Skip to main content

Open Roads: New Italian Cinema 2018 Edition

Boys Cry
Since the early 2000's, I've always looked forward to the month of June because of the remarkable selection of contemporary Italian films shown in New York at Lincoln Center's annual series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema


This year's diverse lineup, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà, includes the Berlin Film Festival sleeper hit by the D’Innocenzo brothers, Boys Cry, the story of two best friends who get in over their heads with organized crime;  Innovative director Fulvio Risuleo's Look Up; Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s second feature, Sicilian Ghost Story; Sergio Castellitto’s emotionally-driven Fortunata, with Jasmine Trinca, who won the Un Certain Regard Best Actress prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival; and three works by returning Open Roads filmmakers: Marco Tullio Giordana’s Name of a Woman, Ferzan Ozpetek’s Naples in Veils, starring the talented Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Alessandro Borghi, Francesca Comencini's Locarno hit Stories of Love That Cannot Belong to This World and Paolo Genovese's star-studded The Place.


Naples in Veils
The Taviani Brothers' new film Rainbow: A Private Affair, which is also their last together as Vittorio passed away in April, will be paired with a special screening of their 1983 classic, The Night of the Shooting Stars.

Rainbow: A Private Affair
Since its first edition back in 2000, Open Roads has been known for its compelling Q&A's with directors and actors behind the contemporary masterpieces, and the 2018 edition is no different with an impressive list of filmmakers slated to be in attendance:


Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza to present Sicilian Ghost Story on Opening Night
Giorgio Ferrero to present the documentary Beautiful Things
Damiano & Fabio D’Innocenzo to present Boy's Cry
Silvia Luzi & Luca Bellino to present Crater
Francesco Patierno to present Diva!
Vincenzo Marra to present Equilibrium
Marco Tullio Giordana to present Nome di donna
Ferzan Ozpetek to present Naples in Veils
Paolo Genovese to present The Place
Roberto De Paolis to present Pure Hearts
Lucia Mancino to present Stories of Love That Cannot Belong to This World 


The Place
The 18th edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema will be held at Lincoln Center in New York May 31 - June 6 and will be followed by Visconti,a special retrospective dedicated to a great maestro of Italian cinema, Luchino Visconti.


Stories of Love That Cannot Belong to This World

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait  “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann.  Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds)  takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016).  The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...

Iconic scenes from 'Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina' highlight Italy's North-South divide

If you’re in the mood for a quintessential old-school Italian comedy, look no further than “Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina.” Directed in the mid-1950s by Camillo Mastrocinque, the film has stood the test of time. Starring two of Italy’s most beloved comic actors, Totò (Antonio De Curtis) and Peppino De Filippo, it is widely regarded as one of the country’s most iconic comedies, showcasing mid-century Neapolitan humor. The film also features a young Nino Manfredi at the beginning of his prolific six-decade career. “Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina” is the story of two simple, old-fashioned brothers from Naples, Antonio and Peppino Caponi (Totò and De Filippo respectively), who embark on a trip up north to check on their young nephew Gianni. Gianni has moved to Milan and fallen for a seductive nightclub dancer named Marisa (Maria Luisa Mangini, aka Dorian Gray), whom they refer to as a “malafemmina,” meaning a “bad woman” or femme fatale. Believing she is corrupting him, Totò and Peppino ...

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 ...