News
More than 40 members turn out for SIFF film
We had an amazing turnout for the 43rd annual Seattle International Film Festival where the SPSCA-sponsored film, "The Truth About Love Is..." was very well-received. More than 40 of our members joined us for drinks and snacks at Triumph Bar on Sat., June 3, followed by the screening at the SIFF Uptown Cinema.
Still jet-lagged from his flight from Milan, Italian director Max Croci joined us at Triumph Bar before the film screening. At the theatre, Croci welcomed movie-goers at the beginning of the film and then spent about 20 minutes after the film answering questions. He began in advertising before switching to cinema, and has directed more than 20 short films.This is his third feature film in as many years.
"The Truth About Love Is..." is a very snappy light comedy that follows the life of a multitasking mother Dora as she tries to juggle a job and two children after breaking up with her boyfriend of seven years Davide. As Croci explained, the film is based on the true story of a blogger, Enrica Tesio, who worked through her grief after a relationship break-up by blogging about it. Tesio turned the blog into a book and producer Guglielmo Marchetti optioned it for a film. The film does not yet have a US distributor.
SIFF's film festival, the largest in North America, runs through June 11.
Exchange artist coming to Seattle in June
The de Poi Award artist exchange program is heading into its second year. In June, ceramic artist Qing Qu will travel to Seattle as the second recipient. 
The exchange brings together ceramic artists from Pottery Northwest, the Northwest's premier pottery facility, with artists from the prestigious Accademia delle Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts) in Perugia. The two cities alternate hosting one artist for three weeks each summer.
Qing, a student at the Accademia, was chosen by a panel of artists and art educators in a blind selection process in Perugia. "Art is a way of expressing myself and showing my interior world to others," she said. "I chose to participate in the de Poi Award because I needed new stimulation and also because it was an international artistic competition. I expect this experience will help me grow not only as an artist but also as a person." A sample of her distinctive work is seen below.
Last year's recipient was Seattle resident Myra Kaha who traveled to Italy to work at the Moretti ceramics studio in Deruta, outside Perugia.
The artist exchange program honors Alviero Moretti (1933-2010), founder of the Moretti ceramic studio and the Ceramic Foundation. The exchange is supported by Chiara de Poi; Pottery Northwest; Accademia delle Belle Arti; Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association and its cohort Perugia-Seattle Sister City Association; Moretti Foundation; and City of Perugia.
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Italian film and aperitivo June 3
The Seattle International Film Festival is in full swing. Six Italian films are featured this year, ranging from comedy to thrillers to a documentary on dance. Most films are shown multiple times at theaters around the area.
Each year, our sister city group sponsors one of the films. This year, the film is The
Truth About Love Is (La verità, vi spiego, sull'amore), based on the comedic memoirs of a divorced mom. The lighthearted slice-of- life tale centers around Dora, who enlists the help of her eccentric family, a free-spirited best friend and a charming poet-turned-nanny to help raise her two children.
The film will be shown at the SIFF Cinema Uptown on Seattle's Queen Anne on Sat., June 3 at 6 p.m. Get tickets here.
As an added treat, director Max Croci is scheduled to attend the June 3 screening.
7 Minutes: A social thriller that takes place during a tense meeting of textile factory worker representatives.
Feather: A breezy comedy of impending adulthood for two high-school lovers.
Ears: Alessandro Aronadio’s and-white tragicomedy that begins when a man wakes up with an annoying ringing sound in his ears and discovers a cryptic note on his fridge.
I was a Dreamer: A hardened ex-con returns to his working-class Rome suburb with a dream of improving his family’s life.
Roberto Bolle -- The Art of Dance: A documentary featuring a behind-the-scenes look at one of the premier male ballet dancers and his hand-picked troupe.
Sister City concert in Perugia was well-received
The April 23 concert in Perugia by Seattle pianist Angelo Rondello was a great success with about 85 people in attendance, including officials from the city. The concert was part of the Seattle Music Exchange which encourages the exchange of music and musicians from other cultures through concerts, residencies and educational programs. It was held at the Conservatorio Francesco Morlacchi. 
Rondello has selected four sister cities in which to kick off the sister city concerts. In addition to Perugia, the other concert locations are in Pècs, Hungary; Bergen, Norway; and Kobe, Japan. The exchange series closes with a recital of music by the sister city composers in Seattle's Nordstrom Hall on May 11.
Grazie mille to our colleagues and friends in Perugia for their very warm welcome and help with making this concert such a success.