"The Boundaries of Babel. Reflections on Brain and Grammars." by Andrea Moro Monday, October 14th, 6 p.m.

500 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1450 Chicago, IL 60611        "The Boundaries of Babel. Reflections on Brain and Grammars."   by Andrea Moro  Monday, October 14th, 6 p.m. Italian Cultural Institute 500 N Michigan Ave Suite 1450 Presented on the Occasion of the 13th Annual Italian Language Week in the World under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Italy, the Hon. Giorgio Napolitano     Professor of Linguistics at the Institute for Advanced Study IUSS Pavia and director of the Research Center for Neurocognition and Theoretical Syntax,   Andrea Moro will speak about the mystery of languages and the common thread that ties all languages, no matter how seemingly diverse, together.  He will present his book, "The Boundaries of Babel: The Brain and the Engima of Impossible Languages," (2010, MIT Press), with the foreword by Noam Chomsky.    "Andrea Moro has gained a unique position in formulating and implementing constructive approaches to...difficult and demanding tasks. He is able to address them with a deep understanding of modern linguistics, a field to which he has made a major contribution of his own, and mastery of the relevant technology and its potential. His new book is a lucid introduction to these exciting areas, superbly informed and imaginatively presented, with intriguing implications well beyond biolinguistics.... A rare achievement...." -Noam Chomsky, from the foreword    A reception and book signing will follow.    To RSVP, please click here.                                                                     The 49th Annual Chicago International Film Festival October 10 - 24, 2013      The following Italian films are presented in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago on the occasion of the 2013 Year of Italian Culture in the United States               DRACULA 3D Italy, France, Spain * Director: Dario Argento A gleeful homage to Bram Stoker's classic novel from legendary horror auteur Dario Argento (Suspiria) with the master's distinctive twist on the familiar story, Dracula 3D focuses its story on the characters of Mina and Lucy, two women in the Count's erotic thrall. When the shape shifting Count sets his sights on Mina, and then Lucy, neither woman can resist his sinister charms, although failure to do so means joining the ranks of the undead. 110 min. SAT 10/19       11:00 PM        EFDRA1* * Director scheduled to attend. MIELE Italy * Director: Valeria Golino This tautly written drama follows Irene - nicknamed "Miele" (Italian for "Honey") - as she treads legal and moral boundaries performing assisted suicides on elderly hospital patients. Progressively dehumanized and alienated, Irene finds what's left of her morals challenged when she is approached by a depressed, fatalistic, yet physically healthy architect who has lost his will to live. A thought-provoking, humanistic character study featuring sharp, sensitive performances, Miele represents a mature and capable directorial debut from celebrated actress Valeria Golino (Respiro). Italian with subtitles. 96 min. TUE 10/15      8:15 PM          EFMIEL1 WED 10/16      5:45 PM          EFMIEL2 SALVO Italy * Directors: Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza Mafia hitman Salvo is solitary, callous, and ruthless. His deep-rooted cold-bloodedness is tested, however, when, on a job, he comes across his target's sister, a blind woman named Rita. Disturbed by her unseeing stare, Salvo cannot bring himself to silence the potential witness. In choosing to spare her, he must become her protector. The once amoral gangster must risk his life to save hers in this masterfully executed story of love and redemption. Italian with subtitles. 104 min. SUN 10/20      6:15 PM          EFSAL1TUE 10/22      8:00 PM          EFSAL2 THERE WILL COME A DAY Un giorno devi andare Italy, France * Director: Giorgio Diritti After a series of devastating events, the beautiful young Augusta leaves Italy for Brazil to work as a missionary among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. When her dissatisfaction with the Church reaches a breaking point, she settles with a family in a port favela hoping to lead a more authentic life, far removed from her painful past. Filled with astonishing imagery, this gorgeous, meditative film follows Augusta's spiritual quest in search of meaning and solace. Portuguese, Italian with subtitles. 109 min. MON 10/14     1:00 PM          EFTHE1 MON 10/21     6:15 PM          EFTHE2 WED 10/23      7:45 PM          EFTHE3 VIVA LA LIBERTÁ Italy * Director: Roberto Andò When Enrico (Toni Servillo), the leader of Italy's opposition party, abandons politics and disappears without a trace, the party leadership finds itself at a loss-until uncovering his long-estranged mad genius lookalike brother, Giovanni, fresh out of a mental institution. Passing perfectly for Enrico, Giovanni quickly garners overwhelming public support with his bracingly candid political ravings. Equal parts absurdist and contemplative, Viva la Liberta offers a droll satire of contemporary Italian politics. Italian with subtitles. 94 min.  THU 10/17      3:30 PM          EFVIV1 SAT 10/19       3:30 PM          EFVIV2 MON 10/21     5:45 PM          EFVIV3 AMARCORD Italy, France * Director: Federico Fellini Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and called Fellini's "final great film" by Roger Ebert, this surreal quasi-autobiographical comedy follows adolescent prankster Titta's childhood in the quaint, eccentric village of Borgo San Giuliano in Mussolini's Italy. A joyous, often nostalgic, account of Titta's fantasies, family feuds, and seemingly fantastical adventures, Fellini's dreamlike masterpiece lovingly pays tribute to village life, and to the wonderful embellishments that cloud our memories. Italian with subtitles. 124 min. SAT 10/19       4:00 PM          EFITAL2 BREAD AND TULIPS Pane e tulipani Italy, Switzerland * Director: Silvio Soldini When her neglectful family forgets her at a highway restaurant during a family vacation, housewife Rosalba grasps the opportunity to take her own vacation to Venice. But as she gets comfortable and finds love, leaving her old life behind and making her detour a permanent fix becomes increasingly tempting. Rosalba's journey in Bread and Tulips sets off a comical and touching domino effect that helps her, as well as those around her, to rediscover passion and adventure in life. Italian with subtitles. 114 min. SUN 10/20      3:30 PM          EFITAL4* * Director scheduled to attend. DIVORCE, ITALIAN STYLE Divorzio all'italiana Italy * Director: Pietro Germi Baron Ferdinando Cefalu (Marcello Mastroianni) longs to marry his nubile young cousin Angela, but one obstacle stands in his way: his fatuous and fawning wife, Rosalia. His solution? Since divorce is illegal, he hatches a plan to lure his spouse into the arms of another and then murder her in a justifiable effort to save his honor. Director Pietro Germi's (Seduced And Abandoned) hilarious and cutting satire of Sicilian male- chauvinist culture was awarded the 1962 Academy Award ® for Best Original Screenplay. Italian with subtitles. 105 min. SAT 10/19       1:15 PM          EFITAL1 THE MASS IS ENDED La Messa e' finita Italy * Director: Nanni Moretti After a decade of seclusion, young, idealistic priest Don Giulio is assigned to his first parish. But when he returns to Rome to find that even his own friends and family have readily succumbed to the Deadly Sins, he wonders if the town is afflicted with more problems than he alone can fix. The Mass Is Ended is a thoughtful comedic look at problems of the heart and soul from beloved writer-director-star Nanni Moretti (Caro Diario, We Have A Pope). Italian with subtitles. 94 min. SUN 10/10      1:30 PM          EFITAL3   For tickets or for a listing of all of the films being shown this year, please click here.                                                                 The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute is pleased to inform you for the following concert:             The Italian Cultural Institute and  Loyola University Chicago  are pleased to invite you to "Chicago Italians and Catholicism"   a major conference that will explore the waves of Italian-Catholic immigrants who came to Chicago during the late 19th and 20th centuries November 8-9 Loyola University Chicago Klarchek Information Commons Fourth Floor The conference will also analyze the role Catholicism played in the lives of immigrants. The initiative is interdisciplinary and includes presentations by individuals who personally experienced the Italian-Catholic experience in Chicago. Scholars from the fields of ethnic studies, urban and cultural history, literature and language, theology, and sociology of religion, as well as creative writers, artists, and lay and clerical first-person narrators will explore the historical, cultural, and religious roles that Roman Catholicism played in sustaining ethnic identity for the many immigrant communities that came to Chicago. The presenters will include a number of nationally recognized experts in Italian-American studies, a dozen Loyola faculty members, Loyola students, and a group of Chicago-area priests, nuns, and laypersons active in patrons saint societies and parish activities.  #fineartmagazine