PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EMBASSY OF ITALY, THE ANU FILM GROUP, AND THE FRIENDS OF THE ANU CLASSICS MUSEUM

The ANU Classics Museum invite you to a reception and panel discussion in the ANU Classics Museum (6-7pm), followed by a FREE screening of ‘La Chimera’ (2023) (7.30-9.30pm) in the nearby the Lowitja O'Donoghue Cultural Centre, generously supported by the Embassy of Italy and screened by the ANU Film Group.

Panel Discussion: Looting Etruria on Film, ANU Classics Museum, 6-7pm
AD Hope building, 14 Ellery Crescent ANU

Join panel chair Dr Georgia Pike-Rowney (ANU Classics Museum Curator) in discussion with expert panellists Dr Simona Martorana (ANU) and Dr Vivian Gerrand (ANU), joined by a representative of the Embassy of Italy in Canberra. After a special welcome from Culture and Education Attaché of the Embassy of Italy, Valentina Biguzzi, the panel will reflect upon Alice Rohrwacher’s 2023, a drama exploring the tombaroli (tomb robbers) set in 1980s Tuscany, starring Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini, Vincenzo Nemolato and Carol Duarte. Simona Martorana is a Lecturer in Classics at the Centre for Classical Studies (ANU), where she has been teaching Latin at all levels and courses on various aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world. Her main research focus on Latin literature combines a philological reading of the texts with contemporary theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches to antiquity (gender, posthumanism, ecocriticism, and medical humanities). 

Dr Vivian Gerrand is an Associate Lecturer in Italian in the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics (ANU), where she convenes the Italian Studies programme and teaches an Advanced Italian Cinema course. Vivian’s interdisciplinary research focuses on addressing disinformation, polarisation and (violent) extremism through alternative narratives and cultures of wellbeing. She currently co-leads a Department of Home Affairs-funded project on disrupting disinformation ecologies.  This panel discussion and screening is a part of an ongoing research, education and outreach collaboration between the ANU Classics Museum  and the Embassy of Italy, sparked by repatriation cases in the museum’s collection known to have been looted by tombaroli in the 1980s.

Attendees will be served light refreshments generously provided by the committee of the Friends of the Classics Museum, and will be provided with a FREE ticket for the subsequent screening in Kambri at the Lowitja O'Donoghue Cultural Centre, a short 5-minute walk from the museum.

Film Screening: ‘La Chimera’ (2023), directed by Alice Rohrwacher, M | 133 mins, 7.30-9.30pm, Lowitja O'Donoghue Cultural Centre, Kambri ANU

In 1980s Tuscany, Arthur (Josh O'Connor) is a melancholic British archaeologist with a unique gift: a dowsing ability that allows him to locate ancient Etruscan tombs. Haunted by his dark past and a long-lost love, Arthur navigates a clandestine world of treasure hunting, folklore, and profound longing, eventually joining a colourful band of tombaroli – tomb robbers – who plunder ancient artefacts. ‘La Chimera’ premiered to a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and earned widespread critical praise, cementing its place as a unique and enchanting cinematic experience that explores heritage, loss, and the allure of the past. Featuring stunning cinematography which alternates between film formats, it is a captivating and enchanting journey into Italy's ancient heart. (FREE ticket handed out at the panel discussion event in the Classics Museum) 

Registrations essential and numbers for the panel discussion strictly limited. Your free ticket for the screening will be provided at the panel event in the ANU Classics Museum.