Italian Cinema Today

The nominees for this year's Mario Verdone award are-  Michele Alhaique for Senza nessuna pietà, Bonifacio Angius for Perfidia, Giuseppe Bonito for Pulce non c’è, Laura Halilovic for Io Rom Romantica, Sebastiano Riso for Darker than Midnight, Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli for Last Summer and Sydney Sibilia for I can quit whenever I want - are the 7 filmmakers that will compete at the VI edition of the Mario Verdone Award that will be delivered by brothers Silvia, Carlo and Luca Verdone during the XVI edition of the European Film Festival, taking place in Lecce from 13 to 18 April 2015. The award is given to filmmakers under the age of 35. "It's a way of further highlighting the discovery of young talent and giving visibility to film that looks set to grow", explained Festival director, Alberto La Monica, on behalf of the Selection Committee that includes Laura delli Colli, head of SNGCI, and Marcello Foti, director of the Experimental Film Centre. “It's a...

Born in Rome on August 14, 1971 to southern Italian parents, Raoul Bova was naturally athletic, starting out with a love of sports. He encountered a freak accident when he was a child and almost drown while frolicking in the sea. That life-changing experience made him confront his fear of water and take up swimming. The sport ended up becoming a huge passion for him and at the age of sixteen, he earned a championship title for the S.S. Lazio team of Rome, one of the oldest and most renowned sport clubs in Europe. He went on to pursue a degree in Physical Education but that was cut short soon after he discovered a passion for acting. Although he never intended to give up sports as a hobby, he knew in his heart that acting was his true love and wanted to pursue it as a career. He enrolled in the drama school, Beatrice Bracco, and never looked back. Bova started working right away, with his first role as Giuliano Amitrano in Stefano Reali’s 1992 made-for-television movie, "Una ...

Film Screening and Lecture at Casa Italiana- Nazareth College, Rochester, New York; Nino Manfredi’s: Portrait of a Nude Woman: Fluid Identities Between Carnival and Venice Lecture by Dr. Elisa Saturno Nino Mandredi's 1981 comedy/mystery, "Nudo di donna" (Portrait of a Nude Woman) was the third and final film directed by this Italian cinema icon.  The story is centered on Manfredi's character whose wife is leaving him and wanders the streets of Rome in despair until he sees a portrait of a woman that resembles his wife. What ensues is a passionate love affair and one roller coaster of a ride that keeps us guessing.  The lecture and screening will take place at Nazareth College's Casa Italiana January 31st at 3:00.   For more information..  https://www.smore.com/evsr6-casa-italiana-events

A fascinating exhibit just opened at Rome's famous movie studios, Cinecittà. Titled, "Girando Cinecittà 1937-1989", the exhibit highlights the making of many historic films during those years.  "Girando Cinecittà 1937-1989" features rooms which chronicle the variety of genres shot at Cinecittà, including blockbusters, Italian comedies and Spaghetti Westerns just to name a few. It does so with a rich selection of images, film clips and a selection of costumes. In addition to the rooms devoted to genres, the exhibition features a rare collection of unique items, historical films and vignettes  shot between 1937 and 1943 at Cinecittà. Here, you will find neorealism film clips plus the epic cinema of Sergio Leone as well as an unprecedented selection of original costumes starting with those worn by Liz Taylor and Richard Burton in "Cleopatra" and "The Taming of the Shrew". "Girando Cinecittà 1937-1989" was curated by Alida Cappellini an...

The magical atmosphere of the historic Cinecittà is making its way south to the Sassi of Matera, where Monday, February 2, will mark the first take of the remake of "Ben Hur." The event is drawing scores of tourists, students, and locals intrigued by the Hollywood crews. People are photographing the "work in progress" as the construction of sets transforms the Sassi into a great natural location. This comes as Rome's Cinecittà Studios is reliving its glory days with a slew of Hollywood productions set to be filmed at the famed location, including the remake of Paramount and MGM's epic film, "Ben Hur."  Three U.S. productions are currently underway at Cinecittà. "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" is based on Anne Rice's best-selling novel about young Jesus as he discovers his real identity. Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, the film is based at Cinecittà. It is also being shot on location as "Ben Hur" in the southern re...

