7 Days - 7 Women: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

On Day 5 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 actress and director, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is a familiar face and respected actress in Italy. Until now, Americans haven't had the chance to see her work. But the tides are changing and Bruni Tedeschi is slowly but surely making her way to North American shores.

Born in Torino in 1964, Bruni Tedeschi comes from a talented, affluent family. Her sister is the model, actress, singer and former first lady of France, Carla Bruni. Her mother, Marisa Borini is a concert pianist and her father, Alberto Bruni Tedeschi is a classical composer, while her grandfather, Virginio Bruni Tedeschi, founded the giant Italian tire manufacturing company CEAT in the 1920's. Bruni Tedeschi left Torino at a young age and grew up in France. Her family left Italy in the 70's to escape the kidnapping threat during that the time by the Red Brigades. The kidnappings were actually the subject of Gabriele Salvatores 2003 film, Io non ho paura (I'm Not Scared) in which the child of a wealthy Northern family was abducted and hidden in the south until his family paid a hefty ransom.

Read my profile on Carla Bruni

Bruni Tedeschi has worked on both sides of the camera, as an actress and as a director. She is very private about her personal life and has been known to get up and walk out of an interview if a journalist pursues questions unrelated to the current movie she is promoting. However that tone seemed to change with her 2007 film, A Castle in Italy. The story is a personal tale which recounts difficult moments in her life, including her devoted relationship to her brother, who passed away in 2006 from complications associated with AIDS, her own struggles in wanting a child but being unable to conceive, giving up the last memory of her deceased father and the pressure of her family's wealth, especially when things aren't always what they seem. The film won awards at film festivals all over the world, including the Prix Spécial du Jury at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Read about her directorial effort that screened in New York

A scene from "Il capitale umano"

Speaking of competition, this year she has another film in competition, perhaps the biggest competition of all: the Oscar. Her latest blockbuster, Paolo Virzì’s Il capitale umano (Human Capital) is Italy's submission for the Academy Awards, and premiered to a sold-out theater earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. Hailed by critics, the film spotlights the contemporary Italian family and the emphasis on social status and net worth. Based on Stephen Amidon’s novel, the story follows two families whose lives are intertwined by an automobile accident. The film earned honors in the festival's World Narrative Competition with top prize for Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film going to Bruni Tedeschi for her portrayal of Carla Bernaschi. Il capitale umano has had a whirlwind of international distribution and is currently making its way through film festivals throughout the world.

A scene from Viva la libertà

Her 2013 film, Viva la libertà has just been distributed in the United States. The comedy/drama directed by Roberto Andò stars Toni Servillo of Oscar Winner, The Great Beauty. It's a thought-provoking film with great dialogue and comedy. It will make you laugh one minute and reflect on your life the next. Bruni Tedeschi plays the role of an ex-love that offers the lead character refuge from the pressure of a public political campaign. It's a beautiful tale bringing together the past and the present. The unofficial North American premier took place in June at Lincoln Center's annual film series Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. It was a crowd-pleaser, and Roberto Andò was on hand for a Q&A session after the film. It has won a bunch of awards including the Nastro d'Argento and the David di Donatello for Best Script and the David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actor, Valerio Mastandrea.

Check out my interview with Valerio Mastandrea

Bruni Tedeschi is known for her raw, passionate style of acting. That's what makes her a hit in both Italy and France. Her dramatic roles are unique to the French because their style of acting is more refined than that of the Italians. She goes back and forth between French and Italian productions and has won awards for her work in both countries.

7 days, 7 women
Veronica De Laurentiis
Gina Lollobrigida
Vicki Vasilopoulos
Maria Sole Tognazzi
Antonella Cappuccio
Sabrina Impacciatore

Comments

Anna Foglietta: Actress and Activist with Old School Elegance

One look at actress Anna Foglietta in her any of her roles, and the Golden Age of Italian cinema comes to mind. Among Italy’s most sought-after actresses today, Foglietta brings to the table a classic eloquence of yesterday while representing Italy’s modern woman. Born in Rome in 1979, Foglietta began her career in 2005 with a role in the RAI television series La squadra . Her character Agent Anna De Luca had a two-year run on the series as she was transitioning to cinema with Paolo Virzì’s 2006 ensemble project 4-4-2- Il gioco più bello del mondo . Since then, she has become one of Italy’s most diverse actresses, transforming herself into interesting, layered characters for comedies and dramas alike. Aside from a small part in Anton Corbijn’s 2010 film The American starring George Clooney, Foglietta’s work began reaching mainstream American audiences in 2015. As Elisa in Edoardo Leo’s 2015 comedy Noi e la Giulia , Foglietta showed her funny side playing a goofball pregn...

Director Gianni Di Gregorio explores relationships in later life with 'Never Too Late for Love'

In “Astolfo” (“Never Too Late for Love”), director Gianni Di Gregorio delivers a coming-of-age film for the golden years of life about a retired professor who leaves Rome to return to a tiny mountain village in Abruzzo. The film opens with the title character, played by Di Gregorio, walking through the streets of his Roman neighborhood, groceries in hand, only to find his landlord waiting for him when he arrives home. She is there to announce that he will have to vacate his humble residence to make way for her daughter, who is getting married soon. After some contemplation, he calls his ex-wife to ask her about an old family castle he split with her in their divorce. When she confirms that a portion of the castle is his for the taking, he gleefully returns to his spacious new home only to discover it has been occupied by a squatter, who turns out to be an acquaintance from his childhood who is also down on his luck. Without hesitation, Astolfo adopts the man as his roommate. ...

Review: Emma Dante's 'The Macaluso Sisters'

In a moving story that spans several decades, “The Macaluso Sisters” follows five orphaned sisters born and raised in an apartment on Palermo’s outskirts. They support themselves by renting out pigeons for events, a unique and symbolic business that reflects their resourcefulness and the transient nature of their lives. Directed by Emma Dante, who adapted the script from her 2014 play of the same name, the film boasts an all-female cast that brings a unique power to the story. It unfolds in three chapters that show how the tragic events of one day haunt the sisters through childhood, adulthood and old age. The first chapter reveals the tragedy of the youngest sister, Antonella, who dies during a beach outing. She remains a permanent presence in the household, never aging. The film returns again and again to the beauty of the day at the beach when tragedy struck. The apartment is a central character, housing the memories and rage each sister carries inside her. This exploration of...

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...

Paola Cortellesi shines as La Befana in a family comedy blending tradition and modernity

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...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog