16 mins |
Rated
M (Violence & offensive language)
Directed by Paolo Rotondo
Starring Paolo Rotondo, Te Kohe Tuhaka
Encore screenings 1-3 June!
This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the bombing of Monte Cassino. Screened as part of the Italian Film Festival, we are bringing the short film Maunga Cassino by Paolo Rotondo (artistic director of Cinema Italiano) back to the big screen for special screenings this weekend! Shot in powerful black and white, the film is inspired by a scene in the acclaimed stage play "Strange Resting Places".
In a world first, it is spoken entirely in Italian and Te Reo Maori with English subtitles. In the shadow of Monte Cassino Monastery, a Maori soldier pursues a rooster into a stable but concealed inside an Italian deserter hides. The men are trapped in a dangerous standoff. Neither knows what the other is saying, and their attempts to communicate are comical. With the sound of bombers in the distance, both men know that they are no longer safe.
Composer Giovanni Rotondo combines traditional folk instruments of the region with touches of Taonga Puoro by Horomona Horo. Esteemed Cinematographer Fred Renata‘s arresting black and-white photography pays homage to Neo-realist Italian films, imbuing the story with authenticity, allowing the comedy and humanity to shine.
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Encore screenings 1-3 June!
This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the bombing of Monte Cassino. Screened as part of the Italian Film Festival, we are bringing the short film Maunga Cassino by Paolo Rotondo (artistic director of Cinema Italiano) back to the big screen for special screenings this weekend! Shot in powerful black and white, the film is inspired by a scene in the acclaimed stage play "Strange Resting Places".
In a world first, it is spoken entirely in Italian and Te Reo Maori with English subtitles. In the shadow of Monte Cassino Monastery, a Maori soldier pursues a rooster into a stable but concealed inside an Italian deserter hides. The men are trapped in a dangerous standoff. Neither knows what the other is saying, and their attempts to communicate are comical. With the sound of bombers in the distance, both men know that they are no longer safe.
Composer Giovanni Rotondo combines traditional folk instruments of the region with touches of Taonga Puoro by Horomona Horo. Esteemed Cinematographer Fred Renata‘s arresting black and-white photography pays homage to Neo-realist Italian films, imbuing the story with authenticity, allowing the comedy and humanity to shine.