Italian Cinema Today

The official lineup has not yet been released. However, according the film's creators, Maria , starring actress Anna Ferruzzo, has been chosen for the 59th annual Rochester International Film Festival . Originally named the Shoestring Festival, the program features short films from all over the world. I've attended this festival many times and the films are truly spectacular. In past editions, many were the final projects made by students of renowned film schools such as USC and UCLA. I am looking forward to seeing this much-talked about Italian short and seeing one of my favorite actress on the big screen in my hometown of Rochester, New York. With Anna Ferruzzo at the 2016 Rome Fiction Fest The festival runs April 20-22. In the meantime, check out my interview with Anna Ferruzzo  and watch the trailer..

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 ...

Interview: Vito Facciolla - "Pasquale" Today is the day that we Italian cinema aficionados have been waiting for: Anime nere (Black Souls) officially opens on this side of the Atlantic. We meet Pasquale in the opening moments of Anime nere and he stays with us during the duration of the film, giving support and a bit of comedy relief to the characters as well as the audience as we all watch and digest the painful tones of  the story. Vito Facciolla is a Pugliese-born character actor with a wicked sense of humor and impeccable comic timing. He's appeared in a number of Italian films including, Kim Rossi Stuart's, Angel of Evil . However, it seems that Facciolla is really starting to hit his stride. He had a a key role in Ricky Tognazzi's recent RAI television movie, Pietro Mennea - La Freccia del Sud   and is experiencing international stardom with the success of Francesco Munzi's Anime nere . We have much more to discover about Vito Facciolla, b...

Contemporary Italian cinema is gaining more momentum worldwide with each passing year. When I began writing for Fra Noi back in 2004, I could count on one hand the contemporary Italian film festivals held in America. Fast forward to 2015, and there are dozens of film series and festivals across the United States that showcase the newest trends in Italian cinema and culture. The popularity of all those series and festivals is grabbing the attention of film distributors, leading them to discover how much Americans really enjoy a good Italian movie. Francesco Munzi’s   Anime nere (Black Souls) is the latest example of this momentum. The film gained international acclaim when it premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, and it is now making its way across the film festival circuit in America before its   nationwide release begins on April 10th by Rialto distribution company.   Black Souls (Anime nere) is an unprecedentedly authentic depiction of the Calabrian crim...