The famous 17th century Italian artist Caravaggio is well known for his intense realism and use of strong contrasts of light and dark. Living in Milan, Naples, Malta and Sicily he was a rebellious man with an eye for beauty, the streets and high drama, and was hugely influential on succeeding generations of painters all over Europe.

Years ago, BFS screened Derek Jarman’s biopic Caravaggio (1986) on 16mm, so in this anniversary year it is fitting to screen the latest interpretation of this artist’s colourful life.

In this film, the Catholic Church secretly investigates Caravaggio, recruiting ‘The Shadow’ to interview patrons and associates of the artist to establish if he is worthy of a pardon for causing the death of another young man.

Expect to see the visceral, extreme, beautiful, disturbing, genial, sacred and the blasphemous. Italian cinema at its richest.

Italy, 2022, 128 min. Dir. Michele Placido. Dist: Palace Films
Stars Riccardo Scamarcio, Isabelle Huppert and Michelangelo Merisi.

This event is produced by the Ballarat Film Society - entry by membership (available at the door)