Italian Cinema Today

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds)  takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016).  The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...

A visual love letter to the Sicilian culture and landscape, Sergio Gianfalla’s documentary “Sicily in Photographs” features images taken by a few of the island’s most renowned photographers, including Angelo Pitrone, Melania Messina and Mauro D’Agati, and the stories behind them. The film begins with the photographers talking about what initially sparked their interest in photography and then what fueled their passion to master their craft. We are then taken through the Sicilian countryside for a firsthand look at the natural landscape that has captured their intrigue through the years.   “The calling of the lens around here has been irresistible, and it seems that the landscape itself cannot help but pose,” the narrator says.   The photographers talk about Sicily’s enchantment seen through their lenses and the lenses of their colleagues and how the landscape has changed through the years. Pitrone talks about the generation of photographers that came before him, including Fran...

Matteo Troncone at the Mill Valley Film Festival Matteo Troncone's heartfelt documentary Arrangiarsi is the most refreshing contemporary film about the south to be shown in America in a very long time. Why? Because it's a film about the people of the south, the spirit of the south and the pride of the south. After one criminality film after another about the  stereotypical   southern poverty and people being abused, bullied and silenced by gangsters, finally there is a movie in which the element of organized crime takes just one segment and the people are positive in confronting it. The characters in  Arrangiarsi  are real. They are not actors reading a script. This is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to hear about the south from southerners born and raised there- southerners who did not flee. Instead, they stayed to withstand all the obstacles and challenges out of the love and loyalty they feel for their land. That is why the story is so fa...

S is for Stanley opens in New York today. If there ever was a must-see documentary film, this is it.  S is for Stanley, the 2016 David di Donatello winner for Best Documentary ,  is an intimate story of friendship. It’s the story of the Italian behind the genius of Stanley Kubrick. Without giving the captivating twists and turns of the film away, director Alex Infascelli introduces Emilio D’Alessandro as a young Italian who moves to London to his life-changing introduction to Stanely Kubrick and then the lifetime of working as Kubrick’s right hand man from giving his opinions about actors (was not of fan of Jack Nicholson) to returning a jacket with a broken zipper to feeding the zoo of stray animals on Kubrick’s property to making a cameo role in the last film that Kubrick would make. If you are familiar with Kubrick’s work, this is a fascinating account of how his films came together. If you are not familiar with his work, this is a moving story of fri...

Gianfranco Rosi's acclaimed documentary "Fuocoammare" (Fire at Sea) will be released in the United States on October 21.  The film, which won the prestigious Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, provides a poignant exploration of the European migrant crisis through the eyes of 12-year-old Samuele. Living on the island of Lampedusa, Samuele's daily life consists of school, slingshot shooting, and hunting. Despite his seemingly ordinary activities, he is surrounded by the sea and the harrowing stories of countless migrants who risk their lives to reach the island. Lampedusa has become a symbolic border of Europe, traversed by thousands of migrants over the past two decades in their quest for freedom. The documentary captures the stark contrast between Samuele's childhood innocence and the grave realities faced by those seeking refuge. The U.S. dates are as follows: New York Film Festival New York NY October 7 - October 8, 2016 Chicago Film Festival October 2...

This morning, the winners of the Nastri d’Argento for Best Documentary were announced. Among the winners is Antonietta De Lillo, a director I’ve admired for years. I first saw her work at the 2005 edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, an annual film series held at Lincoln Center, which showcases contemporary Italian films. There, she presented “Il resto di niente”, a beautiful story about courage and determination set in the 17 th century, adapted from Enzo Striano’s novel. Her latest film, the documentary “Oggi, insieme domani” (OIDA or in English- Today Tomorrow Together) is a film which speaks to the complexities of love and relationships in this day and age, and the current social revolution happening in Italy- in particular with same-sex marriage. I asked De Lillo a few questions about the making of this film and the current situation of modern love in her country. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included. What inspired you to create this proje...