The Sons and Daughters of Italy Key West Lodge 2436 has partnered with the Tropic Cinema to present “Italian Night at the Movies,” a monthly film series to raise money for the organization’s 2026 scholarship fund benefiting area high school seniors of Italian descent.
The next feature, showing Wednesday, April 1, is “Avanti!,” a 1972 comedy directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. Two travelers, each collecting the remains of deceased parents, meet in Italy and the fun begins.
The movie was nominated for six Golden Globe awards with Lemmon winning Best Actor. Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader described “Avanti!” as “the most underrated of all Billy Wilder comedies and arguably the one that comes closest to the sweet mastery and lilting grace of his mentor, Ernst Lubitsch.”
Sponsored in part by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, the evening includes a “taste of Italy” in the form of complimentary Zingara di Ischia (Ischian panini) served before the film. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the film begins at 6:15. Guests can also participate in a 50/50 drawing. Italian wines will be available for purchase at the Tropic Cinema concession.
Tickets are $20 per person and are available at tropiccinema.com or day-of at the Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St., Key West.
