The 17th Week of Italian Language in the World kicks off Monday.
This years event, which runs until October 22, has the theme: "Italian at the Cinema, Italian in the Cinema".
"Italian is becoming increasingly known abroad as a language capable of transmitting the values of beauty and quality that constitute the cornerstones of a lifestyle appreciated worldwide," said Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano. "With the Week of Italian Language we celebrate the bond that exists between our language and the Country's great creative and economic points of excellence." The event is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation together with the Dante Alighieri Society and with the support of the Swiss Confederation.
Over the years it has become the most important event on the calendar dedicated to promoting the Italian language abroad. As part of the week, an event entitled "Italian in a Changing World" will be held at the Rome facilities of the Dante Alighieri Society on 18 October. The wide variety of initiatives offered by Italian Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes to all the lovers of the Italian language can be found on the Italian Language Portal which, starting this year, is also available in the new English version. Film screenings are the highlight of this year's programme, with the presence, among others, of Pierfrancesco Diliberto "PIF" in Copenhagen, film director Gianfranco Cabiddu in Minsk, Nicoletta Braschi at the Italian Cultural Institute in Toronto, and with the participation of 8 Italian films at the 33rd Film Festival of Haifa.
At the Italian Cultural Institute in New York film director Nanni Moretti will illustrate the importance of the choice of language in his films, together with Giuseppe Antonelli, university professor and presenter of the radio programme "La lingua batte". Brussels will host the Conference "The Italian we speak and write". In London, as part of the "Festival of Italian Literature in London", co-organised by the Italian Cultural Institute and the community of Italian authors residing in London, Giancarlo De Cataldo will talk of the relationship between literature, language and TV series while Pietro Bartolo, based on the film "Fuocoammare" by Gianfranco Rosi, will describe his experience as a medical doctor on the Island of Lampedusa.
Lastly, numerous Italian language scholars will analyse the relationship between Italian and the cinema: among these, special notice should be taken of the lectures by Prof. Carlo Marazzini, the President of the Accademia della Crusca, at the Italian Consulate in Lugano and by Prof Giuseppe Patota at the Italian Cultural Institute in Zurich.
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