IFF26: Focus on Anna Magnani

Focus on Anna Magnani

A volatile, commanding star of post-war Italian cinema, The New York Times wrote that Anna Magnani had "an ability to weep real tears, to laugh real laughter, to brawl fiercely; to be thunderous in anger, and lusciously sensual in love."

Known for her forceful portrayals of earthy, working-class women, she was the first Italian to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. This year, the Italian Film Festival presents retrospective screenings featuring two of her most galvanising performances: Luchino Visconti's Bellissima (1951) and Pier Paolo Pasolini's Mamma Roma (1962), alongside Monica Guerritore's passionate biopic Anna Magnani - The Untold Story.

Bellissima | PG

Luna Leederville
Sunday, October 4

Marking its 75^th anniversary, Anna Magnani delivers a career-defining turn in Bellissima, Luchino Visconti’s searing portrait of post-war Italy’s celebrity obsession, where a mother’s desperate pursuit of film stardom exacts a heartbreaking personal toll.

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Mamma Roma | M

Luna Leederville
Saturday, October 10

Anna Magnani shines as a mother fighting for her son's future in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s gritty neorealist snapshot of postwar Italian survival. Once banned for obscenity, it is now celebrated as a landmark of world cinema, capturing both the iconic Magnani at her peak and a visionary director finding his voice.

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Anna - The Untold Story | CTC

Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Windsor Cinema
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Written, directed by and starring Monica Guerritore, this passionate biographical drama is set during the evening of March 21, 1956, when Anna Magnani wins the Oscar for Best Actress in The Rose Tattoo. She spends the night waiting for the news and wandering the alleys and squares of Rome, retracing old memories, lost loves, and her struggles to defend her talent and authenticity.

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