Metrograph

Contrary to Marx, the history of 20th-century fascism began with a healthy dose of farce when, in 1919, poetaster, decadent, and rabble-rousing dandy Gabriele D’Annunzio, accompanied by a few thousand shock troops, occupied the city of Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia) and installed himself as Duce of the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro, in the process providing inspiration for the young Benito Mussolini. Combining brazenly anachronistic re-enactments that enlist residents of contemporary Rijeka and a wealth of archival material courtesy of the Duce’s publicity team, Bezinović—a native of the city—exposes the pomp, puffery, and pageantry that lays at the root of the fascist project. A cuttingly comic, constantly inventive view on what Pier Paolo Pasolini called D’Annunzio’s “narcissistic escapade,” with much to tell us about buffoonery on the world stage today.

Distributor: Icarus Films

Q&A with director Igor Bezinović moderated by writer Nick Newman (The Film Stage) on Friday, April 10th

Q&A with director Igor Bezinović moderated by film critic Richard Brody on Saturday, April 11th (2:00pm screening)

Introduction by director Igor Bezinović on Saturday, April 11th (5:15pm screening)