First-run local premieres will be the order of the day at the ninth annual San Diego Italian Film Festival (feStivale 2015), scheduled from Thursday, Oct. 15, to Saturday, Oct. 24, with all but one of the films produced in the last two years. Moreover, all but one of the entries are San Diego premieres. “Going into our ninth year,” festival president Victor Laruccia said, “this line-up of films is very exciting. We are reminded that the San Diego Italian Film Festival is about more than just movies. It is about history, identity and a shared appreciation of great Italian cinema and culture – in a word, community.” The festival will feature 12 films, all but one of which have never been sown in San Diego. Topics range from the art of fashion (“O’mast”), two brothers’ rage at a family misdeed (“I nostri Ragazzi”)
and the fabulous harvest that some humble tomato growers reap in spite of themselves (“La nostra Terra”). The festival will close Oct. 23 with “Viva la Liberta” (“Long Live Freedom”), a comedy by director/screenwriter Roberto Ando. Venues include Balboa Park’s Museum of Photographic Arts, Encinitas’ La Paloma Theatre and Mission Valley’s UltraStar Hazard Center. For more information, see sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com.