Now That's Italian

Umbria in Sugar Land film festival showcases the beauty of Italian filmmaking

Sugar Land might not be the first place one thinks of as the site for an Italian film festival, but thanks to the determined efforts of some local residents, it has become a reality.

The Umbria in Sugar Land film festival kicked off Wednesday night with a screening of the film, My Italy, at the Sugar Land Auditorium, preceded by an "Aperitivo Reception" at nearby Lonnie Green Park, where festival goers sampled Peroni beer, wines, and cheeses from Italy's Umbria region as well as Italian hors d'oeuvres prepared by Casetta Catering.

Six more films will be shown through Sunday at the Sugar Land Auditorium, a historical 1918 building in the heart of the original town, with a free screening of I Have Friends in Heaven (Ho Amici in Paradiso) at the Sugar Land Town Square Plaza on Saturday night (September 30) at 7 pm. All films are in Italian with English subtitles. (Single tickets are $8-$20. For a full schedule, click here.)

"The goal of this festival is to show to people that in Italy we still have good moviemakers," said Donatella Cocchini, founder and president of the Festival del Cinema Città di Spello e dei Borghi Umbri.

The festival landed in Sugar Land after Cocchini spoke with her longtime friend Manuela Tentoni, who works for Consulate General of Italy in Houston, about bringing it to the United States. Tentoni contacted her friend, Sugar Land resident Tiziana Triolo, who pushed to bring it to the Houston suburb.

"It was a passion project," said Lindsay Davis, cultural arts manager for the City of Sugar Land. "The region of Umbria had been looking for a perfect venue like this. And cultural arts is a initiative for the city of Sugar Land. Having a multi-day film festival is something that not only fits the cultural initiatives of the city but also the economic development."

"Being a citizen of Sugar Land, I have a dual goal," Triolo explained. "One is to bring my culture to Sugar Land and share at least a piece of Italy, the region of Umbria. At the same time, my goal is to have this festival grow in the future and have tourism from the nation and from all around Texas here in Sugar Land."

A team of local and national judges under the leadership of Max Leonida selected Like Crazy (La Pazza Gioia) as Best Picture and Best Screenplay (it shows at 3 pm Saturday), Greenery Will Bloom Again (Torneranno i prati) in the category of Best Director (Friday at 7 pm), and Italian Race (Veloce come il vento) as Best Photography (it will close the festival Sunday at 2 pm).

Leonida, an Italian director who lives in Los Angeles, told the opening night crowd that after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area, he thought the festival might be canceled. "Then you came to me saying, 'the show must go on.' What a fantastic lesson. I am truly flattered to be here today for the festival. I know you Texans are proud and tough, with a heart as big as your state," he said.

In addition to the screenings, filmmaking seminars will take place on Saturday (September 30), from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Topics include "The Art of Sound Effects" with Italian sound designer Matteo Bendinelli, a screening of Beyond plus a talkback with Sugar Land resident Adrian Pacini, and a filmmaking session with director Sergio Carvajal-Leoni.

The festival is a partnership with the City of Sugar Land, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, the International Film Festival of Spello (IFFS) and the Region of Umbria. For more information, visit the Umbria in Sugar Land website.

And check out this video from our news partners at ABC13.

Festival goers display the award-winning trophies for the Umbria in Sugar Land film festival.

Umbria in Sugar Land film festival opening

Photo by Debi Beauregard

Festival goers display the award-winning trophies for the Umbria in Sugar Land film festival.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep welcomes spooky season with PG-scary new movie

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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