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Showing posts from September, 2016

Director Giovanni Veronesi Kicks Off a Cuba-Italy Partnership with "No Country for the Young"

"Now is the time when Cuba can become an important co-production partner” said Rome Lazio Film Commission head Luciano Sovena, who recently launched Italy’s top co-production fund between the two countries. The first production of that partnership is Non è un paese per giovani (No Country for the Young). Directed by Giovanni Veronesi, the film features a great cast that includes  Filippo Scicchitano, Giovanni Anzaldo , Sara Serraiocco , Sergio Rubini and Nino Frassica. I was happy to find a very detailed description of the story in English: Every year, five hundred thousand young people leave Italy and flee overseas. They call it “brain drain” but among the new emigrants there are a lot of ordinary young people seeking their fortune. Sandro and Luciano are two of them. Sandro, 24, comes from Rome and is curious about his future but he doesn’t have a clear idea yet. He graduated a while ago and he may want to become a writer. He still lives with his parents and works part-

Gianfranco Rosi's Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea) to be Released in America on October 21

Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Gianfranco Rosi's documentary "Fire at Sea"  is a startling document of the European migrant crisis seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Samuele, who lives on an island in the middle of the sea. He goes to school, loves shooting his slingshot and going hunting. He likes land games, even though everything around him speaks of the sea and the men, women and children who try to cross it to get to his island. But his is not an island like the others, its name is Lampedusa and it is the most symbolic border of Europe, crossed by thousands of migrants in the last 20 years in search of freedom. Watch the trailer.. The U.S. dates are as follows: New York Film Festival New York NY October 7 - October 8, 2016 Chicago Film Festival October 22 and 25 - Click here to buy tickets Lincoln Plaza Cinema New York NY October 21 - October 27, 2016 IFC Center New York NY October 21 - October 27, 2016 Laemmle Playhouse 7 Pasa

Midnight In Paris & Carla.. the Other Bruni Sister

  Carla Bruni and Owen Wilson in a scene from Midnight in Paris Tree-lined cobblestone streets, golden-baked baguettes, 13th century gothic architecture, outdoor cafes, the Pyramid of the Louvre, the grand Arch di Triumph... These are just a few of the images that open Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris . Fast forward a bit and there she is.. Carla Bruni and she is fabulous. You may know Bruni from her headlines as the First Lady of France and the sister of Italy's beloved actress/director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi , but Bruni is a talented artist in her own right, and that talent goes back decades.    Born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi in Torino, she is heiress to the giant Italian tire manufacturing company CEAT, which was founded in the 1920's by her grandfather Virginio Bruni Tedeschi. In a 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, Bruni said that her biological father is Italian-born Brazilian grocery magnate Maurizio Remmert. He met Bruni's mother, Marisa Baroni a

Mary Magdelene Biopic to be Shot in the Sassi of Matera

Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdelene in "The Passion of the Christ" also filmed in Matera The 2019 European Capital of Culture for 2019 will again serve as the set for a Hollywood biblical epic. Shooting is scheduled to begin in November for the story of Mary Magdalene. Filming will take place in the ancient Sassi district of Matera and will last for 6-8 weeks. The project is still untitled, but has been described as a "biopic" about the story of Mary Magdalene, presenting "a human and authentic portrait of the most enigmatic figures in history." The American production director Garth Davis will direct Rooney Mara in the role of Mary Magdalene. Joaquin Phoenix will play the part of Jesus. If you live in the region, a casting call has been announced for male and female children, aged between eight and 13 years with a dark complexion and Mediterranean features. They also welcome children of African and Central American descent. They ask that children mus

#FFRoma11 - Poster for the 2016 Rome Film Festival is Revealed

The 11th edition of the Festa del Cinema of Rome will be held 13-23 October 2016.  

