Our cinematic journey through Italy comes to a memorable conclusion.

Join us for the final installment of our Passport to the Movies: International Film Series, celebrating the artistry, history, and enduring legacy of international cinema. Over the past several months, audiences have traveled from the streets of wartime Rome in Rome, Open City to the dreamlike imagination of Federico Fellini's 81/2. Now, we invite you to complete the journey with one of the most acclaimed and groundbreaking films in Italian cinema.

Our final destination is Seven Beauties (1975), the Academy Award(R)-nominated masterpiece directed by Lina Wertmüller, the first woman ever nominated for the Academy Award(R) for Best Director.

Set during World War II, Seven Beauties follows Pasqualino Frafuso, a charming but deeply flawed Neapolitan man whose desperate attempts to protect his family lead him through a series of increasingly impossible moral choices. Blending dark comedy, satire, tragedy, and social commentary, the film offers a powerful exploration of survival, human dignity, and the compromises people make in the face of unimaginable circumstances.

Featuring an unforgettable performance by Giancarlo Giannini, Seven Beauties remains one of the defining achievements of Italian cinema and a bold work that continues to resonate with audiences around the world.

Join us for this remarkable film and stay afterward for an engaging discussion examining its historical significance, artistic achievements, and why it remains one of the most important international films ever made.



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About the Curator -- Gerard Amsellem

Artist, educator, and filmmaker Gerard Amsellem is a dual American and French citizen with a deep passion for classic, foreign, and independent cinema from around the world. Born and raised in Paris, he spent his first 25 years in France, where he studied painting at the University of Paris and earned a master's degree in French Literature and Art History. He later continued his education at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Gerard has directed several short films and is currently developing two independent film projects. His short film Bartleby (2013) received a Director's Citation from the Black Maria Film Festival and was an official selection at both the Garden State Film Festival and the Twin Rivers Film Festival. Through his production company, New Waves Productions, his most recent film, Creation Until The End: Bernard Requichot, has completed production and is now entering European film festivals. Gerard is dedicated to promoting film as an art form and expanding public access to exceptional cinema from around the world.

CAST: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler, Elena Fiore, Roberto Herlitzka, Piero Di Iorio

DIRECTOR: Lina Wertmüller

RUN TIME: 116 min

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