By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
Who wouldn’t know the great man Dante Alighieri, who is popularly known for Dante? The illustrious Italian poet, writer, and philosopher and his outstanding literary works like the Divine Comedy which is part of the subject in Literature during high school and college.
While the great Dante passed away 700 years ago, his influence and legacy are immortalized in history, books, and even movies. For this reason, The Philippine Italian Association, Societa Dante Alighieri Manila, The Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines give the honor and pleasure to celebrate Dante in the Philippines, 700 Years, thru a film dubbed as DANTE, OUR LUCK.
As the Italian community joins the global celebration of the 700th death anniversary of Dante Alighieri, a new film produced by Massimiliano Finazzer Flory will be presented to the Philippine audience online, in World Premiere, on March 25, 2021.
After the success in 2019 of “Being Leonardo da Vinci, an Impossible Interview” by writer, producer and actor Mr. Finazzer Flory,
the Philippine Italian Association (PIA), the Dante Alighieri Society in Manila (SDA), and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ICCPI), under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines, join forces with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), and many other partners to present the latest production of Massimiliano Finazzer Flory’s production of Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy, entitled: DANTE PER NOSTRA FORTUNA / DANTE, OUR LUCK.
The premiere screening of this film will take place in Ravenna, Italy, on March 25, 2021. (The date and venue are symbolic as March 25 is considered the beginning of Dante’s journey to the after world and Ravenna is where Dante passed away 700 years ago). Simultaneously it will be screened online in Manila (and other major capitals) with a special heartfelt message from the author.
Initially created as a multimedia theatre play, Dante per nostra fortuna reversed the perspective and brought the performing arts to the screen as a consequence of the ongoing pandemic. Through the metaphor of theater and the eyes of a nine years old child who falls asleep while reading the Divine Comedy, Dante’s verses – recited by the warm voice of Massimiliano Finazzer Flory himself – are guided by the dancers’ movements.
The result is an exciting experimental film in which the dancers, choreographed by Michela Lucenti, take Dante and Virgil, through the fire and the blue heavens of the main scenes of the Divine Comedy, with cinematography inspired by Gustave Doré’s famous lithographic works.
The screening will mark the start of the celebrations in the Philippines of the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri. More activities will be presented along the year.
The film will be accessible for free, without registration. It will be in Dante’s Italian (with English subtitles) to better appreciate the music of the stanzas.
The film can be viewed by the entire country and there will be no limit to the number of viewers. Access will remain for 24 hours on March 25, 2021.
Many are the universities that are participating in this project: University of the Philippines Diliman – Film Institute; De la Salle University in Bacolod – Institute of the Moving Image; Ateneo de Naga; Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan; MINT College; AIMS, etc.
The vide-dance festival, The Fifth Wall, and the students’ organization UP EURO, are also important partners of the initiative.
Virtual-venue: https://www.facebook.com/Dante700Philippines
E-screening hours: March 25th, from 7:00 AM to March 26th.
For more info:
Philippine Italian Association: philippineitalianassociation@gmail.com
https://philippineitalianassociation.org/events/2021/3/25/dante-our-luck
Dante Alighieri Society, Manila: dantemanila@gmail.com, www.dantemanila.com
Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines: info@iccpi.org.ph; https://www.iccpi.org.ph/