Holy Cannoli

Witty, romantic and smart, this film from beloved Italian satirist Pierfrancesco ‘Pif’ Diliberto (The Mafia Kills Only In Summer) - adapted from his own bestselling novel - is a hugely entertaining and gently irreverent comedy about love, faith and finding the perfect pastry. Arturo (Pif) is a successful real estate agent, but less so in love. Arturo lives alone, is the weak link in his office's football team, and nurtures an unwavering passion for desserts, with a soft spot for sciù from Palermo's most celebrated pasticceria. His life lights up when he meets the devoutly Catholic Flora (Giusy Buscemi), who is looking to open her own patisserie, and he falls instantly, hopelessly in love. To win Flora over, Arturo embarks on an increasingly absurd attempt to live by the gospel, a quest that earns him an unexpected spiritual advisor: the Pope. Italian box office hit Holy Cannoli is playful, pointed and cheeky, using comedy to expose the contradictions of contemporary Italian life seen through the eyes of a soul-searching, sweet-toothed sceptic.

Born in 1972 in Palermo, Sicily, Pierfrancesco Diliberto, also known as Pif, is an Italian actor, screenwriter, television host, and director. He made his debut as an assistant director with The Hundred Steps (1998). After moving into television with The Witness (2007), his filmmaking career began with The Mafia Only Kills in the Summer (IFF14), which he wrote, directed and starred in.