Italian Cinema Today

The Academy Award-winning director has just published a book of portraits of 23 people he finds intriguing. Among those people is a lounge singer, a mafia boss and a scientist. The book is available through the Italian publisher Mondadori. 

From the opening night film to various presentations, this year's Roma Fiction Fest is shaping up to be a must-attend event. In Arte Nino  starring Elio Germano will open the festival on Wednesday. The film chronicles the life of Italy's beloved iconic actor Nino Manfredi. Directed by his son, Luca Manfredi, the entire cast, which includes one of my favorite contemporary Italian actresses, Anna Ferruzzo , will walk the Red Carpet and attend the Wednesday premiere. Among the fabulous events are a Friday discussion with the crew of The Young Pope with various garments and costumes on display. Saturday, actor extraordinaire  Marco Giallini will discuss his hit RAI television series, Rocco Schiavone . The festival runs December 7 - 11, with the screenings will held in the various theaters at The Space Cinema Moderno di Roma, which is located at Piazza della Repubblica. If you are in Rome and a cinema aficionado like me, I highly recommend checking out a few of these

In nome del popolo Italiano (In the Name of the Italian People) It's great to see the beautiful classic cinema of yesterday still relevant and being shown to new audiences across the globe. Last month, I saw Fabrizio Corallo's captivating documentary film, Dino Risi Forever  at the Rome Film Festival. Now, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City is set to host a three-week retrospective of the Italian maestro's work. The retrospective is the product of a collaboration with Luce Cinecittà, Rome, and will open with the new 4K restoration of his beloved 1961 hit Il sorpasso ( The Easy Life ) . According to MOMA's website, the retrospective will feature newly restored 35mm prints of 14 other Dino Risi films, including  Belle ma povere  (1957),  The Widower  (1959), and  Scent of a Woman  (1974). Additionally, the retrospective will premiere recently rediscovered documentaries that he made in the wake of World War II. The films are Neorealist portraits of life on st