Although the Italian Film Fest Vancouver, which runs from Friday to next Thursday (January 9 to 15) at the Vancity Theatre, has expanded slightly in its second iteration, Italian Cultural Centre executive director Mauro Vescera says the organizers are keeping their eye on quality, not quantity.

“The idea is to grow the festival in content and not dilute it by having 300 films,” he said by phone. “We want to keep it very small and discreet.”

The focus of the festival, which is presented by the ICC, the Italian Consulate, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto, and the Vancouver International Film Festival, mirrors the state of the Italian film industry.

“Its heyday—la dolce vita, if you will—was the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and Italian film has gone through a little bit of a lull,” Vescera said. “I think what we’re seeing now is a film industry that is perhaps not producing the number of films but certainly trying to continue with the quality of films.”

With five screen classics and seven new releases, the festival blends a cinematic retrospective with recent offerings that Vancouverites may not have had the opportunity to catch on the big screen.

Among the classics, all the big names are there: directors Fellini (8½), De Sica (Marriage Italian Style), and Antonioni (L’Eclisse) alongside actors Marcello Mastroianni and, of course, the luminous Sophia Loren, who’s also the subject of a photo exhibit on display at the festival.

In addition to comedies (Song of Napoli) and a Mafia flick (The Mafia Only Kills in Summer), Italy’s cultural signatures are explored in two documentaries: Men of the Cloth observes the vanishing apprentice system among tailors, while Barolo Boys chronicles how a group of northwestern Italian winemakers sparked a vino revolution with their internationally successful red. Oenophiles, take note: Barolo director Tiziano Gaia will attend the screening, which is paired with a winetasting event afterward.

And there’s more in store later this year. Vescera said they’ll be holding three outdoor film screenings of classic Italian films this summer to coincide with the ICC’s farmers market and community garden. There’s also an Italian film library at the cultural centre available to members, and Vescera said they welcome requests for the festival. More information can be found at the VIFF website.