The New Generation of De Sica

Recently through social media, I've discovered there's a whole new generation of De Sica filmmakers on the rise. Both grandsons of the great Vittorio De Sica, Andrea and Brandon are making films on both sides of the Atlantic.

Andrea De Sica's father was the composer Manuel De Sica, who worked on a number of films, including Michele Soave's 1994 dark comedy "Cemetary Man". He passed away in 2014. Andrea De Sica made his first short film in 2007 and has been quite prolific in his work ever since. He has spent the last few years directing television series. Just recently, it was announces that he was awarded funding by to make his first feature film. Cineuropa announced a few weeks ago that De Sica's new project "I figli della note" (The Children of the Night) was the only Italian movie selected during the latest Eurimages conference granting support for film production. Shooting began in early March in South Tyrol, located in the northern Italian region of Alto Adige. Although young, he has already worked alongside Bernardo Bertolucci, Ferzan Ozpetek and Vincenzo Marra since graduating from the Experimental Film Centre in Rome.

Brando De Sica is the son of Christian De Sica. He studied cinema at the University of Southern California and then returned to Italy where he began his career as an assistant to Pupi Avati. He made his directorial debut with the docu-film " Parlami di me", which was selected for the Rome Film Festival. Four years later, he directed and produced the short film, "La donna giusta", a personal tribute to the work of Roger Corman on Edgar Allan Poe, which was presented at the Taormina Film Festival. The following year, he collaborated with Massimo Gaudioso, Ugo Chiti and Edoardo Albinati on the screenplay of "Racconto dei racconti" by Matteo Garrone. In 2014, he made a fashion video for the handbag label Chaterinelle, later acquired by Rai Cinema and presented at last year's Cannes Film Festival. The film received many accolades, including a Nastro d'Argento for best director, a nomination for the Davide di Donatello award, and a Best Advertising award at the Diane Pernet ASVOFF, a Shaded View on Fashion Film. His latest film, "Not Without Me" will be shown at the New York City Independent Film Festival on April 27. Check here for more information.

Comments

7 Days - 7 Women: Interview with Actress Sabrina Impacciatore

Photo by Rossella Vetrano On Day 6 of our series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we talk with actress Sabrina Impacciatore about the diversity of her roles. Whether she's playing a devoted mother trying to protect her child, Jesus Christ's "Veronica" in Mel Gibson's controversial film, "Passion of the Christ" or a young woman coming of age, Impacciatore escapes into the life and mind of each character she takes on, sometimes so deeply that she believes she is actually them. It's a fine line between reality and fiction, but she treads it carefully and anyone watching her performance benefits from her emotional connection to the character that she becomes. I spoke with Impacciatore at the 2010 Open Roads: New Italian Film series in New York City. We talked about her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. She also gave me some insight into the diff

The Rochester Global Short Film Series

Now in its fourth year, the Rochester Global Short Film Series is a celebration of world cinema. The first edition was held in Rochester, New York in March of 2020 just before the world paused for the global pandemic. We pride ourselves in providing a platform for the voices and perspectives of independent filmmakers. Home of Eastman Kodak and nicknamed "The World's Image Center", Rochester has a long history of supporting the performing arts. It is the birthplace of numerous renowned artists including Oscar-winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow, Oscar-nominated actor Robert Forster, actress Kristen Wiig and soprano Renée Fleming. Silent film star Louise Brooks spent the last years of her life in Rochester writing her memoir, “Lulu in Hollywood.” Known for her independent spirit and displeasure with pretentiousness, she is one of the influences behind the event. The other influence is Susan B. Anthony, a women's rights activist wh

Anna Foglietta: Actress and Activist with Old School Elegance

One look at actress Anna Foglietta in her any of her roles, and the Golden Age of Italian cinema comes to mind. Among Italy’s most sought-after actresses today, Foglietta brings to the table a classic eloquence of yesterday while representing Italy’s modern woman. Born in Rome in 1979, Foglietta began her career in 2005 with a role in the RAI television series La squadra . Her character Agent Anna De Luca had a two-year run on the series as she was transitioning to cinema with Paolo Virzì’s 2006 ensemble project 4-4-2- Il gioco più bello del mondo . Since then, she has become one of Italy’s most diverse actresses, transforming herself into interesting, layered characters for comedies and dramas alike. Aside from a small part in Anton Corbijn’s 2010 film The American starring George Clooney, Foglietta’s work began reaching mainstream American audiences in 2015. As Elisa in Edoardo Leo’s 2015 comedy Noi e la Giulia , Foglietta showed her funny side playing a goofball pregn

Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni.. What cinema dreams are made of

The Toronto International Film Festival is wrapping up its retrospective of the cinematic collaboration of husband and wife team, Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni. Over the last few days, the couple have participated in discussions, Q & A sessions and have introduced several of their films. Today, I attended a screening of "La voce della luna" (The voice of the moon). It was Federico Fellini's last film and is a wonderful tribute to the director's signature poetic madness. The film gave Benigni the opportunity to team up with fellow beloved comic, Paolo Villaggio, and the two created a truly unforgettable adventure. Today's screening began with an introduction by Benigni. The moments leading up to his introduction were noticeably serious and somewhat tense. Benigni's publicist and TIFF security staunchly guarded his privacy. There was no interaction and no photos were allowed. Guided by his entourage, he walked quickly from the Green Room to th

The Comedy and Tragedy of a Neapolitan Genius

On the occasion of Italy's mega-broadcast of numerous films by its beloved, Totò, we take a look at the life and career of Napoli's comic genius. His birth name was Antonio De Curtis, but the world knows him best as Totò, the Neapolitan comedian whose distinctive face and nutty ways made him one of the most popular Italian film stars in history. Totò was born on February 15, 1898 in Rione Sanità, a poor area of Naples. As a boy, he had a passion for sports. Legend has it that a nose injury caused by a football or boxing match gave him his signature look that played a major role in the personality of his characters. In 1917, Totò started acting locally in Napoli's comedia dell'arte and wrote poetry in his dialect. In the early '20s, he headed to Rome. Upon his arrival in the Eternal City, he enjoyed performing i theaters working in "avanspettacolo," a vaudeville show that combined music, ballet and comedy. He mastered the genre and in the '30s, foun

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog