Italian Contemporary Film Festival

ICFF
Location	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Founded	June, 2012
Festival date	June–July (Opening Day coincides with Canada Multiculturalism Day on June 27)
Language	English and Italian
Website	www.icff.ca

The ICFF is a not-for-profit, publicly attended film festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, programming international films and taking place during the summer. Founded in 2012, ICFF has grown from a four-day, single-venue festival of 18 films, to a 10-day, nine-city festival of over 130 feature films, documentaries and short films.^[1]

The ICFF has a monthly program with screenings and events held in its main cities, a Youth Festival program and its main June Festival initiative.

Every year ICFF takes place during the month of June in celebration of Ontario’s Italian Heritage Month with screenings in the cities of Toronto, Vaughan, Vancouver, Hamilton, Markham, Niagara, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City.^[2] The ICFF festival screenings in Toronto are held at the TIFF Bell LightBox. The ICFF also runs special events and international programs throughout the year, which aim to involve different niche audiences.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, in 2020 the 9th edition of the ICFF took place online. In both 2020 and 2021, in light of the pandemic the ICFF and corporate sponsor Lavazza also organized the special 'Lavazza Drive-In Film Festival,' a screening series of films presented at a drive-in theatre at Ontario Place; the Lavazza Festival included some Italian films in its program, but programmed a diversity of films representing a broad cross-section of Canadian and international multicultural films rather than being exclusively Italian-themed.^[3]

In 2021, the ICFF introduced an open-air section of the festival at Trillium Park in Toronto, and in 2022, the festival fully transitioned to an outdoor format at the Distillery Historic District under the new name 'IncluCity Festival.'^[4]^[5] The new format includes international and multicultural cinema screenings on the streets and main square of the Distillery District, as well as stages and street activations.^[6]

In 2023, the festival introduced a new section dedicated to dark drama and horror films called 'The Dark Side.' This program features full-length films screened at midnight in the outdoor setting of the Distillery District.^[7]^[8]^[9]

History

2012 – 1st edition

Films screened: 16 films
Shorts screened: N/A
Notable films featured: What a Beautiful Day/Che bella giornata, To Rome with Love,^[10] The Vanishing of Pato/La scomparsa di Patò, Basilicata Coast to Coast
Opening film: Kryptonite!/La Kryptonite nella borsa, Directed by: Ivan Cotroneo, Italy
Closing film: A Flat for Three/Posti in piedi in paradiso, Directed by: Carlo Verdone, Italy
Cities: Toronto, TIFF Bell Lightbox^[11]^[12]^[13]

2013 – 2nd edition

Films screened: 34 films
Shorts screened: 26 Shorts
Notable films featured: Welcome Mr. President/Benvenuto Presidente!, Siberian Education/Educazione Siberiana, It Was The Son/ È stato il figlio, A Perfect Family/ Una famiglia perfetta, Viva L’Italia
Opening film: Welcome Mr. President/Benvenuto Presidente! Directed by: Riccardo Milani, Italy
Closing film: Come Undone/ Cosa voglio di più, Directed by: Silvio Soldini, Italy
Cities: Toronto and Montreal^[14]^[15]

2014 – 3rd edition

Films screened: 25 films
Shorts screened: 37 Shorts
Notable films featured: The Best Offer/La migliore offerta, Those Happy Years/Anni felici, Like the Wind/Come il vento, First Snowfall/La prima neve, Sotto una buona stella
Opening film: The Best Offer/La migliore offerta, Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy
Closing film: Stay Away From Me/Stai lontana da me, Directed by: Alessio Maria Federici, Italy
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City^[16]

2015 – 4th edition

Films screened: 28 films
Shorts screened: 22 shorts
Notable films featured: So Far So Good/Fino a qui tutto bene, I Can Quit Whenever I Want/Smetto quando voglio, The Legendary Giulia and Other Miracles/Noi e la Giulia, Leopardi/Il giovane favoloso
Opening film: L’Oriana, Directed by: Marco Turco, Italy
Closing film: Ever bene to the Moon?/Sei mai stata sulla luna, Directed by: Paolo Genovese, Italy
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vaughan, Quebec City, Mississauga, Hamilton^[17]^[18]^[19]

2016 – 5th edition

Films screened: 32 films
Shorts screened: 21 shorts
Notable films featured: Quo Vado?, The Stuff of Dreams/La stoffa dei sogni, First Light/La prima luce
Opening film: Quo Vado? Directed by: Gennaro Nunziante, Italy
Closing film: The Correspondence/ La corrispondenza, Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vaughan, Quebec City, Hamilton, Niagara^[20]^[21]^[22]

