Films

Best Actor—Tony Servillo, Venice Film Festival

Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) trains his camera on a fictional Italian president during his last days in power. The outgoing ruler faces a few thorny decisions before ceding his seat: whether to sign a bill legalizing euthanasia, and whether to offer pardons to two individuals jailed for murder. 

As he carefully weighs his options, the Catholic leader (Tony Servillo) also ruminates on lost love, mortality, and faith, at once bemused and freed by the concept of a world that’s passing him by. This stylish yet sobering political drama is a triumphant, mature turn for Sorrentino, who trades in some of his trademark panache for a brilliant newfound profundity. 

This film will be presented with Open Captions visible on screen and the on stage presentations will include ASL interpretation. For more information, visit VAFF Accessibility.