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Showing posts from February, 2016

Interview: Antonietta De Lillo on her Nastro d'Argento win with Gianfranco Pannone for "Oggi Insieme Domani"

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

Basilicata: Terra di Cinema - Interview with Filmmaker Andrea Filardi

Update: May 5, 2016 It's just been announced that "Tutti gli Uomini hanno un Prezzo" will be featured in the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in the section- Short Film Corner. See the festival's catalog for more information. (Intervista anche in italiano) At just 23-years-old, Andrea Filardi is getting international recognition for his poetic style of storytelling inspired by his southern Italian roots. His short film, “Tutti gli uomini hanno un prezzo” (All Men Have a Price) was a project he and his classmates created during a filmmaking course in his region of Basilicata. Top-notch actors, dedicated instructors, an enthusiastic crew and the passion they share for talking about a grave issue facing their land, led to a momentous student film and a beautiful, poignant story about the connection to one’s origins shadowed by the desperation for survival. The film has received its share of well-deserved praise and just recently, was acknowledged in the U.S. by three

Interview: Director Massimo Gaudioso on his new film "Un paese quasi perfetto" - made in Basilicata

For decades Massimo Gaudioso has given voice, personality, idiosyncrasies and life to some of the most memorable and fascinating characters in Italian cinema. His 17-year collaboration as a screenwriter with director Matteo Garrone resulted in contemporary classics like Gomorrah , Reality and Tale of Tales .   According to Gaudioso, their fateful meeting took place two decades go at the Torino Film Festival where they were debuting their films. They had a lot in common- in particular the desire to make a self-produced, independent film, which did not follow the usual guidelines, instead was made solely out of their enthusiasm and passion. The exchanged ideas on cinema and immediately found common ground. They vowed to work together someday. “We then made a short film together for a tram in Rome that ran through the city. Matteo asked me if I wanted to help him write his third film Estate Romana (Roman Summer) and since then, we have been together and we’ve developed this beautiful

Interview: Sebastiano Filocamo of Marco Bellocchio's "Blood of My Blood"

The Film Society of Lincoln Center's "Film Comment Selects Series" kicked off tonight and will run through February 24. The series will close with Marco Bellocchio's 2014 mystery, "Blood of My Blood" (Sangue del mio sangue).    It's been described as dark, troubling and enigmatic- one of the strangest and most haunting films in Marco Bellocchio's long and illustrious career.  S et between two very different time periods, there are echoes of a vampire film with interlocking narratives. The film opens with a bearded man arriving at a monastery to find a nun hanging from the ceiling from her feet. Federico Mai (Filippo Timi) has come to save his deceased brother's soul after he committed suicide and therefore cannot be buried in consecrated ground unless his lover, Sister Benedetta (Alba Rohrwacher), confesses to their sin. Benedetta faces trials by water and fire- and questioning by the apostolic hierarchy. We are then projected into the prese

Interview: Valentina Lodovini on her role in Alessandro Piva's "Milionari"

Last week, "Milionari" opened in theaters across Italy. Inspired by one of the Camorra's most  notorious Neapolitan crime bosses, the film is an action-packed, emotionally-charged drama, which offers a glimpse into the life of an infamous gangster and the trauma one woman endured as she stood by the man she loved. I talked with actress Valentina Lodovini about her role portraying that fascinating woman, Rosaria. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included. Tell me about your character. Rosaria is a woman, not a criminal. She has nothing to do with the business or power of the Camorra. She has just fallen in love with a man who is a criminal. My character, otherwise, is just one aspect of organized crime. We call this the Omertà, which describes a person who does not complain about the injustices that lie before him or her. It is someone that prefers not to know and not to ask questions.    Raccontami il tuo personaggio nel film "Milion

The European Film Market at this Year's Berlin Film Festival is Fully Stocked with Italian Films

The Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market has some serious Italian contenders this year. Heading the pack is “Summertime”, Gabriele Muccino’s return to filming in Italy after spending years in the United States.   Still in production, Summertime is featured in RaiCom’s line-up. The company also has other leading Italian films ready for buyers, including the brand new release, “They Call Me Jeeg Robot”.   Below is the complete list of Italian films that will be up for grabs at this year’s European Film Market..For more information, visit the market online . Accabadora | L'Accabadora   Italy   Rai Com   Andron — The Last Labyrinth   USA, Italy   Ambi Distribution   Anna   Italy   Rai Com   Arianna   Italy   Rai Com   The Beginners | Alaska   Italy, France   Films Distribution   Burning Love | Pecore in Erba   Italy   True Colours   The Complexity of Happiness | La felicità è un sistema complesso   Italy   Rai Com   The Correspondence | La corrispon

Countdown to "Milionari" - Director Alessandro Piva

Every now and then, someone comes along and changes the way things are done.   They raise the bar to a higher standard and offer a different way of looking at life. In the case of Italian cinema, that person is Alessandro Piva. About 15 years ago, this unknown, aspiring filmmaker took his own money, recruited his brother and hired a number of local actors to make a small, experimental film called La CapaGira . The film tells the story of a group of guys doing what is necessary to make a living.   Each journey is nearly the same and their conflicts in following the path are very real. There is no pretense, no glamour and no second-guessing. The intense honesty of the story and edgy style in which it was shot, went on to win the approval of audiences and critics all over Italy. Since the release of La CapaGira , the trends of Italian films shifted in a new direction. Italian filmmakers followed Piva’s lead in making smaller films throughout communities and regions outside of Rome’s Cin

Actor Salvatore Striano

In a scene from  Cesare Deve Morire They say that everyone has a story and actor Salvatore Striano is no exception. Born in 1972 in Napoli's notoriously rough neighborhood of Spagnoli, Striano comes from a hard-working family. The third of four children, Striano lost his way during his teenage years, but rebounded like no other, and today he is considered one of Italy’s most talented character actors. Striano describes his family as “gente semplice” – simple people. His father left for work at 5:30 in the morning and worked well into the evenings. His mother sold clothes at sidewalk stands. At the age of 9, his toddler sister came down with a serious illness and was hospitalized for several months. Striano’s mother did not leave her side. With a father that worked all day and a mother at the bedside of her daughter, there was little to no supervision during that period for Salvatore and his siblings. That’s when things started to go wrong and his so-called street life began