Welcome To The South (Benvenuti Al Sud) (M)

``Welcome to the South``, an Italian take on the French hit ``Bienvenue chez les Ch`tis``(Welcome to the Sticks), is the hilarious box office sensation that that grossed over 30 million euros at the Italian box office alone, proving that the north-south rivalry is alive and kicking! Alberto (Claudio Bisio) is a postal worker hoping to transfer to Milan, the city of his dreams but is instead sent to Castellabate in the south. He arrives with preconceptions, prejudice and a bullet proof vest firmly in place. His wife, Maria (Angela Finocchiaro), is too terrified to accompany him, to what she imagines is a hot and dirty hilly town, swarming with mafia. Soon, however, Alberto falls for the natural beauty and the charming locals, including the postman (Alessandro Siani) and a postal clerk (Valentina Lodovini), who introduces the northerner to the joys of southern life. The spirit of this feel-good Opening Night selection is captured in the wise words of one of the characters: ``When an outsider comes to the south, he cries twice - when he arrives and when he leaves.``