Italian Night at the Movies film series to raise funds for youth scholarships

Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi in a scene from the film “Johnny Stecchino.” (Contributed photo)

The Sons and Daughters of Italy Key West Lodge #2436 is once again partnering with the Tropic Cinema to raise funds for a scholarship fund benefiting area high school seniors of Italian descent. Their popular “Italian Night at the Movies” series returns on the first Wednesday of each month through May 2026.

The new season kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 1, with the 1991 Italian comedy “Johnny Stecchino” (Italian with English subtitles) starring Roberto Benigni in a hilarious dual role – as sweet but clueless bus driver Dante, and Dante’s doppelganger, a dangerous mobster named Johnny Stecchino.

Set in Sicily, good hearted but naive Dante is happy driving a school bus for a group of Down Syndrome children, while feeling he is somehow missing out on life and love - until he meets the glamorous Maria, played by Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni’s real-life wife. Maria seems immediately enamored of him and he is soon invited to her sumptuous Palermo villa, little suspecting that this is part of a plot that will involve mistaken identity, mafia intrigue and romance.

This series is sponsored in part by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. Doors open at 5:30 pm, movie starts at 6:15 pm and includes “a taste of Italy” in the form of complimentary Sicilian Panna Cotta before the film. The evening will also include a raffle for Italian ceramics and two movie tickets. Sicilian wines will be available for purchase at the Tropic Cinema concession stand.
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Tickets are $20 per person and are available online at TropicCinema.com or day of at the Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St.