Italian Cinema Today

Letizia Lamartine's  Saremo giovani e bellissimi The Venice International Film Critics’ Week (SIC) is an independent and parallel section organized by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) during the 75th Venice International Film Festival (29th August – 8th September, 2018).  The program will open with  Toni D'Angelo's short film  Nessuno è innocente  starring Salvatore Esposito,  and will include a selection of seven debut films in competition and two special events out of competition, all presented in world premiere screenings. The selection is curated by the General Delegate of the Venice Critics’ Week Giona A. Nazzaro together with the members of the selection committee Luigi Abiusi, Alberto Anile, Beatrice Fiorentino and Massimo Tria. The 2018 official selection includes: Competition A kasha / The Roundup by Hajooj Kuka (Sudan, South Africa, Qatar, Germany) Adam und Evelyn / Adam & Evelyn by Andreas Goldstein...

 Toni D'Angelo and his wife (center) with members of the cast and crew of Filmstudio, mon Amour In his latest film, which premiered at this year's Festa del Cinema in Rome , filmmaker Toni D'Angelo documents the history of Rome's legendary movie theater, Filmstudio. Filmstudio, mon Amour reconstructs nearly half a century of the first Italian film club- from 1967 to today. D'Angelo explores not only the evolution of this iconic Roman landmark with all the film movements that took place within its walls, he also explores the evolution of cinema itself and the way in which we see it today. "The post-theatrical era has begun, meaning the era after cinematography," declares Bernardo Bertolucci. The documentary is filled with the perspectives of interesting people like Bertolucci, Nanni Moretti, Vittorio Taviani, Carlo Verdone and Wim Wenders- who were all there when its doors opened in 1967 and lived through its many phases.  Armando Leone and C...

Born in Naples in 1958, Riccardo Zinna truly is a jack of all trades. He's a natural born artist who does it all.   He's an actor, musician and visual artist with no formal training.   Yet, he has risen to the top of his game in each of his artistic fields. He credits his mother's passion for life and her support and confidence in him to live his life freely and do what makes him happy.   Zinna is best known in Italy as a television and film star. He has done many supporting roles in high profile films such as Gabriele Salvatores ' thriller, Io non ho paura and Nanni Morretti's , Caro diario . However, he’s proven that he can carry the lead role as well. He did so with great success in Toni D'Angelo's 2008 breakout hit, Una Notte . The story centers on a group of old friends who were brought together by the sudden death of one of their comrades. Zinna takes on the role of a musician who gave up on his dream for a more realistic career in finance. He ...

Promoting new Italian cinema; that is the mission of the N.I.C.E. Film Festival (New Italian Cinema Events) and organizers choose cutting edge filmmakers who tell powerful stories about the issues facing their generation. The N.I.C.E. Film Festival takes place on both coasts of the United States with screenings in New York City and San Francisco. I attended the 18th edition in New York City a few years back when among the new crop of filmmakers was Toni D'Angelo. Toni is no stranger to my readers. I first wrote about him way back in 2005 when he was in the very early stages of planning his first feature film.   One can say that he was just following in the footsteps of iconic father, the beloved Neapolitan singer and actor, Nino D'Angelo.   Toni called on his father's experience as an actor by casting him in his first feature film. The two proved to be a great team as they delivered a touching portrait of Naples with its beauty, its problems and its rich history. ...

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...