The practice of using non-professional actors is nothing new in Italian cinema or even world cinema for that matter. Perhaps the first known Italian filmmaker to cast her fellow towns people was Neapolitan actress and producer Francesca Bertini with her 1915 silent film Assunta Spina . Of course, Vittorio De Sica made it famous with his neorealist epics, Umberto D . and The Bicycle Thieves . Contemporary directors have embraced the century-old tradition in numerous films over the years, including Matteo Garrone’s 2008 Gomorrah , Francesco Munzi’s 2015 Anime nere , and Jonas Carpignano’s 2017 A Ciambra, just to name a few. Those films went on to be huge international successes. The latest to follow suit is Mimmo Calopresti’s A spromonte - La terra degli ultimi , which will premiere as a Special Event at the Taormina Film Festival in July. Adapted from Pietro Ciriaco’s book, Via dall'Aspromonte , the story sheds light on southern Italy’s severely depressed economy and remoten
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