THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | FRANCESCO, GIULLARE DI DIO [The Flowers of St. Francis]
Directed by Roberto Rossellini in 1950, The Flowers of St. Francis is inspired by I fioretti di san Francesco and the life of frate Ginepro. To highlight less conventional aspects of Franciscan life, the director also drew on the expertise of historian Arnaldo Fortini. The episodes, independent from one another, are linked by their reference […]
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THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | FRANCESCO D’ASSISI
Directed by Liliana Cavani in 1966, Francesco d’Assisi was originally conceived as an Italian television miniseries and later re-edited in 1972 as a feature film. Shot in black and white on 16 mm film and created with the historical consultancy of Boris Ulianich, it portrays the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, son of the wealthy […]
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THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | UCCELLACCI E UCCELLINI [The hawks and the sparrows]
Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and starring Totò and Ninetto Davoli, The hawks and the sparrows is Totò’s last leading role. Marcello and his son Ninetto wander through the outskirts and countryside around Rome, where they meet a crow, symbol of a left-wing intellectual. The bird tells the story of two Franciscan friars […]
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THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | FRATE SOLE [Brother Sun]
Directed by Ugo Falena and Mario Corsi, with a screenplay by the latter, Brother Sun is a 1918 Italian silent film that recounts the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Divided into four episodes – The Encounter with the Leper, In the Footsteps of the Poor Man of Assisi, Time, and The Stigmata – the […]
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THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | IL POVERELLO DI ASSISI [The Poor Man of Assisi]
Cine-concert with live music performed by Maestro Mario Rahi. Directed by Enrico Guazzoni in 1911, The Poor Man of Assisi is an Italian silent short film on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi and was the first cinematic work dedicated to the saint. Shot in Assisi, it was produced for the International Exhibition of […]
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THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | FRANCESCO, GIULLARE DI DIO [The Flowers of St. Francis]
Directed by Roberto Rossellini in 1950, the film is inspired by I fioretti di san Francesco and the life of frate Ginepro. To highlight less conventional aspects of Franciscan life, the director also drew on the expertise of historian Arnaldo Fortini. The episodes, independent from one another, are linked by their reference to the Porziuncola […]
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THE FACE AND THE THRESHOLD | FRANCIS: A CINEMATIC GENEALOGY OF THE SACRED
The trajectory traced by these films is far more than a retrospective devoted to Saint Francis: it constitutes a genuine history of the cinematic gaze upon the sacred. From Il poverello di Assisi by Enrico Guazzoni to Chiara by Susanna Nicchiarelli, passing through Francesco giullare di Dio by Roberto Rossellini and Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna […]
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CONCERT “THE TANGO FAMILY” | FESTIVAL AL BUSTAN
The Al Bustan International Festival of Music and Performing Arts, under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Lebanon and the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut, presents an enchanting evening of celebrated tango arias. The programme features masterpieces by two of the twentieth century’s most iconic composers, Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel, promising a […]
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CONCERT “A FAMILY AFFAIR: PUCCINI’S GIANNI SCHICCHI” | AL BUSTAN FESTIVAL
The Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut, the British Council in Lebanon and the Embassy of Spain in Beirut, in collaboration with the Al Bustan International Festival of Music and Performing Arts and under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Lebanon, presents the opera Gianni Schicchi, featuring the Yerevan Youth Orchestra conducted by Maestro […]
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Eco Eco Eco – A World-Wide Talk for Umberto
On February 18, the Italian Cultural Istitute of Beirut participates in a global YouTube marathon dedicated to Umberto Eco. For 24 consecutive hours, the Italian Cultural Institutes around the world, together with writers, scholars, and intellectuals, will offer testimonies, reflections, and readings in tribute to one of the most influential figures of contemporary Italian thought. […]
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