Skip to main content

Giovanna Taviani to present work in Rochester, New York



Italian filmmaker Giovanna Taviani will be in Rochester during the second week of November participating in a film series that will take place at area universities, Nazareth College and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Giovanna Taviani is the daughter of the iconic filmmaker, Vittorio Taviani.. one half of the filmmaking duo, the Taviani Brothers. Giovanna had a part in her father's 1984 film, "Kaos" but has chosen a path behind the camera as a director. My personal favorite is her 2010 documentary film, "Fughe e approdi"  which showcases the cinematic magic of the beautiful Aeolian Islands where she grew up. Fortunately, that film will be shown in the series. I highly recommend it. Read our review and watch the trailer. She also founded the SalinaDocFest, an annual film festival held on the Aeolian Island of Salina that features documentaries and feature films with themes of human rights and relevant social issues.

I spoke with one of the organizers of the event, R.I.T. Professor Elisabetta Sanino d’Amanda. She told me that Taviani will be conducting various workshops with students and participating in several discussions about her work following screenings at R.I.T., Nazareth and the Dryden Theater. On Taviani’s work and carrying on the filmmaking legacy of her family, Professor Sanino D’Amanda explained that Taviani “has embraced the contemporary issues and made documentary filmmaking a top priority in the vein of Vittorio De Seta and the best Italian documentary filmmaking.”
The following events of the film series are confirmed. Please check our Facebook group page beginning on November 8th for any changes.
November 9th at 6:00 pm  at Shults Center Forum  at Nazareth College's Casa Italiana
Film Screening: Kaos   (1984)   Directed by Paolo & Vittorio Taviani , in Italian with English subtitles  
November 10th, 6pm at R.I.T.’s UNIVERSITY GALLERY - BOOTH Building
Reception and Artist Talk with Giovanna Taviani on the Taviani Brothers film "CEASER MUST DIE" and 7pm screening of the the film in WEBB Auditorium plus Q&A after the film
November 11th, 6pm in UNIVERSITY GALLERY - BOOTH Building
Reception and Artist Talk with Giovanna Taviani on her film 'RITORNI- RETURNS" and 7pm screening of the film in CARLSON Auditorium in CARLSON Building plus Q&A after film
November 14th for the High Falls Film Festival at the DRYDEN THEATER at EASTMAN MUSEUM 'RITORNI- RETURNS" and 4pm
The film 'RITORNI'  (Check www.eastman.org or the IACC Facebook group page for screening time)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Legend of Alberto Sordi - Rome's Eternal Son

′′They will always judge you, whether you behave well or if you behave badly. So screw it and live as you want but above all don't listen to anyone.′′  - Alberto Sordi By giving his fellow Italians something to laugh about during tumultuous times, he emerged as his generation’s King of Comedy. One of Italy’s best-loved personalities, Alberto Sordi played a pivotal role in Italian cinema from the end of World War II to the postwar economic boom of the 1950s. During those tumultuous years, he gave his countrymen a hearty laugh when they might have otherwise cried. Former Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi perhaps said it best: “Alberto Sordi interpreted the feelings of Italians, especially in their most difficult and tough moments.” Born in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome in 1920, Sordi grew up in a creative household. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father, a professional musician for the Rome Opera House. A young Sordi joined the children’s choir o...

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty.  He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence.  Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...

The Sweetness and Genius of Giulietta Masina

Fellini and Masina on the set of "La Strada" As open-hearted and sunny as Federico Fellini was dark and complex, they were perfect counterpoints during a half-century of marriage and professional collaboration.  Nicknamed a  “female Chaplin” and described by Chaplin himself as  the actress who moved him most,  Giulietta Masina confronted the tragedy of her characters with an eternal innocence and enthusiasm that gave Italians hope in the most challenging of times.  Born in 1921 in San Giorgio di Piano, a commune north of Bologna, Masina was the oldest of four children born to a father who was a music professor and violinist and a mother who was a grade-school teacher. Her parents sent her as a child to live in Rome with her widowed aunt while she attended school there. As Masina took an early interest in gymnastics, her aunt saw in her a passion for performing and encouraged her to pursue acting. So after high school, Masina attended Rome’s La...

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 Vision of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pondering his films and poetry, I wonder if the uniqueness of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films was rooted in his unconventional childhood. Born in Bologna in 1922, Pasolini's father was a lieutenant in the army, and his family was always moving. He grew up in various small towns in Northern Italy. After his parents separated, he spent most of his time in his mother's hometown of Casarsa, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. There, he grew to respect the area's peasant culture and began to write poetry in the region's dialect. He studied literature and art history at the University of Bologna and was drafted into the army during World War II. The war proved to be especially tragic for his family as his younger brother was executed by Communist partisans. Following the war, he returned to Casarsa where he worked as a teacher and ironically became a leading member of the Communist party there. Pasolini was later expelled from the party due to allegations of homo...