tears.

11:30am, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Masterclass / “Documentaries and films, tools to improve the world”. ANDREA CROSTA with Davide Demichelis The founder of the intelligence agency Earth League International talks about his daily struggle against environmental crimes, interviewed by journalist and documentary filmmaker Davide Demichelis.

2:00 pm, Riff Lounge, piazza Giacomo Matteotti Masterclass / ” The art of directing in the age of streaming “. CARLO CARLEI How to maintain one’s own style and artistic integrity while directing works for seemingly heterogeneous media such as film, television and online platforms.

4:30 pm, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Masterclass / ” Screenwriting and directing: History in Cinema Now and Then “ KENNETH LONERGAN The Oscar-winning director and screenwriter for “Manchester by the Sea” questions how filmmakers have treated the past in their work, and how films of the future will speak of the time we’re living in.

6:30pm, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Talk / “SanPa: how a docu-series is born”. CARLO GABARDINI and GIANLUCA NERI with Marta Perego The scriptwriters of the series-event, which has won over viewers and critics alike for its ability to link human events to social issues, ideally lead us into their creative and operational forges.

Sunday, May 30 11:30 am, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Masterclass / “The great American film productions”. ERIC KOPELOFF Oliver Stone’s trusted producer reviews the different types of production for film, TV and series, and how digital platforms have radically changed the business, adding themselves to traditional studios.

2:00 pm, Riff Lounge, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Talk / “Back to the future: Ligurian cinema after Covid-19”. Public meeting with CNA The Italian National Confederation of Crafts is promoting a campaign to raise awareness of the problems of the film industry: speakers include director and screenwriter Giovanni Robbiano, producer and coordinator of the European program for MAIA Alessandra Pastore and the president of ANEC, Alberto Passalacqua.

15:00, Ariston Movie Theatre National Preview / “LES PARFUMS – I PROFUMI DI MADAME WALBERG”. by Grégory Magne In collaboration with Satine Film and Acqua di Sestri

18:00, Riff Lounge, piazza Giacomo Matteotti RIVIERA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021 AWARD CEREMONY Proclamation of the winners of the Riviera International Film Festival 2021, with jurors and film-makers.

STREAMING MOVIES

From May 20 for 7,99 € it will be possible to buy a ticket on MYmovies to watch all competition movies, who will be scheduled as follows (each movie will be available online for 48 hours):

  • Thursday, May 20: “Spagat” (Film), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 22); “Envoj: Shark Cull” (Doc), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 22).
  • Friday, May 21: “Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fair Tales” (Doc), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 23); “A Perfectly Normal Family” (Film), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 23).
  • Saturday, May 22: “A Riveder le Stelle” (Doc), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 24); “German Lessons” (Film), from 6 p.m. (until 6 p.m. on May 24); “Eden” (Film), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 24).
  • Sunday, May 23: “The Magnitude of All Things” (Doc), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 25); “A Stormy Night” (Film), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 25).
  • Monday, May 24: “Citizen Nobel” (Doc), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 26); “The Whaler Boy” (Film), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 26).
  • Tuesday, May 25: “Meat the Future” (Doc), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 27); “Model Olimpia” (Film), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 27).
  • Wednesday, May 26: “As Far as I Know” (Film), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 28); “Anne at 13,000 ft” (Film), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 28).
  • Thursday, May 27: “Bula” (Film), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 29); “Newtopia” (Doc), from 6 p.m. (until 6 p.m. on May 29); “Nuclear Forever” (Doc), from 9 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on May 29).
  • Friday, May 28: “Current Sea” (Doc), from 2 p.m. (until 2 p.m. on May 30); “Wood” (Doc), from 6 p.m. (until 6 p.m. on May 30).

MOVIES AT THE THEATRE

Screening schedule of all competition movies and documentaries at Ariston Movie Theatre in Sestri Levante (via Eraldo Fico, 12):

  • Monday, May 24: 2:30 p.m., theater 1 “The Whaler Boy” (Film); 3:30 p.m. theater 2 “Wood” (Doc); 5 p.m. theater 1 “Spagat” (Film); 5:30 p.m. theater 2 “Citizen Nobel” (Doc).
  • Tuesday, May 25: 2:30 p.m. theater 1 “Anne at 13,000 ft” (Film); 4 p.m. theater 2 “Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fair Tales” (Doc); 5:15 p.m. theater 1 “Eden” (Film); 6 p.m. theater 2 “The Magnitude of All Things” (Doc).
  • Wednesday, May 26: 2:30 p.m. theater 1 “A Perfectly Normal Family” (Film); 3:30 p.m. theater 2 “Envoj: Shark Cull” (Doc); 5 p.m. theater 1 “German Lessons” (Film); 5:30 p.m. theater 2 “Meat the Future” (Doc).
  • Thursday, May 27: 2:30 p.m. theater 1 “A Riveder le Stelle” (Doc); 3:30 p.m. theater 2 “Newtopia” (Doc); 4:30 p.m. theater 1 “As Far as I Know” (Film); 5:30 p.m. theater 2 “Current Sea” (Doc).
  • Friday, May 28: 10:30 a.m. theatre 1 “Model Olimpia” (Film); 2:30 p.m. theater 1 “A Stormy Night” (Film); 3:30 p.m. theater 2 “Nuclear Forever” (Doc); 4 p.m. theater 1 “Bula” (Film).
  • Saunday, may 30, 15:00, Ariston Movie Theatre National Preview / “LES PARFUMS – I PROFUMI DI MADAME WALBERG”. by Grégory Magne

Tickets will cost 5 euros for each film and 3 euros for the documentaries. The proceeds from the screenings will be entirely donated to the Ariston Cinema.

INFORMATION AND UPDATE

For all news and real time updates on every aspect of Riviera International Film Festival please visit the official website www.rivierafilm.org.

INSTITUTIONS AND SPONSORS

Riviera International Film Festival is supported by Liguria Region, the Municipality of Sestri Levante and Mediaterraneo Servizi srl. Thanks also to the Tourism Council of the Municipality of Sestri Levante. Thanks also to RIFF 2021 Official Sponsors: Duferco Energia, Ambrosi, Hotel Vis a Vis and Molteni&C/Dada, Gruppo Ge and all local partners and technical sponsors.


Riviera Film Festival Press Office National Press Office: Marta Franceschetti, mobile (+39) 339-4776466, press@martafranceschetti.com Claudia Apostolo, mobile (+39) 333-7402903 Local Press Office: Tomaso Torre, mobile (+39) 392-0615471, press@rivierafilm.org Marco Gaviglio,mobile (+39) 349-1793476