Transforming Childhood Memories into a Filmmaking Career

Manuela Filomena was born in a small town in Irpinia called Ariano Irpino, located in the region of Campania. Her bringing up contributed to her choice of professions. “Like most Italian families, Sunday has always been a holiday to share with grandparents, aunts and uncles. Perhaps hearing their stories, sharing the work week, and exchanging ideas unknowingly fed my imagination and pleasure in storytelling,” she told me in a recent interview.

That pursuit led her down a long and varied path of international education, which began in England at Loughborough University where she studied art and design. During those years, she took film classes and discovered that editing was the part of the process she enjoyed most. She also developed an interest in writing. Her final project was a short film on environmental issues called “ A prayer for Earth,” which was shown at the university.

While pursuing an M.A. in film and television at the University of Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples, Fiolmena reached an academic and professional turning point. She was mentored in theoretical and practical filmmaking, which gave her the chance to hone her skills in shooting, editing and post-production while deepening her understanding of the creative process of storytelling.

“My final project, a short film “Goodbye Agnes,” was supervised by the Italian documentary film director Gianfranco Pannone who taught me to see the innate cinematic elements of daily life,” she explains. The film premiered at the 2018 Med Film Festival in Rome. It was awarded Best Editing at the Las Vegas International Film Festival and received the Award of Commendation at the Canada Short Film Festival.

The enchanting 13-minute film follows Enzo, a young man who does something special for Agnes, a young pharmacy worker for whom he is developing feelings. This act of kindness requires a bit of mischief, which, in turn, gets him into trouble with the authorities. But his benign intent and sincerity not only move Agnes, they inspire the investigator assigned to his case.

A Scene from “Goodbye Agnes”

Featuring panoramic vistas, inviting shots of the charming towns and warm, nostalgic light, “Goodbye Agnes” was shot between Filomena’s hometown of Ariano Irpino and nearby Trevico. “The idea came from a narrative challenge. Gianfranco Pannone had asked me to make as a final project, a short film whose theme was the sea,” she explains. She went on to say, “I reasoned with the idea that the sea could represent the place to be reached, the desire of the two protagonists and therefore not show it visually (as a directorial choice) and sew a story that could tell of the moment when the protagonist decides to invite the young woman for a trip out of town.”

Filomena is currently a Ph.D. candidate in comparative studies at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). During her first semester, she organized the second edition of the Italian American Film Festival held annually as a supplement to an Italian course taught by Dr. Ilaria Serra. “The theme of identity was an element that united the three films of this edition,” Filomena recalled. “During the course Italian America: Translating Identities, I studied the phenomenon of Italian immigration to the United States between 1880 and 1920, which led to the consequent creation of an Italian-American identity.”

Filomena finds her Ph.D candidacy a challenging and stimulating path. “Studying for me has always been a sort of therapy. The possibility of bringing stories to the big screen is not only a desire but also a way to express my point of view, how I see the world, how I see myself in others.” she said. She wants to dedicate her research to examining the intergenerational, female centered conflicts, giving space and voice to otherwise marginalized debates about women's issues. “I would like to investigate the similarities between the individuals (mainly women) across cultures but also aspirations and dilemmas, showing women not as isolated individuals but as socially located within the wider family and community."

Several of Filomena’s projects are available on her Vimeo channel, including her short film, “Goodbye Agnes.” Go to https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/llcl/italian/italian-film-festival/ to check out FAU’s Italian American Film Festival.

-Written by Jeannine Guilyard for the September 2021 issue of Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Comments

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 ...

Ornella Muti: Four decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with La Moglie più bella (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, Sole nella pelle (Sun on the Skin) in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies with the political climate, the breathtaking seaside as well as the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and succeeds in capturing the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with Flash Gordon . She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including, Oscar , which was directed by John Landis and featured Don Ameche, Chaz Palminteri, and...

Cineuropa's Interview with Michele Placido

It was announced this week that Michele Placido's new film, "7 minuti" will be shown at this year's Rome Film Festival. 11 amazing actresses women star in "7 minuti" by Michele Placido , a drama co-produced by Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland and being distributed by German company Koch Media. The cast features Cristiana Capotondi , Ambra Angiolini , Fiorella Mannoia , Maria Nazionale , Ottavia Piccolo , Violante Placido , Sabine Timoteo , Anne Consigny , Mimma Lovoi and Clémence Poésy . The film is based on the play of the same name by Stefano Massini, who wrote the screenplay with Placido, and is the story of 11 women, a mixture of manual labourers and office workers, who are called to the negotiation table when the owners of the textiles company they work for sell the majority of their shares to a multinational. In a short space of time they must decide, for themselves and on the behalf of their fellow colleagues, whether to accept the...

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 ...

A Conversation with Actor- Luca Calvani from Warner Bros. Upcoming Release "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

The cast and filmmakers of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in Rome A few years ago, I interviewed actor, Luca Calvani on the occasion of his U.S. release, When in Rome . Today, we are revisiting our conversation as he is promoting his much anticipated spy thriller, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the all-star cast includes Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant. Based on the television series by Sam Rolfe, the story is set in the 1960's and follows CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin as they participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons. The U.S. release date is set for August 14, but the cast recently did some press for the film in the Eternal City, where much of it was shot. Luca Calvani Born in Tuscany, Calvani has traveled the world following his career. He began working as a model in the 1990's...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog