Italian Cinema Today

Through a series of stunning short films made for various Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaigns, Italian filmmaker and photographer Pepe Russo is showing the world the mystic beauty of the beloved city in which he was raised.  Born in 1977 in the fabled metropolis of Naples, Pepe Russo is the creative force behind some of Dolce & Gabbana’s most beautiful and poetic ad campaigns. The collaboration came about after Russo was discovered by Dolce & Gabbana co-founder Stefano Gabbana who ran across the young filmmaker’s projects on Instagram. Gabbana asked him to create something similar for his company that would “explain the DNA of their brand.” Up to that point, the campaigns had been shot mainly in Domenico Dolce’s home region of Sicily using high-profile filmmakers like Guiseppe Tornatore,   Martin Scorsese, Paolo Sorrentino and Monica Bellucci. Russo was thrilled and went right to work on his first project, which turned out to be a love story shot in blac...

Last week, "Milionari" opened in theaters across Italy. Inspired by one of the Camorra's most  notorious Neapolitan crime bosses, the film is an action-packed, emotionally-charged drama, which offers a glimpse into the life of an infamous gangster and the trauma one woman endured as she stood by the man she loved. I talked with actress Valentina Lodovini about her role portraying that fascinating woman, Rosaria. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included. Tell me about your character. Rosaria is a woman, not a criminal. She has nothing to do with the business or power of the Camorra. She has just fallen in love with a man who is a criminal. My character, otherwise, is just one aspect of organized crime. We call this the Omertà, which describes a person who does not complain about the injustices that lie before him or her. It is someone that prefers not to know and not to ask questions.    Raccontami ...

Toni Servillo in a scene from "La Grande Bellezza" Italy's Oscar entry has made the short list. Paolo Sorrentino's "La Grande Bellezza" (The Great Beauty) which stars the director's top actor, Toni Servillo, was a huge hit in Italy and is gaining momentum for a coveted nomination in the category for Best Foreign Film.   The film's A-list cast which also features Rome natives, Carlo Verdone and Sabrina Ferilli, tells the story of the Roman club underworld. Toni Servillo takes the lead role of Jep Gambardella, an uninspired writer who recounts his days as a young spectator who became seduced and intoxicated with power, finding himself caught in a web of superficiality, disillusionment and corruption. Sorrentino described "La Grande Bellezza" as "a film which probes the contradictions, the beauties, the scenes I have witnessed and the people I’ve met in Rome; a wonderful city, soothing yet at the same time full of hidden dangers....

Looking back at one of my favorite film festival experiences, I remember the 2008 Rome Film Festival and the film I enjoyed the most- the sleeper hit of the festival, a small film made by young director, Toni D'Angelo, called " Una notte ." The story follows five Neapolitan friends reunited after a tragic accident takes the life of another belonging to the group. It's a beautiful, character-driven story that focuses on these successful and not so successful adults who look back on their lives and choices.   I talked with one of the stars of "Una notte," Luigi Iacuzio. He was born in Rome, and grew up in Naples. He knew at a very young age that he wanted to have a career in the performing arts. Now in his early 40’s, he is a classically trained actor with a wide-range of training in theater, dance, singing and acting for film. He has studied his art in schools all over Italy including the University of Calabria, Teatro Bellini in Naples and Centro Intern...