Philippine Italian Association Presents 'Dante, Our Luck' Free Screening on March 25
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, MARCH 19, 2021 — After the success in 2019 of “Being Leonardo da Vinci, an Impossible Interview” by writer, producer, and actor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, the Philippine Italian Association (PIA), Dante Alighieri Society in Manila (SDA), and 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), National Library of the Philippines (NLP), and many other partners to present the latest production of Finazzer Flory’s production of Dante Alighieri and the “Divine Comedy” entitled “Dante Per Nostra Fortuna (Dante, Our Luck).”
The premiere screening will take place in Ravenna, Italy, on March 25. The date and venue are symbolic as March 25 is considered the beginning of Dante’s journey to the afterworld 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.
“Dante, Our Luck” will be accessible for free, without registration. It 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 beginning at 7 a.m. It will be in Dante’s Italian (with English subtitles) to better appreciate the music of the stanzas.
The special free screening will mark the start of the celebrations in the Philippines of the 700th death anniversary of Dante Alighieri. More activities will be presented along the year.
Initially created as a multimedia theater play, “Dante, Our Luck” 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 9-year-old child who falls asleep while reading the “Divine Comedy,” Dante’s verses – recited by the warm voice of 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 universities participating in this project are University of the Philippines Diliman - Film Institute, University of St. La Salle in Bacolod - Institute of the Moving Image, Ateneo de Naga University, Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, MINT College, Asian Institute of Maritime Studies, and University of Asia and the Pacific. The video-dance festival Fifth Wall Fest and student organization UP EURO are also partners of the initiative.
Virtual venue: https://www.facebook.com/Dante700Philippines
E-screening hours: March 25 (7 a.m.) to March 26 (7 a.m.)
For more information, contact:
Philippine Italian Association
https://philippineitalianassociation.org/events/2021/3/25/dante-our-luck
Dante Alighieri Society, Manila
Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines
