As part of its 25th anniversary edition, the Italian Film Focus (IFF) extends its reach beyond traditional festival venues with “Mitchells Plain meets Italy” – a special screening at RLabs in Mitchells Plain. The event is free and open to all.
Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite.
RLabs community hub
RLabs is a vibrant community hub empowering local youth through creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship. It runs innovative programs ranging from digital skills and leadership training to community projects focused on recycling and social innovation, giving young people a platform to learn, create, and engage with the world. Partnering with RLabs enables IFF to connect Italian cinema with new audiences and invites local film talent to engage with the festival and its collateral events – including masterclasses, workshops, and co-production opportunities.
A delegation of Italian filmmakers
The screening will feature the lively Italian comedy U.S. PALMESE, where football becomes a lens through which to explore cultural diversity and community bonds. The Consul of Italy in Cape Town and the President of the Italian filmmakers’ association Controluce will introduce a delegation of Italian filmmakers, including renowned actor Filippo Scotti (star of Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God and the recent Italian box office hit The Last One for the Road), screenwriter and producer Corrado Azzolini (L’Ulivo e il Baobab), and screenwriter Mimmo Rafele (The Council Chamber). A Q&A session with the audience will follow the screening.
Celebrating local creativity
The evening will also celebrate local creativity, with food trucks, an art exhibition by Dion Cupido, Shaunez Benting and Cape Flats Art Festival, with live music, bringing together cinema, visual arts, and performance.
The screening is supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport of the Western Cape, and is financed by the Ministry of Culture of Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute of Pretoria, and the Consulates of Italy in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport Ricardo Mackenzie will attend, underscoring the importance of cultural initiatives that promote inclusion and community engagement through the arts.
This screening forms part of IFF’s broader cultural exchange and education program, which includes masterclasses at AFDA – The School for the Creative Economy, and the University of Cape Town (UCT), as well as workshops and co-production meetings between Italian and South African filmmakers.
By bringing films and filmmakers to communities like Mitchells Plain, IFF fosters local engagement, nurtures talent, and builds bridges between Italy and South Africa.
Delegation of filmmakers
Antonio Falduto, director of the event
Alberto Iannuzzi, responsible for the development of educational programs
Corrado Azzollini, scriptwriter and producer of The OLIVE TREE AND THE BAOBAB
Domenico Rafele, scriptwriter of THE COUNCIL CHAMBER
Fillippo Scotti, protagonist of THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD
Marta Zani, Professor of Art Direction at DAMS, University of Padua
What: Italian Film Focus 25
When: 27 November 2025
Where: RLabs House at 38 Silverhurst Street, Westridge, Mitchells Plain
Admission: Free entry, book your seat on Eventbrite
Web: facebook.com/italianfilmfocus, @italianfilmfocus, associazionecontroluce.org
WS
