Italian Cinema Today

Photo by John de Mirjian A new documentary that sheds light on a comic strip character that has become legendary is about to premiere at the 75th Venice Film Festival. Giancarlo Soldi's  Cercando Valentina  is the story of artist Guido Crepax's sensual, iconic character "Valentina". Here is a look at the actress who inspired her. Louise Brooks Black and white photographs of the silent film era preserve mystery and nostalgia from days gone by. Silent film star, Louise Brooks is often at the center of those fascinating portraits. Famous for her bob hairstyle and iconic flapper costumes, her influence and legacy reaches far beyond American shores. “Louise Brooks is my favorite actress,” revealed Italian director Marco Tullio Giordana when we spoke with him at the 2018 edition of Lincoln Center’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. “When I saw G. W. Pabst’s Lulù and then Augusto Genina’s Prix de Beauté (Miss Europe) with this extraordinary American actress, I fell madly...

If you’re an aficionado of international cinema, then chances are you have seen the films of Marco Tullio Giordana. His work is not for the faint of heart. It is dramatic, in your face and often reflects the brutality of society and the prices one must pay to hold on to his or her values. Giordana’s most successful films outside Italy are One Hundred Steps (I cento passi) and The Best of Youth (La meglio gioventù). One Hundred Steps is the true story of Peppino Impastato, a Sicilian activist who spoke out against the mafia. He paid the ultimate price for his activism and to this day, is regarded as a beloved hero among Sicilians. The Best of Youth was originally a television mini-series but was so well-received, it was edited down to six hours for a theatrical release. Not many films could hold an audience for six hours, but I saw the film in a regular theater in upstate New York, not at a film festival, and people were laughing, crying and enjoying the emotional rollercoaste...

Her girl-next-door looks got her discovered when she was just a teenager. Fifteen years later, she's one of Italy's top dramatic actresses. Born and raised in Rome, Jasmine Trinca  never had intentions of becoming an actress, but she was discovered by a talent scout and fate took over. Trinca's first role was in Nanni Moretti's 2001 drama, La stanza del figlio (The Son's Room.) It's the tragic story of how parents deal with the death of a child. Trinca portrays the role of Irene, the sister of the character who dies in a swimming accident.   Trinca was just a teenager when she appeared in this film, but her performance was strong as she shared scenes with cinema veterans Laura Morante and Nanni Moretti. Her performance earned her the prestigious Guglielmo Biraghi prize as best new talent of the year. For as much success as she had in that film, she thought her career would end there.  It was only after director Marco Tullio Giordana off...

When most Americans think of the m afia, images of stereotypical figures like those we often see on television and in the movies come to mind.  However, those images are far from the  everyday  reality  that  Italians, Sicilians in particular , have endured  for decades.  Unprecedented violence, which plagued the streets of Palermo during the ' 80s and '90s led to a groundbreaking anti-mafia movement .  From  national  activists like Rita  Borsellino,  who  lost her  brother,   Paolo  Borsellino ,  to  a  1992  car bombing to journalist  Roberto  Saviano , whose writings have exposed the organized crime ring,  Camorra,  Italians  are slowly but surely reclaiming their cities . Italy’s filmmakers are reflectin g  this anti-mafia movement in their work and sending a message to criminals and to those who stereotype Italians as having to do with the M...