Gabriele Salvatores launches "Italy in a Day"

Oscar-winning filmmaker, Gabriele Salvatores is set to begin production on his next film, "Life In a Day." The project is a take-off on Ridley Scott's 2010 "Britain in a Day." It will be the first collective film to be made by Italians.

The designated day is October 26, 2013, which the director calls, "a normal autumn Saturday.” Participants are invited to document their own day on video, showing an ordinary day in their lives. “We always say that cinema should tell the story of our own lives. For once, we are asking people to stop being directed and to tell who they are themselves,” explained Salvatores. “It is an interesting challenge and a great responsibility,” Salvatores went on, “because here, the author is putting himself at the service of citizens’ emotions and thoughts. It's a project that is beyond cinema and documentary.”

The film, produced by Indiana Production and Rai Cinema, will be released in theaters and shown on the Rai network. The call for videos is underway with high profile sponsors, including Christian De Sica, Luciana Littizzetto and Micaela Ramazzotti.

For more information, visit the project's website at www.italyinaday.rai.it.

With Gabriele Salvatores in NYC, 2010

Gabriele Salvatores

Considered a maestro by peers and audience members alike, director Gabriele Salvatores continues to raise the bar for filmmakers around the world.

Born in Naples in 1950, Gabriele Salvatores spent nearly two decades working in theater, and continues to influence new generations.

Perhaps Salvatores’ greatest theatrical legacy is Milan’s Teatro dell’Elfo, which he founded in 1973. To this day, the Milanese theater serves as a popular venue for cultural events and avant-garde productions in the northern city.

Salvatores made his feature-film debut in 1989 with "Marrakech Express," which featured two of Italy’s most esteemed actors- Diego Abatantuono and Fabrizio Bentivoglio. Two years later, he made "Mediterraneo," the clever comedy that put him on the map and earned him an Academy Award.

"Nirvana," Salvatores’ 1997 sci-fi thriller about a video game character who develops thoughts and feelings, took his career in another direction. The film goes back and forth between reality and the virtual world. Solo, the video game character, pleads with his creator, Jimi, to destroy all copies of the game before its release to save him from reliving the same virtual pain over and over again. Against the wishes of his bosses, Jimi embarks on a journey to find the people he needs to get the job done. "Nirvana" is an innovative film that shows the connection between an artist and his subject. The film's style was an aberration for Salvatores whose films often mirror real-life social issues, sometimes taking a comedy turn, and other times, delving into the surreal.

Watch the Barilla spots directed by Gabriele Salvatores, starring Pierfrancesco Favino

He began his film career solely as a director but over time has also taken on the role of screenwriter. As a writer, Salvatores is deft in his ability to balance all the facets of his characters’ personalities. Most of his characters have keen senses of humor, even when they are less than admirable. They are complex and usually a little cynical about life, no matter what their age. Although his characters share many personality traits, the circumstances that surround them are dramatically different in each of his films.

A scene from "Io non ho paura"

Salvatores delivered a highly suspenseful and entertaining film with his 2003 release, "Io non ho paura." Based on kidnappings that took place in the 1980s, the story focuses on a group of poverty-stricken southerners who take the child of a wealthy family from the North hostage and hold him for ransom. The film radiates with the sweltering heat of the South, thanks to Salvatores’ directing and Italo Petriccione’s cinematography. The film was shot in Basilicata and used several regional actors.

With each new film, Salvatores reveals a greater depth of creativity. He is known for working with many of the same actors. In doing so, he adds a certain signature to his films while creating brand new works of art. And like an artist, he starts with a canvas of characters, gives them some drama, adds color where needed and laughter when necessary. In the end, we are presented with a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Purchase "Mediterraneo" on Amazon Prime...

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