Italian Cinema Today

Whether she’s playing a devoted mother, a biblical figure or a tough but kind hotel manager, Sabrina Impacciatore escapes into the lives and minds of her characters so completely that she often believes she has become them. Impacciatore had wanted to be an actor since she was just 4 years old, but she grew up insecure about her looks and abilities so she pursued a degree in marketing and advertising instead. Unable to shake her childhood dream, she took up acting as a hobby, which led her to write for television. When she presented one of her scripts, she was asked to audition for it. Setting aside her fears, she gave it a shot, landing that role and many others to follow. Her sense of humor made her a natural for TV comedies. Legendary director Ettore Scola cast her in her first feature film, opposite Gérard Depardieu, in the 2000 drama “Concorrenza sleale” (Unfair Competition). Her emotionally charged breakout performance came a year later as Livia in Gabriele Muccino’s internationa...

Cinema history is about to be made at the 73rd edition of the Venice FilmFestival coming up in September. The festival just announced the world premiere screening, in a special 40-minute preview, of “Jesus VR - The Story of Christ”, the first Virtual Reality feature-length film ever made. The 90-minute film covers all of Jesus’s life and death, from his baptism to the Last Supper to his crucifixion. Shot in Basilicata’s ancient Sassi district of Matera, the film will be released to the public in December on all major mobile and premium VR platforms. “I am beyond thrilled to be a part of this groundbreaking project. It’s as exciting a take on the story of Christ as I’ve ever seen and its production values will absolutely set a new benchmark for virtual reality,” said executive producer Enzo Sisti in a statement about the film. Sisti worked on Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” , which was also filmed in Matera. “The viewers truly feel they are there with Jes...

The people of Basilicata, Lucani, possess many admirable qualities like strength, integrity, and creativity. However, the quality I admire most is their sense of humor. For years, their region has been the subject of unfounded criticism. In one recent article, a Rome-based foreign journalist described the region as “dying mountain towns.” Since Matera was named the 2019 European Capital of Culture just over a year ago, travel agencies worldwide have designed tours, bringing thousands upon thousands to see the Sassi of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Throughout the years, Hollywood and Cinecittà have transformed this so-called dying region into movie sets for films like "The Passion of the Christ," "Ben Hur," and Edoardo Leo’s award-winning "Noi e La Giulia."   Matera The Lucani have thick skin and usually laugh off empty criticism. However, they have been facing a serious issue for the past couple of years.  A 2014 report released by th...

  Photo by Rossella Vetrano On Day 6 of our series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we talk with actress Sabrina Impacciatore about the diversity of her roles. Whether she's playing a devoted mother trying to protect her child, Jesus Christ's "Veronica" in Mel Gibson's controversial film, "Passion of the Christ" or a young woman coming of age, Impacciatore escapes into the life and mind of each character she takes on, sometimes so deeply that she believes she is actually them.   It's a fine line between reality and fiction, but she treads it carefully and anyone watching her performance benefits from her emotional connection to the character that she becomes. I spoke with Impacciatore at the 2010 Open Roads: New Italian Film series in New York City. We talked about her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. She also gave me some insight into the diff...

She is a stunning Italian superstar who sings, dances and acts.   But this triple threat is a self proclaimed tomboy at heart and enjoyed a simple, normal life growing up in the suburbs of Rome. Claudia Gerini always had a desire to be in front of the camera, and knew that one day her dream would come true. That confidence along with the support of her family led her down a path that has made her a household name in Italy. Gerini launched her career as a showgirl before landing her first television and movie roles. Every star has a breakout role, and for Gerini that role was in Carlo Verdone 's 1995 comedy, "Viaggi di nozze" (Honeymoon). The film was released at Christmastime in Italy and catapulted her to fame. Verdone was so taken with Gerini's talent, that he invited her not long afterward to team up with him again in "Sono pazzo di Iris Blond" (Iris Blond). The follow up film proved to be another blockbuster establishing Gerini as an actress ...