Marco Ponti's "Andata & Ritorno," or "Roundtrip," opens the Best of New Italian Cinema Events on Thursday at the Doris Duke Theater. Ponti will discuss the film after the showing and take questions from the audience.

New Italian films
to screen here

For those whose knowledge of Italian cinema is grounded in Antonioni, Fellini, Rossellini, De Sica and Pasolini, hey, the paisans are still making movies! And they don't all star Roberto Benigni, either. And not enough of them star Sophia Loren.

And that's not all. The Friends of Italy Society in Hawaii sets out to prove the point with the "Best of New Italian Cinema Events," Thursday through Sunday at the Doris Duke Theater at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. They call it N.I.C.E., and all films feature up-and-comers in the Italian film industry. (Yes, the movies are subtitled.)

Admission is $7, $5 for academy members, $6 for seniors, students and military. Call Margherita Parrent, 282-9129, or Concetta Volpe-Bonfiglio, 389-8131.

Or should we say, "acquisire informazioni il cinema, persona di contatto," etc.

Here's the schedule:

"Roundtrip": Writer and director Marco Ponti will discuss the film, a romantic comedy/heist-flick about a young bike messenger who falls in love with a Spanish flight attendant, and what happens when their past catches up to them. Ponti's first full feature film won the David di Donatello award, Italy's Oscar equivalent. At 1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 1 p.m. Friday.

"Just Do It": Directed by Francesco Apolloni. A pair of friends in Rome are concerned with girls and sports while the city is worried about a serial killer. At 4 and 7:30 p.m. Friday.

"Love, Lies, Kids and Dogs": Directed by Eleonora Giorgi. A comedy about two young parents, their five children, an assortment of dogs and cats, four grandparents and a strange old great-aunt. At 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

"How to Make a Martini": Directed by Kiko Stella. A philosophical debate about how to make a martini links a series of short stories by Marina Mizzau set in a fashionable restaurant in Milan. At 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

"Runaway": Directed by Andrea Manni. The true story of Massimo Carlotti, a political activist wrongfully arrested for murder who escapes to go undercover in Paris. At 4 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.