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Showing posts from March, 2018

Cinematic Maestra Liliana Cavani

(Updated January 12, 2023) Born in 1933 in Carpi near Modena, Liliana Cavani burst onto the filmmaking scene in the 1970s along with fellow Emilia Romagna natives  Bernardo Bertolucci , Pier Paolo Pasolini and Marco Bellocchio . Raised in a household that embraced the arts, Cavani went to art museums with her father, an architect, and to the movies with her mother, a film aficionado. She studied literature and philosophy at Bologna University in 1960 but decided a year later to head south to Rome to study filmmaking at the renowned Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. Success rapidly followed. Before her studies were finished, Cavani was hired there as the director of historical documentaries at RAI television. From there, she transitioned into feature films. Cavani's filmmaking style is fierce, unflinching, and no-holds-barred. Working with future stars Charlotte Rampling,  Helena Bonham Carter, and Mickey Rourke early in their careers, she was able to evoke a depth

Strong Italian Presence in the 2018 Tribeca Lineup

"The Man Who Stole Bansky" Some great contemporary Italian filmmakers are in this year's lineup of the Tribeca Film Festival including Laura Bispuri's "Daughter of Mine," Susanna Nicchiarelli's "Nico 1988" and Marco Proserpio's much anticipated "The Man Who Stole Banksy."   Marco Proserpio's documentary film begins with the Palestinian perspective on the internationally renowned street artist and soon turns into the discovery of an extensive secret market of works stolen from city streets around the world. The film explores the influence of cultures meeting and clashing in the face of unstable political situations and the ongoing debate of commercialization versus preservation in street art. The story is told through interviews with art dealers, restorers, copyright lawyers and street artists themselves. They all take a side, and this film gives unique access to all of them. Proserpio is not looking to express a speci

Verona's Fondazione Aida Introducing Italian Maestros to a New Generation

Pasolini on the set of his 1961 film  Accattone in the Gordiani zone of Rome To mark the 96th anniversary of Pier Paolo Pasolini's birth, we're revisiting our interview with members of Fondazione Aida, an organization bridging Italy with the world and educating new generations about the maestros of Italian cinema and beyond.  Based in Verona, Italy, home of Romeo and Juliet, Fondazione at introduces the great Italian authors and illustrators to youngsters in a way that is both entertaining and informative.   Aida`s hands-on approach directly involves children by bringing theatre productions right into schools. The members of Aida also reach beyond the borders of Italy and take their productions on the road. Members of Aida participated in a New York City tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini by bringing their production of Trash to the Big Apple. I sat down with Roberto Terribile, one of the foundation’s artistic directors and Cecilia Cinelli, the former head of in