Michele Rosiello

On the 20th anniversary of Federico Fellini's death, Ettore Scola, a devoted admirer of the incomparable maestro, commemorates the lesser-known aspects of his personality, employing interviews, photographs, behind-the-scenes footage as well as his drawings and film clips.

An expertly directed social realist drama that powerfully encapsulates the toll that the economic downturn is taking on Italy through the story of a woman, Eli, as her day-to-day life becomes a microcosm of the issues of the country at large. Eli (Isabella Ragonese, La nostra vita Opening Night LIFF10) is a kind, effervescent and loving mother to her children and is deeply in love with her husband. He is out of work, but she manages to find a job in a cafe, except it’s two hours away from her home and the hours are long. Without another option, she embraces the opportunity, dutifully getting up before dawn, and excelling at her work, a fast favourite of all the customers in the café and quickly becoming its most valuable asset.

When an American chef travels to a quant village in Italy for inspiration, she falls in love with the flavors, culture, gelato, and the Italian gentleman who helps her discover it all.