Berlinale Special During the two days of the  Berlinale Special Series  on February 9 and 10, several new episodes from German, European and American series will premiere. They will augment the  Berlinale Special programme  at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. These series from around the world explore societal and social realities, and in doing so discover the private in the political. Kicking off events will be the Italian series  1992 , a political thriller set against the backdrop of the “Mani Pulite” corruption investigations, triggering a political, civil and social earthquake in Italy.  Stefano Accorsi heads the cast of "1992" which will make its World Premiere at the festival. 1992 Italy Creators: Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi, Stefano Sardo With Stefano Accorsi, Guido Caprino, Domenico Diele, Miriam Leone, Tea Falco, Alessandro Roja Broadcaster: Sky Italia World premiere For more information about the series, check out this art...

Update: Mario Fratti passed away on April 15, 2023 at the age of 95. He was a gifted writer with an outgoing, charismatic personality. I am so grateful  our paths crossed many years ago.  "It's a wonderful adaptation." Those words are from Author/Playwright Mario Fratti describing Rob Marshall's 2009 film, "Nine."  Fratti knows a thing or two about the original Fellini film since he's the one who adapted it for Broadway more than 30 years ago. The musical went on to win 13 Tony awards in its first run and later in a revival. The story goes back to 1974 when Fratti had the idea to transform Fellini's 1963 film, "8 ½," into a stage production. He did so in Italian under the title "Six Passionate Women" and then collaborated with fellow writer/composer Maury Yeston to make an English version suited for Broadway. Eight years later, "Nine"   opened to rave reviews in New York City. Three decades later, the Fellini classic ...

The Italian films to be shown this year at the Berlin Film Festival are: "Vergine giurata" by Laura Bispuri , "Torneranno i prati" by Ermanno Olmi, "Cloro" by Lamberto Sanfelice and "Il gesto delle mani" by Francesco Clerici, as well as the Italian television series, "1992" staring Stefano Accorsi . Laura Bispuri's film is  the story of a young woman who escapes from her destiny of being wife and servant which is imposed on the women in the inhospitable mountains in Albania. She appeals to the old law of the Kanun and swears her eternal virginity thus becoming a “Vergine Giurata" (sworn virgin). The film is Laura Bispuri's first feature film and stars one of Italy's top leading ladies, Alba Rohrwacher .  It will be in the main competition at the festival. Olmi's film will be presented in the Berlinale Gala. Dedicated to World War I, the cast features Claudio Santamaria , A. Sperduti, Francesco Formiche...

She comes from a family deeply rooted in the entertainment business, and she is now proving it’s her time to shine. At just 20-years-old, performer Lilin has built a solid career on her vocal chords as a leading voiceover artist. She’s given the Italian language to characters in American blockbusters like "The Grinch," "Lilo & Stitch," "Narnia and The Gold Compass." Born in Rome in 1994, she began her career as a voiceover artist at the age of five, perhaps inheriting that vocal talent from her mother, Fiamma Izzo, a former opera singer best known for her role of Mimi in the 1986 production of "La Boheme" in which she shared the stage with Luciano Pavarotti. Early in her career, Lilin worked with her uncle, acclaimed actor and director, Ricky Tognazzi , on his films "Il papabuono" and "Provaci ancora prof 3." Lilin and Tognazzi are related through marriage. He is married to her aunt, Simona Izzo. Lilin describes Tog...

The cast of "Human Capital" Starting today, Paolo Virzì’s latest film, "Human Capital," begins showing at theaters across the country. The Wikipedia definition of human capital is- the stock of knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. Well, the film, which was adapted from American writer, Stephen Amidon’s book pretty much covers all these attributes. The story begins after a cyclist is run off the road. That incident sets the stage for a rollercoaster ride of drama, egos, greed, opulence and destruction. The director’s visual expression of the novel has drawn incredible performances from his actors. Virzì has a history of empathizing with his characters to really get into their heads, which in turn leads to complete transformation, and it helps to have some of the most talented contemporary Italian actors, such as Fabrizio Bentivoglio , Valeria Gol...

Lamberto Sanfelice's, "Cloro" (Chlorine) is set to screen at the Sundance Film Festival, which begins next week. The story follows Jenny ( Sara Serraiocco ) as she dreams of being a synchronized swimmer. After a parent passes away, she is forced to put her dream on hold to take care of business. That business seems never-ending as one problem leads to another. Time passes and she tries to hold on. But that time slowly distances her from the dream, and the inevitable day arrives when she realizes the life she once knew is a thing of the past. The love story in “Cloro”  could have taken more time in film. Jenny and Ivan had a strange relationship but underneath the tension, really cared about each other. I would have liked to see their story develop more. Nevertheless, “Cloro” is a moving, heart-wrenching tale of one girl’s plight and how she struggles with being a teenager one day and caregiver the next. After having completed his first two short films “Gett...