Southeast Premiere!

La bella estate, the second feature from a young director, Laura Luchetti, loosely based on a novel by Cesare Pavese, is set in Turin in 1938. 17-year-old Ginia (newcomer Yile Vianello) has just moved from the countryside and the future seems to offer endless possibilities. But the war is casting its shadows over the present. Desperate for adventure, Ginia begins an electric affair with a painter she meets in the dazzling artists’ world. The woman who leads her into the bohemian world is Amelia (Deva Cassel, daughter of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, in her acting debut).  Sensual and provocative, Amelia is not much older than Ginia, but different from anyone she has ever met and ready to shake her expectations. During her “beautiful summer,” Ginia will surrender to her first great love, celebrating the courage to be truly herself. In Luchetti’s words, “her film is meant to be “universal in its simplicity. And so timely, also for kids these days. That’s what they talk about: their bodies, their sexuality. Their body is the only political weapon they have left…. It’s not a love story, but a story about falling in love.”  Audience Award Winner at the Locarno International Film Festival. 112 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles.

Box office opens at 6. Films start at 7 PM , tix are $10, cash preferred