On the day in 1940 that Italy enters the war, two things happen to the 12-year-old Renato: he gets his first bike, and he gets his first look at Malèna. She is a beautiful, silent outsider who’s moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He promptly goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. During the next few years, as Renato grows toward manhood, he watches Malèna suffer and prove her mettle. He sees her loneliness, then grief when Nico is reported dead, the effects of slander on her relationship with her father, her poverty and search for work, and final humiliations. Will Renato learn courage from Malèna and stand up for her? With Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico.

Presented by Rio Theatre and the Italian Contemporary Film Festival, in partnership with the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver and Fare Cinema 2019, and with the generous support of Il Centro – Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.

Thursday, June 20
Movie 9:15 pm *Approximate start time

Advance tickets $10.50 HERE | $12.50 at the door

Why not make this a double bill with Giuseppe Tornatore’s CINEMA PARADISO at 6:15 pm? See both for one sweet price!

Advance double bill tickets $14.00 HERE | $16.00 at the door

*Minors permitted in the balcony. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office

MALENA (Giuseppe Tornatore, 2000 / 18A / 108 mins / Italian with English subs) In 1941, Renato was 13 years old and although the world was at war, nothing ever happened in this sleepy village in Sicily. Until the day he discovered something that would change his life forever… Malna, the beautiful young war widow who was the obsession of every man and the envy of every woman. Because of her, Renato will come to learn all of life’s lessons and find himself in places he never could have imagined.