2017 – 6th edition

Films screened: 36 films
Shorts screened: 25 shorts
Notable films featured: Like Crazy/La pazza gioia, Flower/Fiore, Indivisible/Indivisibili, It’s the Law/L’Ora legale
Opening film: Something New/Qualcosa di nuovo, Directed by: Cristina Comencini, Italy
Closing film: Like Crazy/La pazza gioia, Directed by: Paolo Virzì, Italy
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vaughan, Quebec City, Hamilton, Vancouver^[23]^[24]^[25]

2018 – 7th edition

Films screened: 46 films
Shorts screened: 29 shorts
Notable films featured: There's No Place Like Home/A Casa Tutti Bene, Love and Bullets, Road To The Lemon Grove, The Last Prosecco/Finché c’è prosecco c’è speranza/, Tulipani: Love, Honor and a Bicycle
Opening film: Like a Cat on a Highway/Come un gatto in tangenziale, Directed by: Riccardo Milani, Italy
Closing film: Shape of Water, Directed by: Guillermo del Toro, Canada
Cities: Toronto, Vaughan, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Vancouver, Hamilton, Niagara^[26]^[27]^[28]

2019 – 8th edition

Films screened: 47 films
Shorts screened: 47 shorts
Notable films featured: I am Mia/Io Sono Mia, The First King: Birth of an Empire/Il Primo re, From the Vine, The King’s Musketeers/Moschettieri del re, Dogman
Opening film: Dolceroma, Directed by: Fabio Resinaro, Italy
Closing film: Greenbook, Directed by: Peter Farrelly, USA
Guest film: Malamuri, Directed by: Federico Maio, Sicily
Cities: Toronto, Vaughan, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Vancouver, Hamilton^[29]^[30]

2020 – 9th edition

Postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival took place online from November 29 to December 8.

Films screened: 18 films
Shorts screened: 28 shorts
Notable films featured: Aspromonte: the Land of the Forgotten/ Aspromonte - la terra degli ultimi, Tolo Tolo, Fellinopolis, Hidden Away/Volevo nascondermi, All My Crazy Love/Volare
Opening film: Fellinopolis, Directed by: Silvia Giulietti, Italy
Cities: Canada-wide online program^[31]^[32]^[33]

2021 – 10th edition

The festival took place both with drive-in screenings and open-air events from June 19 to August 2.^[34]^[35]^[36]^[37]

Films screened: 40 films
Shorts screened: 28 shorts
Notable films featured: Luca, The Best Years/Gli anni più belli, The Comebak Trail, My Boyfriend's Meds, Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, Out of My League/Sul più bello, Bye Bye Morons.
Opening film: The Comeback Trail, Directed by: George Gallo, USA
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, and online Canada-wide on the ICFF digital platform

2022 – 11th edition

The festival took place mainly outdoors at the Distillery Historic District from June 27 to July 21. In addition, the festival hosted in-theatre screenings in Toronto and other major Canadian cities.

Films screened: 61 films
Shorts screened: 54 shorts
Notable films: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Drinkwater, The Railway Children Return, Across the River and into the Trees, Una Femmina: The Code of Silence, The Great Silence.
Opening film: Ennio directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vaughan, Hamilton, Halifax and online Canada-wide on the ICFF digital platform

2023 – 12th edition

The festival took place fully outdoors at the Distillery Historic District from June 27 to July 26 in Toronto, and other major Canadian cities.

Films screened: 69
Shorts screened: 27
Notable films: Bank of Dave, Persian Lessons, The Night of the 12th, The Eight Mountains, Infinity Pool, Sweetwater, Diabolik: Ginko Attacks, BlackBerry
Opening film: Freaks Out directed by Gabriele Mainetti
Cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vaughan, Hamilton and online Canada-wide on the ICFF digital platform

Special Events

Part of ICFF’s mandate is to celebrate Italian culture in all its aspects and each year ICFF organizes different events and initiatives to display renowned Italian traditions.

ICFF Industry Days

The Industry Days are an annual event which first launched in 2015. The event poses an opportunity for filmmakers and industry professionals to network and share ideas, which in past editions has led to collaborations and co-production projects. The Industry Days discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry, startups and talent development. The day-long program includes panel discussions and industry professionals who discuss their experiences working on Italian-Canadian productions and share ideas for the next phase of co-productions between the two countries.^[38]

Guest speakers in recent years included: Academy Award-winning composer for Life Is Beautiful, Nicola Piovani; Oscar-winning producer and screenwriter, Nick Vallelonga,^[39] for Green Book; ILBE producer, Andrea Iervolino; actress Mira Sorvino; Academy Award-winning director of Piper, Alan Barillaro; and Academy Award-winning producer for The Shape of Water, J. Miles Dale.

Film institutions who participate in the event include Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, Take 5 Productions, The City of Toronto, Pinewood Toronto Studios, SIRT Sheridan, ICE - Italian Trade Commission, ANICA and Istituto Luce Cinecittà.

ICFF Architettura & Design

The annual event showcases the work and contributions from Italian architects and designers who have influenced this industry. The event includes a combination of film screenings and panel discussions where industry professionals share their outlook on new industry developments, challenges and upcoming opportunities.^[40]

ICFF Letteratura

ICFF Letteratura is an event that hosts poets, novels and poem writers who are the centre of a film or an important part of the story. The event aims to underline and celebrate the importance of Italian-Canadian writers and poets in Canada, giving them a platform to share their works.^[41]

ICFF in the Vineyard

This ICFF annual event brings together film, wine and food in partnership with Two Sisters Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario. Its aim is to celebrate Italy’s gastronomic culture, flavours and food traditions through a film screening that accompanies the experience at the vineyard. The evening features Two Sisters Vineyards wines accompanied by Italian dishes.^[42]

ICFF Call the Shots

Call The Shots is an annual event that celebrates and honours women’s achievements in thought, leadership, and action. Call the Shots: Female Power Through Film tackles various themes and subject matter from the perspective of women who have achieved great success and become experts in their respective fields. In every aspect, in every field, and in every sector - be it filmmaking, journalism, the arts or industrial entrepreneurship - our guests represent the Canadian and Italian-Canadian women making an impact on their community and society as a whole.^[43]^[44]

Apericena at ICFF

Each year ICFF, in honour of TIFF, organizes a networking dinner-aperitivo night.

This is an event open to everyone in the industry and the Italian delegation at TIFF. Invitations are sent to celebrate Italian films in partnership with TIFF, as well as an early look at the next year's ICFF program.

ICFF Motori

The event brings together all car enthusiasts from both Italian and Canadian backgrounds, who have an interest in learning more about the history, culture and manufacturing through films and documentaries. ICFF hosts discussion opportunities with film directors and actors as well as panels for further exploration of the theme.

ICFF Arte

ICFF Arte is an annual initiative that showcases films and documentaries focused on some of the most influential Italian artists in modern and contemporary art.

ICFF Cucina

Every year ICFF Cucina honours the Italian culinary traditions through a program that combines film and food. ICFF presents movies and panel discussions about the most classic and traditional dishes that characterize the cuisine "made in Italy”.

ICFF Cycling

ICFF Cycling is an initiative that takes the audience on a tour which celebrates this very sport and the champions who made Italian cycling history.

ICFF Moda

ICFF Moda is an event that encompasses three important elements of the Italian experience: food, film and fashion. This initiative features a fashion show inclusive of local and notable Italian brands and designers, accompanied by short films focused on Italian fashion.^[45]

ICFF Befana in Vaughan

This event focuses on a longstanding tradition in Italian culture known as “befana”. The initiative takes place every year in Vaughan, where the day is filled with events and activities dedicated to children.^[46]

ICFF Youth Film Festival

ICFF Youth is the annual film program of ICFF that promotes film as an art form using the platform of International Cinema, while providing students (ages 8 to 18) with exposure to a variety of cultures and languages.

The program includes feature films, documentaries, animations and shorts. It provides educators with an alternate teaching strategy that respects a variety of learning styles.

The mission of ICFF Youth is two-fold:

1. To use cinema as a tool to enrich students’ analytical and critical skills while learning about key elements of the art of filmmaking.

2. To give students the opportunity to develop their knowledge of international languages and culture while enjoying the best of contemporary International Cinema.^[47]

Eight to ten movies are selected each year for screenings set in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, North York and Toronto. The films are screened in their original language (Italian, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and Portuguese) with English subtitles,^[48] and come with pedagogical material provided to all participating teachers. All suggested activities and strategies are based on the Ontario Curriculum which serves as a guide for all prepared educational material.

Awards