Founded in Rome, Italy, at the height of fascism, “Cinecitt�,” interpreted to mean the “city of cinema,” was once a powerful weapon of propaganda.

It since has prevailed and transformed into what can be characterized today as the “Italian Hollywood.”

In the hopes of enlightening young film connoisseurs of a genre that has seen little recognition – or to simply introduce students to Italian culture and language – the romance languages department is sponsoring “Cinecitt�: Italian movies from the 21st Century,” a month-long festival dedicated to Italian film.

“Italian cinema has this strong film coming from the neo-realist stage where they wanted to put their mark on the forties and fifties. After World War II, it moved into mainstream culture,” said Lino Mioni, instructor in Italian for the Department of Romance Languages.

“Cinecitt� is a place where all the studios are, and it’s where many big U.S. movies were produced. Essentially, it is the Italian Hollywood.”

A few American megaproductions include “Farewell to Arms,” “Ben Hur,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Gangs of New York,” “The Passion of the Christ” and many others.

“This is an exciting time for Italian cinema, which has frankly had a very mediocre reputation over the past two decades,” said Richard Neupert, Wheatley Professor of the Arts and head of the film studies department.

Many American films made in Italy were not reflective of Italian culture, which led to a struggle for Italian filmmakers to claim their own cinematic territory.

“Italian neo-realism was one of the most important influences on world cinema, and now it seems to be inspiring a new generation to tell stories rooted in Italian culture and daily experience,” Neupert said.

But “very few marketable [Italian] films have managed to get produced in Italy and shown on the world screens,” he said.

Although the films may not have made it to their big screen debut, they have at least made it to Athens.

Of the films being shown, today’s screening is one that Mioni particularly enjoys: “L’ora di Religione (Il Sorriso di mia Madre).” Directed by Marco Bellocchio, the film’s title translates to “The Religion Hour (My Mother’s Smile).”

Although the other films deal with more political and historical issues, Bellocchio’s films tend to focus on private issues of the individual, the self or the family.

“I must say, it is the most challenging movie,” Lioni said. “There is an issue about religion – Catholic, by tradition – and how institutionalized religion affects the individual experience with faith.”

It tells the story of an atheist artist whose mother was murdered by another son. Mentally ill, the son kept swearing against God until one day the mother tried to stop him, and he killed her.

The artist’s conflict with religion ensues when someone initiates a process to have his mother canonized by the Vatican, allowing her to be declared a saint by the Catholic church. However, this is done for family members’ well-being and peace of mind, not for deeper religious meanings.

Confronted with this, the artist faces the idea that the personal experience of religion is being exploited for social restitution.

Mioni recognizes that it is a rather risqué film topic.

“It challenges you on both sides because you are either Catholic or you are not – or you are Christian or you are not,” Lioni said. “It is a struggle between the personal experience of religion entering into the social dimensions. And it may be hard to accept this.”