Italian Cinema Today

An Italian box office hit and winner of six David di Donatello awards, “C'è ancora domani” (“There’s Still Tomorrow”) is actress Paola Cortellesi ’s highly regarded directorial debut. Set in the aftermath of World War II, the film paints a vivid portrait of post-war Rome, where liberation contrasts with lingering hardship.   Cortellesi stars as Delia, a woman who lives within the strict confines of her role as wife and mother, dominated by her overbearing, abusive husband, Ivano ( Valerio Mastandrea ), and his demanding, bedridden father (Giorgio Colangeli). Her greatest hope rests on her daughter, Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano), whose engagement to the respectable Giulio (Francesco Centorame) seems, at first, like a possible escape from the cycle of female submission that comes with being on the brink of poverty. The story takes an emotional turn when a mysterious letter awakens Delia’s long-suppressed courage, pushing her to question the so-called traditional (gender) roles t...

A wildly successful Christmastime film, earning over $8 million at the box office when it premiered in 2018, "La befana vien di notte" (“The Legend of the Christmas Witch”) is a wholesome holiday comedy that the whole family can watch. Directed by Michele Soavi, the film stars two of Italy's most diverse contemporary actors, Paola Cortellesi and Stefano Fresi, as gift-giving foes. Paola (Cortellesi) is a grammar schoolteacher by day, but at night, she turns into La Befana, the Christmas witch, a mystical being who brings gifts to the good kids and coal to the naughty ones.   On one of her Befana nights, she was attacked by a dog that tore her Befana gift list. When she returned home from a night of riding on her broomstick, delivering gifts to children all over the world, she realized that she had forgotten one child. When she discovered the torn-up list, she figured out who the child was, got back on her broom, and headed straight to his house. Having arrived late, the b...

Last Sunday we launched the eighth edition of our winter series Cinema & Cibo with an update from our first edition in 2014, a film shown that year at the Berlin Film Fest that has recently been made available online by Cineteca di Bologna. Click here for the story.  In this week’s edition,  a fun, quick recipe for a classic Roman dish and some recollections of the great Roman actor  Alberto Sordi . This interview took place in the mid-late 1990s. In this clip, he talks about how he and his actor friends didn’t have much money in the early days, so they just ate once a day and it was always prior to a performance to build up strength. During the interview, the host was insisting on talking about the beautiful women with whom he shared the screen and he seemed bashful about it, almost uncomfortable, saying that he never kissed on-screen and wouldn’t divulge the off-screen romances of his youth. Although he seems a little tired, I enjoyed this interview because his sub...

Today is the last day of Cinema Italian Style’s virtual film festival. Having already seen several of the films in other virtual festivals this year, there were just four left to see. I had a feeling that Francesco Bruni’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” was going to be heavy on the emotions, so I kept putting it off. Then today I watched it and wow, what a masterpiece.  Bruni’s writing and direction brought to life this heart-wrenching story of a guy in his mid-40s diagnosed with leukemia and his journey with treatment. When you cry during the first five minutes of a film, you know you’re going to be emotionally invested. But I also laughed as much as I cried, thanks to Bruni’s sense of humor and sharp writing skills. The film’s perfect casting drove the story home. Kim Rossi Stuart in the lead role was at times unrecognizable as his character, Bruno, was undergoing treatment. He’s one of contemporary Italian cinema’s treasures. I remember seeing him in the Taviani Brothers’ 2015 ...

I've been seeing so many posters on social media promoting Giuseppe Bonito's new film Figli (Children), which will open in Italy on January 23. The film stars two of my personal favorites, Paola Cortellesi as Sara and Valerio Mastandrea as Nicola, a happily married couple with a 6-year-old girl daughter, Anna. The arrival of their second child, Pietro, upsets the balance of the whole family, giving rise to hilariously tragic situations. Extravagant grandparents, friends on the verge of nervous breakdowns, and unlikely babysitters will not help them. Between moments of happiness and situations of despair, Sara and Nicola do all they can to cope and stay together. The release of the film will undoubtedly be a bittersweet experience for the cast and crew because the writer, Mattia Torre, passed away after losing his battle with cancer in July of last year at the age of 47. In a director's note, Bonito stated that he feels Figli is a film by Torre because he didn't s...

Whether she’s the romantic lead or the evil nun, Paola Cortellesi is one of the most versatile actresses working in Italian cinema today. Born in Rome in 1973, Cortellesi didn’t waste much time before leaping into show business. At just 13-years-old, she landed her first job as a vocalist for the theme song of the popular RAI TV show, “Indietro tutta!”. A few years later, she enrolled at Rome’s famous Teatro Blu, where she studied the art of acting. Upon graduating from acting school, Cortellesi launched her professional acting career in television, and before long, her natural talent for comedy emerged. In 2000, she began working on the TV show, Mai dire Gol , created by the trio of TV and radio commentators known as the Gialappa's Band. The show made her famous for her parodies, and throughout the years, she’s had fun impersonating a number of famous Italians, the more recent hilarious parody being the mayor of Milan, the very prolific politician and business woman, Leti...

On Day 2 of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we take a look at the career of film director, Maria Sole Tognazzi. Born in 1971, Tognazzi is no stranger to the entertainment industry. Her father is the legendary comedy actor, Ugo Tognazzi, who was one of the most prominent players in the Commedia all'Italiana genre of Italian cinema. Maria Sole Tognazzi is the youngest of four children and took a slightly different path than her siblings. Unlike her brothers, Gianmarco and Ricky, who are both successful actors in Italy, Maria prefers to stay behind the camera.   She started her career by working as an assistant director, and made a series of video clips that poised her for the debut of her first short film in the late 90's, Non finisce qui .  Her follow up to that film, C'ero anch'io set the foundation for her first feature-length film, the e...