NOVEMBER is certainly a busy month for everything Italian, as it ushers in a host of activities highlighting, among others, the fourth edition of Moviemov in Manila.

As in previous editions, all films have been meticulously selected following the core idea behind the inception of Moviemov; Sen. Goffredo Bettini, the festival artistic director, intended to use it as a vehicle to bring Italian films to Southeast Asia, contemporary productions, in particular, which would otherwise not reach our side of the world.

He aims to attract a youthful audience, as the films are crafted by up-and-coming directors and feature promising actors who lend their talent in portraying the current crisis plaguing the Italian youth, brought on by a sense of general insecurity caused, in turn by the extended economic crisis they live in.

Considering that the job market offers mainly temp jobs, thereby undermining one of the sacred tenets of the traditional cradle-to-grave Italian welfare system, as well as shattering traditional dreams, such as finding love, settling downand eventually owning a house, the youth no longer have a positive outlook compared to previous generations. They are not able to dream of better things for themselves for the first time. Many of the films that will be shown during the festival deal with the different aspects that cause a collective existential crisis.

However, these are times for great possibilities in Bettini’s view, as historically outstanding cinematographers are borne in times of upheaval, as they are able to find new ways of depicting the reality around them.

He believes in the great talent he finds in the Philippine scene, as well. In fact he was an early admirer of Brillante Mendoza’s work the was prominently featured in Moviemov’s first edition back in 2011, an intuition that was confirmed many times over on the European stage.

Bettini envisions a healthy exchange between Italy, as well as Europe as a whole, and Southeast Asia, where the young generation is buoyed by vibrant economies, an exchange that can be fostered further in the near future; he noted the budget-friendly trend launched by many indie productions ushered in a resourceful new way to produce films, a trend that has been increasingly embraced by young directors in Italy, as well, welcoming a return to an authentic story-telling reminiscent of post-war Italian neorealism.

The festival brings 10 films that will be shown in Southeast Asia for the very first time, as done in all previous editions of Moviemov, and some will be presented by either actors or directors themselves, who will also be on hand to interact with the audience and possibly with their Filipino counterparts in a roundtable discussion.

The delegation from Italy includes Carolina Crescentini (who appeared in Silvio Muccino’s Parlamid’amore and FerzanOzpetek’s Allacciate le cinture, among others), who will serve as the festival’s godmother, Ivan Silvestrini director of 2night; Blu Yoshimi, female lead of Piuma; Valentina Romani, female lead of Un bacio; and, last but not the least, PippoDelbono, director of Vangelo and actor in La ragazza del mondo.

Bettini was quite pleased to announce that this year the festival’s host venue is the Cinematheque Centre Manila, the “temple” of Philippine Cinema in his words. It will run from November 12 to 16, all showings will be free of charge for the audience on a first come, first served basis. As customary, the audience will vote for their movie of choice, which will be screened once again as the winner on the closing day.

Moviemov 2016 Manila is organized by Playtown Roma, and supported by the General Direction for Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Italian Trade Agency in Rome and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Rome, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

It is also supported by San Miguel Corp., Gourmet Farms, Rustan’s, Philippine Italian Association, Augustea Ship Manning, Elburg Ship Management, Rina Academy, Fila, Trevi Foundations, L’opera, Caruso, Cibo di M. and Ralph’s Wines.