2012 Italian Film Festival

A half-dozen cinematic standouts will garner their local premieres at Casa Italia in Stone Park at the 2012 Italian Film Festival USA of Chicago.

Movies will be shown in Italian with English subtitles in the Chandelier Room of the Community Center at the Casa. Parking is available behind the Italian Cultural Center and at the corner of Division and 37th.

The festival runs from April 20 to May 25. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., with the screening starting at 7:30. Admission is free.

The schedule is as follows:

April 20
“Noi credevamo” (We Believed)
(A 2010 drama directed by Mario Martone, 170 minutes)

The story of the birth of Italy as seen through the eyes of four young men who joined Giuseppe Mazzini’s Giovane Italia.

April 27
“Matrimoni e altri disastri” (Weddings And Other Disasters)
(A 2009 comedy directed by Nina Di Majo, 102 minutes)

Nana runs a small bookstore and lives alone with her cat. Her life is turned upside down when she is asked to organize her sister’s wedding. Forced to take a good look at her situation, she decides to change it.

May 4
“La Kryptonite nella borsa” (Kryptonite!)
(A 2011 comedy directed by Ivan Cotroneo, 110 minutes)

Seven-year-old Peppino lives during the 1970s with a large, eccentric family that includes an older cousin who believes himself to be Superman, and dresses the part. After his cousin dies, he lives on in Peppino’s imagination as if he were the superhero he said he was.

May 11
“Into Paradiso” (Into Paradise)
(A 2010 comedy directed by Paola Randi, 104 minutes)

Two men — a failed professor turned unwilling criminal and a Sri Lanka immigrant and former cricket star — are forced to co-exist on rooftop in a Sri Lankan enclave in Naples. A story of friendship that transcends cultural differences, set against a colorful social backdrop.

May 18
“Una vita tranquilla” (A Quiet Life)
(A 2010 drama directed by Claudio Cupellini, 110 minutes)

For the last 12 years, Rosario Russo has lived in Germany, where he owns a restaurant and inn with his wife, Renata. The serenity of his life is shattered by the arrival two young Italians who belong to one of the most ferocious criminal families in Caserta, one of which is his own son!

May 25
“Benvenuti al Sud” (Welcome To The South)
(A 2010 documentary directed by Luca Miniero, 101 minutes)

Alberto, the manager of a post office in northwest Italy, is transferred against his will to the South. Apprehensive at first, he is surprised to discover friendly colleagues, hospitable customers and a new best friend.

The series is sponsored by Italian Film Festival USA, Magneti Marelli, Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Chicago and Casa Italia.

For details, call 708-345-5933 or visit www.casaitaliachicago.org.