Cannes celebrates Italian cinema

Italian films vie for Palme d'Or and other awards

The 2014 Cannes film festival opened Wednesday with Italy in competition and Marcello Mastroianni on its official poster. Italy films are vying for glory in every section including Palme d'Or and Critic's Week, while the festival will also be celebrating silver-screen legend Sophia Loren. Competing for the Palme d'Or is Alice Rohrwacher's The Wonders, the only Italian film in consideration for the prestigious award. "I was told there was a 'good possibility' that I would be chosen for a section but I was thinking 'A Certain Regard' or the Director's Fortnight, not the main competition," Rohrwacher told ANSA in an interview prior to the festival.

The Wonders is Rohrwacher's second film and stars Monica Bellucci, with an international cast. Set in the 1990s, The Wonders is the tale of a father's desire to protect his children from a apocalypse by creating a secluded environment around them. His wonderland lasts until they face intrusions from a teenage boy and a television production led by Bellucci. "This film is a fable," said Rohrwacher, "but there is no trace of magic. The protagonists are average people." Screening at Critic's Week (a section that feature new talents) is Sebastiano Riso's debut film Darker than Midnight. Darker than Midnight covers the much-debated subject of childhood gender expression through the life of an androgynous 14-year-old in Catania searching for identification. The film is based on the life of Fuxia, born Davide Cordova, one of Italy's most prominent drag queens. "I am telling things that people don't want to see, that they leave to the margins," Riso told ANSA.

Meanwhile Asia Argento is looking for recognition for her third film Incomprensa in Un Certain Regard, the section dedicated to young talent and innovative and daring works. Incomprensa (Misunderstood) is inspired by Argento's own childhood as the daughter of horror king Dario Argento and actress Daria Nicolodi. Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, most recently a Lars Von Trier muse, plays the lead role. Sophia Loren will be honored in Cannes Classics, which celebrates old-established features and masterpieces from the history of film in restored prints. Loren will present a restored 1964 classic Marriage Italian Style, as well as her son Edoardo Ponti's 2013 film adaptation of Jean Cocteau's play "The Human Voice", which she stars in as well. Also to be presented are Roberto Rossellini's La Paura and Sergio Leone's classic A Fist Full of Dollars. Italian filmmakers have strong showing in Shorts with Fulvio Risuleo's Lievito Madre and L'Avamposto by Leonardo Di Costanzo .

Loren's celluloid counterpart Marcello Mastroianni is literally the face of the 2014 festival. A classic portrait of the actor from a still from the film 8 1/2 is Cannes' official 2014 poster. The Cannes Festival is an annual film festival which previews all genres of films, including documentaries and shorts, from around the world and aims to encourage the art of filmmaking in all formats. Founded in 1946, the invite-only festival is considered the most prestigious film festivals in the world. The 2014 Cannes Film Festival takes place between May 14 and May 25.