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Showing posts from January, 2016

Filmmaker Michelangelo Frammartino on Ancient Philosophies that Inspire his Art

 A scene from "Alberi" It's an ancient ritual that started during the middle ages but was eventually abandoned by younger generations. In recent years, that ancient tradition, called  "Foresta Che Cammina" (The Forest That Walks) has been making a comeback exactly where it began all those centuries ago-  in the village of Satriano di Lucania, located in the region of  Basilicata .   Filmmaker Michelangelo Frammartino made a film about this ritual and presented it as an installation a few years ago at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. "Alberi" (Trees) tells the story of this old ritual that took place during Italian Carnevale when the men of the village would cover themselves in leaves, transforming into mystical walking trees. Frammartino recaptures the ancient rite in a reenactment that captivated New York audiences. According to Frammartino, “Basilicata is home to numerous arboreal rites. Trees are not just figures in the background, the

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's "Les Trois soeurs" to make its U.S. premiere at Lincoln Center

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi steps behind the camera for "Les Trois soeurs" (Three Sisters)- an idiosyncratic, half-modernized adaptation of one of Chekhov’s greatest, most expansively melancholy plays.   For her latest project, commissioned by Arte and starring members of the Comédie-Française, director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi presents the three sisters of the title- two unmarried, one unhappily married- as they congregate in their family’s ancestral house and, along with the additional soldiers, debtors, pensioners, and spouses who populate the play, struggle to give their futures a shape. From a translation by André Markowicz and Françoise Morvan, the film will make its U.S. premiere at Lincoln Center's 21st edition of "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema", which will take place March 3-13. “This year’s lineup exemplifies the diverse creativity coming out of the country year-round, including a record eight films directed by women,” explains the Film Society of Li

The prodigious, natural talent of Basilicata-born visual artist Walter Molfese

At just 26 years old and with no formal education in filmmaking, Walter Molfese is getting worldwide recognition for his stunning portraits of the land he loves. From the abandoned town of Craco to the seaside pearl of the Tyrrhenian known as Maratea to the volcano-nestled lakes of Mount Vulture to the mountainous, rolling terrain of Pollino, Molfese’s work is the visual testimony as to why the pure, vast landscape of Basilicata is emerging not only as Italy’s land of cinema but as a newly discovered tourist destination for adventure-seeking travelers. Aside from his independent works, Molfese is also involved with a national video project called, "Italia Senza Tempo" (Timeless Italy). Its mission is to show the hidden side of the peninsula and the Mediterranean nature that makes it unique. “Italia Senza Tempo” consists of places considered jewels of the world heritage and protected accordingly. They are places where time seems to come to a standstill and where the hand of

Casa del Cinema Presents "Cinema Without Barriers" - a Program of Italian films for the Deaf

" Gli ultimi saranno ultimi" Sunday, 24 January, the Casa del Cinema will launch its program of Italian films for the deaf. With the support of the Istituto Luce – Cinecittà and the cooperation of the Italian National Agency for the Protection and Assistance of the Deaf (ENS), over the Sundays of weeks to come, new Italian films will be made accessible to the deaf, with the help of writers, actors and technicians. The films, chosen at the suggestion of the ENS, will be subtitled, and Italian Sign Language interpreters will also be on hand. Schedule: 24 January - " Gli ultimi saranno ultimi" by Massimiliano Bruno 28 February - "Alaska"   by Claudio Cupellini 13 March - "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot" by Gabriele Mainetti  8 May - Call Me Francesco by Daniele Luchetti The films were chosen at the suggestion of the ENS from among those released globally and selected for international festivals. The complete programme is available at here .

Unique Documentary Geared towards the Blind to Hit Italian Theaters in February

It's been called a film to watch with your eyes closed . “The Color of Grass” by Juliane Biasi Hendel, a delicate road movie about two young blind friends, will open in Italian theaters in February.   The film, which had its Italian premiere on 18 January in Torino, will be screened in all the main Italian cities in February. “The Color of Grass” offers a one-of-a-kind sensory experience by constructing an audio landscape,  which makes it possible to watch the film with your eyes closed. Made to cater for blind audiences too, "The Color of Grass" technical team includes sound designer Mirco Mencacci, who created a world of sound that immerses the audience into both the physical and emotional worlds of its young protagonists. For the first time in the history of cinema, we have a film that unites blind people and able-sighted people together in a viewing experience.

