2017 EDITION
After Ferrante
with Rebecca Servadio, Christopher MacLehose, Eva Ferri, Josephine Greywoode
Despite the traditional difficulties of translated literature in the English-speaking world, contemporary Italian literature is having a blast in the UK: over sixty books were translated within the past year, and twenty publishing houses were involved. The worldwide success of Elena Ferrante’s books has paved the way, but all…
Italian politics for dummies
with Christian Raimo, Jonathan Hopkin
What is wrong (again) with Italian politics? The entire western world is in political turmoil, but when it comes to Italy, this turmoil seems to be deep and particularly complex. Is Italy once again in the vanguard when it comes to the decline of western democracy and new forms…
Italians
with Serena Braida, Giorgia Bernardini
Literary magazine Colla presents Italians, a special issue entirely dedicated to female Italian authors living outside of Italy. The event includes readings by Serena Braida – who will present her story Spiaggia finta in baracche a Camden – and by Berlin-based author Giorgia Bernardini, who will be joining us…
Gateway to Europe
with Pietro Bartolo, Lidia Tilotta
The moving and essential story of an Italian doctor who has worked for 25 years on the front line of what is perhaps the largest mass migration in human history. The island of Lampedusa has hit the world headlines in recent years as the first port of call for…
The present is female. Women in storytelling
with Ka Bradley, Jen Calleja, Claudia Durastanti, Sara Taylor
While we talk about new exciting ways to write across genders, women’s writing is still cornered as marginal or «exceptional». Things are slowly changing, but how? Four writers on the role of women in the cultural industry and feminism in the 2010s. Drawing from their different backgrounds – fiction,…
The last London? Present and future of a global city
with Iain Sinclair, Olivia Laing, Andrea Lissoni
‘Brexodus’, housing crisis, frantic development plans, homelessness, social isolation, corporate greed are just some of the issues that overshadow the present and future of London. What will be of this city we live in? Is it really doomed to become a dystopia or, in the end, is this just…
Suburra. When in Rome, do as Netflix does
with Giancarlo De Cataldo, Hanif Kureishi
Based on the eponymous crime novel, set on the Roman coast, “Suburra” is Netflix’s first Italian Original Series, a new entry in the increasingly lively scene of export-oriented Italian TV shows (Gomorrah, anyone?). In this exciting panel discussion, novelists Giancarlo De Cataldo and Hanif Kureishi will discuss Suburra, the…
Sugo Collective DJ set
with Sugo Collective
An Italian-inspired DJ set in the Café of the Festival.
Il cielo in una stanza / This world we live in
with Simon Barraclough, Alessandro Burbank, Maria Borio, Marzia D’Amico, Chrissy Williams
Who is an Italian writer? Who can claim ownership of a language? In this unique collaborative performance, devised especially for FILL, five bilingual authors from different backgrounds come together for a poetic exploration of language and identity. A one-of-a-kind poetry event, exploring themes of belonging, multilingualism, exile, and the…
Brexit for children
with Pierdomenico Baccalario
A kids-friendly literary event with Italian writer Pierdomenico Baccalario, who will be reading for the first time from a new Brexit-inspired story full of escapism, parallel worlds, and made-up words.
This event will be in English (kind of).
Running time: approx. 60 minutes
Suitable for children aged 8+ as long as they…
Citizens of Nowhere?
with Helena Janeczek, Lauren Elkin
Theresa May said that “if you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere.” Issues of belonging, roots, community and bonds seem to matter more than ever in the Brexit-era world. In this panel, two international authors discuss how these issues have been…
The secret history of Italian (and British) music
with Valerio Mattioli, Rob Young
Pop music, counterculture, movie scores, spaghetti western, progressive rock, obscure psychedelic sounds… What happened in Italy between the 1960s and 1970s opened up endless possibilities for contemporary music. There was a time in which Italian music was both deeply influential on British music and deeply influenced by it. A…
Zerocalcare
with Zerocalcare
Una serata con il più popolare disegnatore di fumetti italiano di questi anni. Le storie di Zerocalcare si affidano a un misto di autoironia, cultura pop e sottile malinconia, e offrono percezioni acutissime sul mondo contemporaneo. Famoso per la creazione dell’alter-ego Armadillo e per il suo memoriale-reportage dal confine…
Sugo Collective DJ set
with Sugo Collective
An Italian-inspired DJ set in the Café of the Festival.