Cineforum Italiano: Draquila - L'Italia che trema

Italophiles and political junkies will be enthralled by bold satirist Sabina Guzzanti's new documentary which examines the aftermath of an April 2009 earthquake that devastated the historic city of L'Aquila, the capital of Italy's wildly beautiful region of Abruzzo.

The earthquake killed more than 300 people, destroyed artworks of global importance and left the majority of the city's residents homeless. In this impassioned documentary, Guzzanti alleges that the disaster was used by the government for political gain, approaching her theme in a systematic way, cleverly and humerously building her case and making good use of her background as a satirist and comedian to keep the audience engaged.

DRAQUILA was officially selected to screen at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival as a Special Screening and Sandro Bondi, Italy's Culture Minister, boycotted Cannes on the grounds that Draquila was a "propaganda" film which insulted Italians and damaged Italy's image abroad. The film received a sustained standing ovation from the audience at Cannes. The film also did very well with Italian audiences last year in Italy.

The Washington, DC Italian Language Meetup Group will screen the film on Sunday, March 13th at 4:00pm at the Letelier Theater in Georgetown. Tickets purchased in advance are $8.00 with an RSVP here: http://www.meetup.com/italiano/events/16569476/ Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $10.00 (cash only).