La Chimera (Italian) Opening film Summer Italian Festival Caloundra Sun Matinee

La Chimera Film Trailer HERE

A romantic adventure, an ethereal spiritual journey and a ripping heist movie with great comedic moments, La Chimera  follows a young British archaeologist, the terrific Josh O'Connor,  who gets caught up in an international network dealing in stolen Italian artefacts.

It's Tuscany, the early 1980s and Arthur (Josh O’Connor) has just been released from a short stint in prison. During his earlier studies in the region, he fell in love with Beniamina, the daughter of an aging local aristocrat (Isabella Rossellini), but she’s now gone. Arthur has fallen in with the Tombaroli, a rowdy crew of twentysomethings who pretend to make their living as farmers and entertainers, but instead pilfer the area’s ancient Etruscan tombs for earthenware and ornaments to sell on the black market, hoping to one day strike it rich. Arthur has a 'gift' for finding treasure.

They have their rivals, who in turn want Arthur to help them. All the while he still looks for Beniamina......

Premiering to major success at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Rohrwacher’s rule-breaking, entertaining film uncovers a world of wonders just below the surface. It's  a mesmerising ode to the fragility of the beautiful things in life, and a cautionary tale about how easily they can be lost.

La Chimera  is a major new work from  Alice Rohrwacher and is not to be missed by any cinema lover.

"Utterly captivating. A beguiling fantasy-comedy of lost love: garrulous, uproarious and celebratory in Rohrwacher's absolutely distinctive style. It’s a movie bustling and teeming with life."  Peter Bradshaw THE GUARDIAN

"Transcendent. A work of continuing surprise and ebullience that blurs the boundaries of the ancient and the modern and recalls the greatest artists of Italian cinema. The exquisite sympathy of the final moments is profoundly moving. There is joy in so much of this film. Rohrwacher is indeed an heir of De Sica: she too shares in his wondrous humanity. " Christos Tsiolkas . THE SATURDAY PAPER

"A joyous, masterful work of folk magic. Plays like a discovery dug up from the ground where it has been for centuries, just waiting to burst into full bloom before the gaze of living eyes."Jessica Kiang SIGHT AND SOUND

"Uniquely magical." David Rooney THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"Divine. Rohrwacher is a magician."Mark Ashe LITTLE WHITE LIES

OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2023 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL (In Competition)

OFFICIAL SELECTION - 2023 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION - 2023 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION - 2023 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL