Chongqing - The screening of Red Desert, Antonioni's 1964 masterpiece, opened the seventh edition of the Italian Film Week on June 19 in Chongqing. The Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing organized the event for the third time in collaboration with UME Cinema. This initiative also aims to engage an increasingly large number of cinema enthusiasts.

The 7th Italian Film Week kicks off on June 19 in Southwest China's Chongqing. (Photo/Deng Yan)

Representatives from relevant government sectors, numerous young film lovers, and friends from the cultural and media circles attended the opening ceremony of this event.

This year's festival, held over two days on June 19 and 20, is dedicated to the renowned Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni. Antonioni is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema history, having received an Honorary Oscar in 1995. Antonioni, a profound reader of the human soul, began his career in the tradition of neorealism and later introduced the so-called cinema of incommunicability. This style, revolutionary for the 1960s and 1970s, captivated audiences in Italy and abroad.

Representatives from relevant government sectors, numerous young film lovers, and friends from the cultural and media circles attended the opening ceremony of this event. (Photo/Deng Yan)

The two films selected for the festival are Red Desert and The Adventure, internationally acclaimed and recognized as two of the Italian director's most famous successes. These films explore social alienation and constraint, opening a window to understanding the relationship between characters' experiences and their emotional environment rather than intentionally presenting universal truths.

Adriana Lori, the Acting Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, made the opening speech.  (Photo/Deng Yan)

Adriana Lori, Acting Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, said, "Italy is a country with a long history in cinema, having achieved outstanding accomplishments in this field. Italy not only nurtures many famous directors but is also home to numerous international film festivals and exhibitions. The most famous among these is the Venice Film Festival, one of the oldest film festivals in the world, which annually showcases works by world-renowned directors and actors to the public."

(Rao Dan, as an intern, also contributed to the report)