Interview: Maya Breschi on New Italian Cinema Events (N.I.C.E.) and 25 years of Italian cinema in America

Italian cinema's popularity has been gaining ground over the last decade, especially in America. With film festivals and series popping up all over the country, Americans are getting numerous opportunities to see some of the best contemporary movies being made in Italy today. One of the oldest and most respected of those festivals is N.I.C.E. (New Italian Cinema Events). I've been attending N.I.C.E. for over a decade now and I can attest to the quality and diversity in its lineups year after year. The festival celebrated its 25th anniversary in November, giving me a great reason to catch up with one of its organizers, Maya Breschi, for an in depth look at what N.I.C.E. is all about. Let's start at the beginning since you are celebrating the festival's 25th anniversary this year. How did the festival get started? How has it evolved to what it is today? N.I.C.E. is a Florence-based non-for-profit cultural organization founded by a group of film professionals bac

Pietro Marcello's "Lost and beautiful" Named an Official Selection for the Film Society of Lincoln Center's New Directors/New Films Festival

"Lost and Beautiful" (Bella e perduta) caught my attention last year when it was shown at the Toronto Film Festival . Now it's been named in the early selections of the 45th edition of the New Directors/New Films Festival hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which will be held March 16-27 in New York City. This screening will be its American premiere and will be shown on March 23 and 24. "Pietro Marcello continues his intrepid work along the borderline of fiction and documentary with this beautiful and beguiling film. Shot on expired 16mm film stock and freely incorporating archival footage and folkloric tropes, it begins as a portrait of the shepherd Tommaso, a local hero in the Campania region of southern Italy, who volunteered to look after the abandoned Bourbon palace of Carditello despite the state’s apathy and threats from the Mafia. Tommaso suffers a fatal heart attack in the course of shooting, and Marcello’s bold and generous response is to gra

Basilicata: Terra di Cinema - Interview - Actress/Director Emanuela Ponzano on her film "La Slitta" (The Sled)

Shot in the region of Basilicata, the story of La Slitta follows Alfred, a child who lives with his family in the woods near an isolated village in the mountains of Italy. His parents have strong prejudices against immigrants. Bored and unhappy, they often quarrel, and they pay little attention to their son and usually disregard his needs for attention and affection. One day, wishing to get away from this oppressive atmosphere, Alfred disobeys his father’s strict orders for him to stay at home and he leaves the house to go and see his classmates. On his journey through the woods he gets lost and he comes across a wooden sled and its owner, a young boy from another country who seems strange and different, and who Alfred has sometimes seen around the village. After an initial clash, in which they project the prejudices of their parents and society onto each other, they tell each other about their lives. They soon start to relate to each other and understand each other’s problems. Than

Andrea Di Iorio on directing actors, American cinema and the legacy of Ettore Scola

Andrea Di lorio’s passion for cinema runs deep. Born in Campobasso in 1987, Di lorio studied performing arts and techniques at Rome’s La Sapienza University. By the time he graduated in 2013, he already had an acclaimed short film to his credit and a few years later made his first feature film. Di lorio’s childhood passion for cinema began with his realization that cinema combines several art forms, so he feels that filmmaking is a complete art. Over the course of a month or so, I’ve had an interesting dialogue getting to know this up and coming Italian filmmaker. His vision is unique and his desire to bring that vision to fruition is so strong, he takes matters into his own hands, and gets his films made.   I asked Andrea Di lorio about his passion for cinema and about two fascinating films he recently made, in particular, Senza Distanza , his first feature-length film starring fellow up and coming filmmaker Giovanni Anzaldo along with a cast of seriously gifted actors- Elena Ar