Five Italian language films make their local debut next weekend during the 2008 Italian Film Festival. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, March 8, and the event takes place at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Union Theatre, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.

All of the films are free, open to the public and in Italian with English subtitles.

"Since the 1950s, Italian films have been regarded as among the most innovative and enjoyable in the world," says Paul Salsini, a Marquette University teacher and one of the local coordinators of the festival, along with OnMilwaukee.com's Bobby Tanzilo.

Three films screen on Saturday, March 8:

"Uno Su Due" ("One Out of Two") shows at 5 p.m. The 2006 film tells the story of Lorenzo, a successful attorney who becomes ill and gains insight into his life. The movie is 100 minutes long.

"La Seconda Notte di Nozze" ("The Second Night of Marriage") screens at 7 p.m. and is the tale of a war widow and son who move in with an emotionally fragile family member and create chaos in his life. This one lasts 103 minutes.

"I Vicerè" ("The Viceroys") starts at 9 p.m. It's set in the mid-1800s and told through the eyes of a boy, Consalvo, who is the last heir to the Uzeda dynasty. This film is 120 minutes.

On Sunday, March 9, the festival features two films:

"Ma Quando Arrivano Le Ragazze?" ("When Do the Girls Show Up?") starts at 5 p.m. and depicts the lives of Gianca and Nick, two young jazz musicians who long to create a successful quintet. It runs 115 minutes.

"Mio Fratello è Figlio Unico" ("My Brother is an Only Child") begins at 7 p.m. This 100-minute film tells the story of two brothers growing up in a small Italian town during the '60s and '70s who want to change the world, but in very different ways.

"Having screened the films in this year's festival, I think audiences will again be impressed and highly entertained. And it's free!" says Salsini.