16th Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis / St. Paul Presented by The Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis/St. Paul

Friday, February 28 at 2:00pm • Q&A with visiting director Fabio Mollo

U.S. PREMIERE

(All films are presented in Italian with English subtitles)

ABOUT THE FILM

Semidei, directed by Fabio Mollo and Alessandra Cataleta, is a captivating documentary that traces half a century of history, focusing on the enigmatic “Bronzi di Riace”, two ancient Greek statues discovered in 1972 off the Ionian coast of Calabria, after 2,000 years underwater. These statues, among the 20th century's most significant archaeological finds, became a defining symbol for the small town of Riace.

Blending archival footage with contemporary interviews, Semidei offers a powerful exploration of humanity’s past, present, and future. Drawing on the words of philosopher Georges Didi-Huberman, who suggests that unconscious desires are those of a future we have yet to understand, the film raises the question: can we glimpse the future by looking at two statues that are 2,500 years old? By mixing past and present, Semidei creates a continuous narrative, spanning millennia, while contemplating the future, a future that, more than ever, feels uncertain.

A love letter to Calabria and its people, Semidei underscores the importance of preserving the Bronzes and the message they represent for humanity today. The documentary premiered at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival as part of the Giornate degli Autori, and IFF is honored to host its U.S. premiere.

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

Fabio Mollo is a director and writer who studied Visual Theory and Film History at the University of East London, and filmmaking at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome. For his first feature film, "Il Sud è Niente”, Mollo was nominated as Best New  Director at the Nastri d’Argento and the Globi d’Oro. His second feature, "Il Padre d’Italia" received  8 nominations and 13 wins, including Best Performance for Isabella Ragonese at the Globi d’Oro, and for Luca Marinelli at Bif&st. After screening his first and second features as well as "Nata per Te", IFF is proud to present the U.S. premiere of his latest documentary “Semidei”.

Alessandra Cataleta who graduated in Literature from Sapienza University of Rome in 2002, attended the Brighton Film School in 2007. There, she won the BBC Untold South contest with a short documentary about jazz singer Renée Ansell. She has worked as a filmmaker and writer for MTV and RAI. Her first documentary, “Scarti”, was in competition at the Sguardi Altrove Festival in 2014. In 2016, she made “Il futuro non me lo ricordo”, which received a special mention at the Lo Spiraglio Festival. She is currently completing the shooting of her documentary “La vita che mi diedi”, a biopic about the legendary puppeteer Anna Cuticchio.

TICKET INFO

Single Movies
$14.00 General Admission (+ $2.00 online fee)
$12.00 ICC and Film Society Members
$5.00 Students (Box Office Only)

Passes:
All-Access Festival Pass (Opening Night included):
$110.00 General Admission (+ $3.25 online fee)
$95.00 ICC and Film Society Members, Students
6-Packs Passes (does not include Opening Night):
$65.00 General Admission (+ $2.00 online fee)
$55.00 ICC and Film Society Members, Students

Passes do not guarantee admission to screenings. To ensure admittance, passholders must reserve a ticket in advance either online or at the venue.