Italian Cinema Today

Photo by Siebbi His intense dramatic performances have earned him a spot as one of contemporary Italian cinema’s top leading men. Born in 1984, Luca Marinelli was no stranger to cinema when he enrolled in the Rome drama school Silvio d’Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art. His father, Eugenio Marinelli, is an actor and noted voiceover artist, having interpreted the likes of John Goodman, Gene Wilder and Ving Rhames for Italian audiences. Marinelli graduated from film school in 2009 and hit the ground running as a lead actor. His breakout role was his very first in a feature film, Saverio Costanzo’s 2010 drama “La solitudine dei numeri primi” (The Solitude of Prime Numbers). Three years later, he was named a Shooting Star at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival for his role in Paolo Virzì’s “Tutti i santi giorni” (Every Blessed Day). That same year, he had a small role as the tormented Andrea in Paolo Sorrentino’s Academy Award-winning “La grande bellezza” (The Great Beauty)...

Claudio Santamaria and his wife author/journalist Francesca Barra in Rome A recent New York Times Magazine article stated the actors belonging to the new concept of a character actor are, instead of playing types, hired for “their ability to play no type at all, to disappear into roles completely while at the same time imbuing their performances with something memorable; they are chameleons in the truest sense of that word.” This description certainly applies to Claudio Santamaria. Born in Rome in 1974, Santamaria began his acting career in 1997, quickly making a name for himself while working with the likes of Bernardo Bertolucci, Bud Spencer and Monica Bellucci. In 2001, he emerged as a major force in contemporary Italian cinema with his performance  in Gabriele Muccino’s record-breaking "l'ultimo bacio"  (The Last Kiss). As Paolo, brash Gen Xer forced to come to terms with getting older, being responsible and letting go of a lost love, he plays the leader o...

Production is underway for the first project of Lu.Ca. , the new film initiative in which the film commissions of Calabria and Basilicata have joined forces. Shooting for The Millionairs is taking place in the Pollino National Park, the largest protected area in Europe. Directed by the award-winning actor Claudio Santamaria, who is of Basilicata origin, the short film is being produced by his longtime friend and colleague,  Gabriele Mainetti , director of the award-winning, They call me Jeeg Robot . Check back here and on our Twitter page for updates on this new, exciting project.