LIAS Film Series: "Lazzaro Felice"
Wednesday, July 2, 7:00 pm | SCALA Arthouse Cinema | Free admission
02. Jul
This screening is part of the LIAS Film Series in cooperation with SCALA Programmkino. Each month, a curated selection of international films addressing cultural and social issues is presented, accompanied by introductions and discussions.
Lazzaro Felice – Happy as Lazzaro (Italian original with English subtitles)
France, Germany, Italy 2018 | Director: Alice Rohrwacher | 128 min
Happy as Lazzaro is a critically acclaimed feature film that tells the story of an unlikely friendship between the innocent farmworker Lazzaro and the young nobleman Tancredi. The narrative blends fairytale elements with a poignant critique of social exploitation, inequality, and alienation. Set in the fictional village of Inviolata, the story unfolds in a feudal-like community controlled by the Marquesa Alfonsina de Luna. Lazzaro lives unquestioningly within this hierarchy until a staged kidnapping—“the great deception”—marks a turning point. Years later, Lazzaro returns to a changed urban world, searching for his lost friend and struggling to find his place in a society that no longer understands his gentle nature.
Combining magical realism with neorealistic social commentary, the film explores themes such as justice, dislocation, and the impact of capitalist structures. Alice Rohrwacher was awarded the Best Screenplay Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Introduction by Susanne Leeb (LIAS Co-Director)
