Director Francesco Lama to Present 'I Siciliani' in New York

Born in Sant'Agata di Militello, a comune in Messina, Sicily, documentary filmmaker Francesco Lama started his career as journalist before venturing into directing and screenwriting in the late 1990s. Over the years, he's written numerous short stories, commercial spots, plays and documentaries, often recounting the pride in his Sicilian origins.

In 2012, Lama presented his documentary Un Affettuoso Ricordo at the Alchemist Film Festival of Capo d'Orlando, located near his hometown. The documentary captures a moment in time during the dog days of ordinary life in Capo d'Orlando. The film consists of restored 8mm and super 8 films and testimony by people who lived during this period in time, many of whom contributed the old videos, some of which go back 70 years ago.

Check out the enchanting trailer...

Lama's latest effort, I Siciliani, focuses on Ignazio Bonaventura (Antonio Emanuele) who lives in a little village in Sicily. Struggling to make a living, he sets out to write about about Sicilians, thus setting out on a journey to meet and talk with as many famous and regular people as he could find. Those characters turn out to be renowned actors such as Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Leo Gullotta, Tony Sperandeo, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and Ninni Bruschetta. During his journey, he also comes face to face with several members of organized crime and politicians alike. He asks each of them, somehow representing different aspects of Sicilians, about several mysteries shrouding the way of thinking of such a complex people. In doing so, he hopes to learn more about himself. The journey takes him through changing landscapes and dialects, revealing the love and pride that Sicilians feel for the bordering sun and sea that surrounds their region. The result is a documentary film about the people and places of Sicily as it represents the Sicilian people and their land in a real, non-fiction way.

Check out the trailer with English subtitles..

The U.S. premiere will take place at Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò in New York on April 9. The following day, Francesco Lama will hold a masterclass at Montclair University and on April 11, there will be a meeting with the Federation of Sicilians in New Jersey. Actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta will attend the events along with the director.

Comments

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 ...

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...

Portrait for a friend: 'How Strange to Be Named Federico'

Ettore Scola on the set of 'How Strange to Be Named Federico' A sentimental portrait for a friend, Ettore Scola’s 2013 “Che strano chiamarsi Federico” (“How Strange to Be Named Federico”) is both a tribute to Federico Fellini and a reflection on friendship, and an artist’s passion for filmmaking. Scola created a personal and imaginative film that moves between documentary, fiction, memory, and fantasy, bringing to life important moments he shared with Fellini during their decades-long friendship as well as highlights from Fellini’s own life and career while showing how deeply Fellini influenced Scola himself. The result is an inviting, nostalgic, and at times playful portrait of one of Italy and the world’s most beloved filmmakers. The film opens on the beach where a figure depicting Fellini sits in a director’s chair and watches performers audition for him. The beach is likely symbolic of Fellini’s roots in the seaside town of Rimini and his beach-going days on the c...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog