Life Is Life

Padre Padrone(it)

The true story of the life of Gavino Ledda, the son of a Sardinian shepherd, and how he managed to escape his harsh, almost barbaric existence by slowly educating himself, despite violent opposition from his brutal father.

The Stuff of Dreams(it)

Members of the Camorra on the run and actors seeking for authority meet after a shipwreck on an island-prison. The theatre turns into a free zone where everyone may not be able to recover their social role but for sure their humanity. Somebody can even get love back. Shakespeare and Eduardo De Filippo blend together in a picaresque comedy full of coup de théâtre.

French Fried Vacations 3: Friends Forever(fr)

After the Club Med and skiing, what happened to the Bronzés 27 years later? Early response: the same, and worse.

Mollo tutto e apro un chiringuito(it)

Mr. Imbruttito, a leading executive of a large multinational, lives the routine in his hectic Milan. Breaking this balance is Brusini, an eccentric entrepreneur at the head of an economic empire, who for an absurd reason blows up what for the Brutito is the business of life. For the first time, the Ugly one feels the pinch, falls into depression, can no longer find a reason to wake up in the morning. The turning point comes from Brera, a longtime friend, who proposes to the Bruttito the purchase of a Chiringuito in Sardinia, to do business in flip-flops and finally be able to say: "I quit everything and open a chiringuito!"

Assandira(it)

Soaked to the skin, Costantino sinks into the haystack like old timber left on the shore by a stormy sea. Torrential rain has just put out the fire that in a single night ravaged Assandira, a farmstay deep in the woods of Sardinia. But the rain hasn't quenched the pain, the endless remorse for the son lost to the flames, the son he was unable to save. The first to arrive are the carabinieri and the young investigating magistrate: Costantino tries to tell them what happened the previous night, to explain how it all began.

The Tough and the Mighty(it)

Based on the story of real life Sardinian bandit Graziano Mesina.

The Mute Man of Sardinia(it)

Gallura, the mid-1800s. The feud between the Vasa and Mamia families – historically documented – is causing bloodshed in the region. Bastiano Tansu, a deaf-mute since birth, is one of its protagonists. Mistreated and marginalized since his childhood, after his brother Michele was murdered he joined forces with one of the two leaders of the factions, Pietro Vasa, and put at his service his fury and his amazing aim, becoming a highly feared assassin. The State and the Church try to stem the wave of terror and only after more than 70 deaths, the peace of Aggius arrives. At first, Bastiano finds peace in his love for a pastor's daughter, but in a violent and superstitious world that already labeled him the devil's son when he was just a boy, someone like him cannot be found innocent. Thus, he chooses to confront his own destiny.

They Killed Another Bandit(it)

A tale of banditry in Sardinia. Considered a "lost" film but a print was located in 2013.

What We Wanted(de)

Alice and Niklas are a young couple who's biggest wish is to have a child of their own. After several failed attempts they decide to go on a holiday in Sardinia to clear their minds. There they meet a family from Austria that seems to have everything they ever wished for. But appearances can be deceiving...

La punizione del prete(it)

The Market Man(it)

This short film tells the story of a marginalized man who, in order to survive, collects old cassettes from shops and off the street and carries them on his shoulders to resell them for a few cents. A story of poverty and marginalization, but also of social redemption and solidarity, sketched by the director with a touch of poetry, passion, and disenchantment.

Storia di un riscatto(it)

The 1990s. The story of the longest Anonima Sequestri kidnapping, that of Giuseppe Vinci, whose family supermarket chain was spread all over Sardinia.

Ancient Warriors(en)

Special Forces Captain Aldo Paccione must pull together his former world team Delta Force and go deep within the mines of Sardinia when it is discovered that a vengeful band of mercenaries are developing deadly biochemical weapons.

Beretta's Island(en)

Franco Armando - code name Beretta - is forced out of retirement to avenge the cold-blooded murder of a cop. The killer's trail leads to Franco's hometown on the beautiful island of Sardinia, where drugs are turning the peaceful village into a hell hole. The sinister druglord has a sadistic welcome for Franco: the kidnapping of his best friend's beautiful daughter.

The Spy Who Loved Me(en)

Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.

Taken Alive(en)

A beautiful secret agent recruits a local sculptor to aid her in rescuing a presidential candidate's kidnapped mistress.

Sonaggios(en)

In the Sardinian town of Tonara, where the ancient art of crafting cowbells teeters on the edge of extinction, a family battles to preserve their heritage, passing down skills to a new generation while grappling with personal struggles and the pull of modernity. English subtitles.

Doublecross on Costa's Island(en)

Six years after stopping a multi-national arms deal that would have wiped out Los Angeles, Agent Enrico Costa (Franco Columbu) is tracked down at his home halfway around the world. Through revenge and deception, from Sardinia to Beverly Hills, Costa must ready for a final showdown by finding his way through an intricate web of double crosses, while meeting up with old friends and enemies. If Costa wants to survive and save his home, and island, he will have to fight his way out!

The Man with the Lantern(it)

To discover the truth behind the mysterious objects her uncle brought back from the Far East during her childhood, filmmaker Francesca Lixi embarks on a journey to those places through archival footage.

The Last Fistful of Land(it)

'L'ultimo pugno di terra' (The Last Fistful of Land) is a 1966 documentary film directed by Fiorenzo Serra about the anguish and instability of the lower classes in a destitute Sardinia. Originally commissioned by the Sardinian regional government as a celebratory piece on the 'miraculous' effects of the 'Piano di Rinascita della Sardegna' (Sardinia's Rebirth Plan), the film instead shows an island still 'standing still in time', barely affected by the painful oxymoron of the inevitable changes taking place.

A Dog Year(en)

Jon Katz is close to burnout. He's a writer with writer's block; his wife has left for her sister's because he's emotionally distant; he rarely answers his phone. A kennel sends him a border collie that's undisciplined because of abuse. Despite a series of mishaps, Jon decides to keep trying with the dog, and he rents a dilapidated farm house to give the dog room to run. A local handyman refers Jon to a woman who might be able to help him train the dog. Reluctantly, Jon gives her a try. Is the dog the problem, or the owner?

Variety Lights(it)

In Italy, Checco Dal Monte manages a troupe of traveling performers with plenty of heart but minimal talent. At a small town engagement, he encounters the starry-eyed, gorgeous Lily Antonelli, and hires her as a dancer on the show. Vivacious Lily quickly sells out crowds and earns the resentment of Checco's mistress, Melina Amour, but the fledgling performer has far bigger ambitions and soon sets her sights on a higher-profile role.

Julian Po(en)

Christian Slater is a stranger who comes to a small town. The local citizens think he's up to no good. After bothering him for a while, he blurts out in frustration, that he is there to kill himself.

Ugly, Dirty and Bad(it)

Giacinto lives with his wife, their ten children and various other family members in a shack on the hills of Rome. Some time ago he has lost his left eye while at work, and got a consistent sum of money from the insurance company, which he keeps hidden from the rest of the family. His whole life is now based on defending the money he sees as his own, while the rest of the family tries to kill him.

Siblings(it)

Irene lives in Rome. When her mother ask to, she go back to Rimini, her hometown, to take care of her autistic brother, Omar. She soon discover that Omar knows very well what to expect from the future, but in order to achieve his dreams, he need to be independent, which is why Irene begins a tender crash course to teach him adult life.

My Own Love Song(en)

A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.

Al lupo, al lupo(it)

Vanni, Gregorio and Livia are brothers. The first is a well-known pianist, the second has abandoned his career as an aspiring violinist to become a deejay. When Vanni discovers that his father has disappeared into thin air, together with Gregorio they decide to call his sister Livia. The three relatives travel the length and breadth of Tuscany to find their missing parent.

Best Man Down(en)

A newlywed couple cancels their honeymoon and returns to the snowy Midwest to make the funeral arrangements for their best man, who died unexpectedly after their ceremony.

Housekeeping(en)

In the Pacific Northwest during the 1950s, two young sisters whose mother has abandoned them wind up living with their Aunt Sylvie, whose views of the world and its conventions don't quite live up to most people's expectations.

Dear Goddamned Friends(it)

In 1944 Tuscany, a group of boxers struggling through World War II stages rigged matches to earn money and travel, accompanied by a missing black American soldier and a girl resisting marriage, as they navigate the challenges of their war-torn world.

Woman Times Seven(en)

Seven mini-stories of adultery: a widow misbehaves at her husband's funeral, a wife turns to streetwalking for revenge, a prudish girl surprises, a neglected wife vies for her husband's attention, a fight over a dress, a death pact, and a detective revealed as a jealous husband's spy.

It Runs in the Family(en)

This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile

The Dinner(it)

An evening at an Italian restaurant. Hosted by tolerant and relaxed Flora, various parties of middle-class people come in -- large and small, young and old, regulars and tourists, married and single -- to dine, converse, argue, celebrate, make confessions; to overhear other people's discussions, to interrupt them, to sing, listen to music, and enjoy life.

Fun Is Beautiful(it)

Three characters' misadventures in semi-deserted, summertime Rome: a dim-witted mama's boy falls for a tourist; a would-be womanizer struggles to find company for his sex tourism trip to Kraków; a hippie is drawn into his father's schemes to bring him back into polite society.

Talcum Powder(it)

Sergio Benvenuti is a shy seller of contracts for a Roman company of music, but because of his character he cannot find even a customer, so he asks for help from a fellow named Nadia.

In the Name of the Italian People(it)

An obscure Italian magistrate suspects that a well-known industrialist commited murder, and decides to investigate him, and bring him to court, whatever it takes. But - will the magistrate have it in him to go against impossible odds, in the name of the Italian people he represents?

We Can Do That(it)

The film follows Nello, the recently hired director of a newly developed work cooperative of former mental patients. After the closure of state psychiatric hospitals and asylums in Italy under the Basaglia Law many former patients were left with few resources and little hope of reintegrating into society. With the intention of actually improving the lives of his pupils, rather than just sedating them, Nello encourages them to expand their individual abilities and explore the wider world around them although, regardless of intention, there is sometimes a price to pushing boundaries too quickly.

My Dinner with Hervé(en)

An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.

...Watch Out, We're Mad(it)

Estranged, quarreling brothers Carezza and Sorriso have to put aside their differences to reclaim their father's beloved dune buggy from predatory real estate developer Torsillo, with the help of beautiful circus performer Miriam, whose family business is threatened by Torsillo's enforcers.

Class Act(en)

Duncan is a genius straight A student, Blade is juvenile delinquent. But because of a mix up with their school records, everyone thinks each is the other one. Now, Duncan kind of likes the attention from being thought of as a real bad dude, if only the school bully would stop trying to rough him up. And Blade definitely likes being thought of as important instead of as trouble.