Italian actor Nadir Caselli will be a guest at the forthcoming Italian Film Festival, which opens nationally from September 17. Caselli, who has appeared in nine features since 2009, is in two of the festival selections, both comedies: a rom-com called University: More Than Friends, and an ensemble work, I Can Quit Whenever I Want. She will introduce screenings of both movies. The festival, with a selection of more than 30 features, opens with Marina, a biopic about popular singer and accordionist Rocco Granata, whose 1950s hit gives the film its title, and closes with a restored version of Vittorio de Sica's 50-year-old classic, Marriage Italian Style, with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Features includes Asia Argento's Incompresa, Fabio Mollo's South Is Nothing, Pierfrancesco Diliberto's The Mafia Kills Only In Summer and Edoardo Winspear's Quiet Bliss. 
italianfilmfestival.com.au

AACTA shorts listed

The first nominations have been announced for the AACTA Awards, Australia's major film and TV awards. These are films in the best short and best animated short categories. The nominees in the former category are: Florence Has Left The Building (Mirrah Foulkes, Alex White); Grey Bull (Khoby Rowe, Eddy Bell); The iMom (Ariel Martin, Anna Fawcett) and Welcome To Iron Knob (Dave Wade, Alexandra Blue). For the animated short category the contenders are GOD SQUAD (Nicholas Kempt, Troy Zafe); Grace Under Water (Anthony Lawrence); Love In The Time Of March Madness (Robertino Zambrano, Melissa Johnston) and The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray, Aged 33 & 3/4 (Steve Baker). Further finalists in other categories will be announced in the coming weeks. The awards will be presented in Sydney in January 2015.

Indie thriller in works

A new independent feature film commenced shooting in Melbourne this week, a microbudget supernatural thriller with some big plans for distribution and exhibition. It is called Experience The Knowing, and it is directed by Italian filmmaker Simone Albano. The makers plan to add Spanish, Italian and French subtitles for European distribution and to tour the film with a live orchestral accompaniment. The film stars Dean Kirkright (Charlie's Farm) as a troubled white-collar executive who goes on a journey through the afterlife, and Rain Fuller as his wife.