The Irish Film Festa returns to the big screen on Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August at the Open-Air Cinema at the Casa del Cinema in Villa Borghese.

After the forced cancellation of its 13th edition in 2020, and two subsequent online versions, the Irish Film Festa returns to stage its first open-air event - the IFF Summer Arena - with live audiences in the grounds of its usual venue in Rome.

The summer edition of the festival, this weekend, will screen two titles previously unreleased in Italy but which have earned acclaim elsewhere: Bruno by Karl Golden and Extra Ordinary by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman.

Bruno, a truly low-budget film, introduces the viewer to the bond created between a homeless man, a child and a dog, following them for a day and a night on the streets of London.

The supernatural comedy Extra Ordinary, centres around a widower (Barry Ward) who  is haunted by his dead wife, a driving instructor capable of communicating with the hereafter (Maeve Higgins) and a declining rock star (Will Forte). 

“The Irish Film Festa's Summer Arena stems, naturally, from our strong desire to return to screenings for live audiences, in this instance ‘al fresco’, but also from the wish to recover and share two of the best films we had planned for the “Covid-frozen” 2020 edition", said artistic director Susanna Pellis.

The films are screened in their original language with Italian subtitles. Entry is free but booking is required at the Casa del Cinema’s reception desk, from 19.30 (subject to availability of seats on a first-come-first-served basis), with seating from 20.30.

Bruno (95 minutes) will be shown on Saturday 31 July and Extra Ordinary (94 minutes) on Sunday 1 August.

For further information info@irishfilmfesta.org and/or tel. 06423601, reception desk Casa del Cinema. For more details about the Irish Film Festa see IFF website. Cover image: Barry Ward, Maeve Higgins in Extra Ordinary.