Documentary Filmmakers Tell the Story of Three Western Volunteer Fighters in "Our War"

The documentary film, Our War by Benedetta Argentieri, Bruno Chiaravalloti and Claudio Jampaglia premiered "Out of Competition" at the 73rd Venice Film Festival. An intense, fascinating story about three Western volunteer fighters for the YPG (People's Protection Unit) or the Kurdish Militia, the film takes us to the front lines of the war between the Kurds and ISIS.   Our War begins with narration from the perspective of a Kurd in the region of Rojava talking about the fight against the Islamic State and how this battle has not only destroyed his land but has also caused his people to be accused of terrorism. The people of this region just want to live in peace and have the same liberties and freedoms as everyone else. That is why they are continuing the fight in search of a "common solution". Joshua Bell of the United States, Karim Franceschi of Italy and Rafael Kardari of Sweden open up about the reasons they volunteered to leave their safe homes

Documentary Filmmaker Gianni Minà presents "Pope Francis, Cuba and Fidel" in Toronto

Gianni Minà and Cristiano de Florentiis Update February 2, 2017 It's recently been announced that documentary filmmaker Gianni Minà will receive an honorary Nastro d'Argento  award for career achievement. Read the full story on Ansa Italian news. The World Premiere of “Pope Francis, Cuba and Fidel,” directed by Gianni Minà and presented by ICFF and AMBI screened in Toronto in occasion of the TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival, was met with standing ovation and appreciation from Canadian critics. ICFF Artistic Director Cristiano de Florentiis awarded Gianni Minà with the ICFF Award of Excellence for addressing themes of historical, economic, social and cultural development with insight, nuance, professionalism and personal commitment. Minà’s documentary explores the recent story of Cuba and its undisputed leader, Fidel Castro, through the lens of last year’s visit of Pope Francis to the Caribbean island. Fidel appears onscreen at age 89, his body marked by hi

Interview: Director Maria Sole Tognazzi

"I have an innate passion for human relationships, and how people manifest emotions, reactions and feelings."  Those words come from Italian filmmaker, Maria Sole Tognazzi. Born in 1971, she grew up surrounded by cinema.  She is the daughter of legendary comedy actor, Ugo Tognazzi, one of the most prominent characters of the "Commedia all'Italiana".  Maria Sole is the youngest of four children and took a different path than her siblings. Unlike her brothers, Gianmarco, Ricky and Thomas, all successful actors, Maria prefers to stay behind the camera.  She started her career by working as an assistant director and made a series of video clips and a short film, Non finisce qui . Her follow up to that film, C'ero anch'io,  set the foundation for her first feature-length film, the ensemble comedy, Passato prossimo . The all-star cast includes her brother, Gianmarco along with Paola Cortellesi, Valentina Cervi, Pierfrancesco Favino and Claudio Santamaria.

Interview: Director Dario Carrarini on his Documentary Film "L'eleganza del cibo. Tales about food and fashion"

The trailer for a highly anticipated documentary film was recently presented at the 73rd Venice Film Festival. L'eleganza del cibo . Tales about food and fashion" is the product of an exhibition curated by Stefano Dominella that took place in Rome last year and then hit the road for a tour, which included a stop at the Chelsea Markets in New York City. The focus of both the exhibit and the film is on the relationship between food and fashion with many fashion items taking on a food theme. The exhibit and film also explore the presence and the importance of food in just about every aspect of life, whether the effect is positive or negative. Through clothing, accessories, photographs, videos, holograms, video mapping and visual-art, the creators of the exhibit and film have forged a path, which uncovers the extent to which fashion draws inspiration from nutrition.         I had a lot of questions about this unique exhibit and the film it inspired. I contacted the director D

Basilicata: Terra di Cinema: The Documentary Film "Matera 15/19"

A fascinating new project is in the works to correspond with the 2019 European Capital of Culture's designated city- Matera. Three regional directors are creating a documentary film, which will be comprised of four vignettes related to Matera and its neighboring towns. Matera 15/19 is a labor of love for these three lucani filmmakers who take pride in their region and would like to show the amazing transformation this newfound culture hub has made since the days of Carlo Levi's 1945 portrait of poverty and desperation in his book Christ Stopped at Eboli . The book was later made into a movie by  Francesco Rosi and although the book and film brought much-needed attention to he plight of the people, it has been tough for the region to shake those images. Even today, leading tourist books often written by authors who never stepped foot in the region refer to Levi's portrayal, calling the region underdeveloped and poor. Basilicata's new generation of filmmakers are s