Model/Actress Anna Falchi

Anna Falchi was born Anna Kristiina Palomaki, on April 22, 1972, in Tampere, Finland. Her mother, Kaarina Palomaki Sisko, is Finnish, while her father, Benito "Tito" Falchi, is from Romagna, Italy. Growing up in Italy, Anna was a tomboy, and had a fervent imagination.

She is known mostly for her prolific career in modelling. However, she tried her hand at acting and landed a role in one of my favorite Italian comedies, Nessun messaggio in segreteria. I consider it my one of my favorites because it brought together so many amazing, talented filmmakers during a time when they were all just starting out. Those filmmakers, Pierfrancesco Favino, Valerio Mastandrea, Luca Miniero and Paolo Genovese are now huge names in contemporary Italian cinema, so it's great to look back and see their work in a low-profile film completely different from the bigger-budget stardom they now know. Watch the trailer.

Anna Falchi started her career as a model. She first appeared on TV in a commercial for an Italian bank in 1992. The ad starred Paolo Villaggio, and was actually directed by Federico Fellini. This helped her launch a film career, starting with Nel continente nero (On the Dark Continent) in 1993. She appeared in a number of films since, including the 1994 fantasy movie Desideria e l'anello del Drago and then more recently in the comedy Nessun messaggio in segreteria. She has also been a popular television personality, hosting various specials on Italian TV. She is less known in the English speaking world. Some fans of the horror comic Dylan Dog, know her as the lead female in a film adaptation called Dellamorte Dellamore, which was released in the United States as Cemetery Man.

I caught up with Falchi while she was in New York. We talked about her diverse background and what it was like working with two cinema greats of yesterday and today, Federico Fellini and Pierfrancesco Favino.

What was it like growing up in two cultures, with your mother from Finland and your father from Italy?
It was beautiful. I grew up in northern Italy, in Rimini. My parents were teachers, so it was never expected that I would become an actress. But they've always been very supportive. My brother is a producer and we have our own production company. So, it's great to work with him. I like producing because I enjoy helping young actors and actresses, and giving them the opportunity to work. Also, I don't always want to be on camera.

When did you start working as a model?
I started modeling when I was 14 years old. I would just do it on weekends. It was good for me because when I was a child, my family used to move a lot, so I was always changing schools and houses. Modeling gave me the opportunity to work and meet people, so there was no chance to be lonely.

Tell me about your first on-camera job, and working with Federico Fellini.
I spent 10 days working with Fellni on a commercial for a bank. It was shot in Rimini, so it was great to be home. He was very sweet. When he directed me, he told me to just be myself. He said that he wanted to work with me again, but sadly he died shortly after.

What it was like to work with Pierfrancesco Favino on Nessun messaggio in segreteria?
It was great to work with Pierfrancesco. He usually plays hard roles, but in this film, he was a little shy and funny. I really enjoyed working with him. I liked my character because she was not only a dancer, she had a big heart and also struggled with loneliness.

What do you think of Italian cinema today and roles that are being offered to women?Well, we are not very international because we produce inexpensive movies. We have a few big directors who are successful outside of Italy, like Gabrielle Salvatores and Gabrielle Muccino. The starring roles usually go to men with supporting roles going to women. I think it's because younger people go to see movies and they prefer younger stories, not a woman's story.

Comments

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

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...

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

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...

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29 Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today. ‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" ...

Riccardo Scamarcio Joins Cast of "John Wick 2"

Update to our original January 18 post.. - According to the Hollywood Reporter, the follow-up to John Wick has been given an official title — John Wick, Chapter 2 — and a release date from Lionsgate: Feb. 10, 2017. It's just been reported that Keanu Reeves is in Rome shooting his new film, "John Wick 2" with Italian actors Riccardo Scamarcio and Claudia Gerini . The film is an action-thriller and sequel to "John Wick". Shooting began last October in New York City. John Wick, played by Reeves, is a hitman that comes out of retirement to seek vengeance for the theft of his vintage car and the killing of his puppy, a gift from his recently deceased wife. The scenes being shot in Italy for the sequel reportedly take his career to the international level. Riccardo Scamarcio One of Italy's most recognizable faces, Riccardo Scamarcio has built a solid career based on the diversity in the roles he chooses and the intensity with which he plays the...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog