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Showing posts from October, 2019

"Dance With Me Again Heywood!" to Premiere in New York

It's just been announced that director Michele Diomà' s new film, "Dance With Me Again Heywood!," will make its world premiere in New York as a Special Event at the 2019 edition of N.I.C.E. (New Italian Cinema Events). Featuring novelist James Ivory, the film follows Heywood, a poet who works several jobs to make a living. He was a florist for a while and he's been working as a video editor ever since he moved to New York. Heywood lives a lonely life with two homeless men as his only friends until an expected encounter rocks his world. One morning, he meets a woman suffering from "Moon Butterfly Syndrome,” a condition that makes her invisible to everyone except carriers of the syndrome, such as Heywood. The two start seeing each other, often to go waltzing in secret on a Manhattan rooftop. At the same time, Heywood starts wondering whether he'll be able to ignore the prejudice cast upon him by people who could only see a man talking to himself in the s

Pierfrancesco Favino on his Portrayal of Tommaso Buscetta

Actor Pierfrancesco Favino is no stranger to American audiences. In addition to the Italian blockbusters that have made it to our shores, including Gabriele Muccino’s  The Last Kiss , Roberto Ando’s  The Confessions , and Ferzan Ozpetek’s  Saturn in Opposition , he’s had significant parts in numerous American productions. Among them are Ron Howard’s  Angels and Demons , Spike Lee’s  Miracle at St. Anna  and a stint as Christopher Columbus in  Night at the Museum . He even gave us a  tour of Rome via his Vespa   for CBS This Morning during the papal conclave of 2013. In every character that he becomes, Favino brings his signature humility and grace making his characters vulnerable yet strong in their convictions and above all, unforgettable. His latest film made its American premiere at the 57thNew York Film Festival in October and is Italy’s entry for the Academy Awards. Directed by Marco Bellocchio  Il Traditore  (The Traitor) is the true story of mafia informant, Tommaso Buscet

The Beginning of the Mafia Movie Genre in America

With Italy’s entry for the Oscars being Marco Bellocchio’s story of a Sicilian mafia informant, I thought I’d do a few posts about the genre of mafia films.  Have you ever thought about what started the craze for mafia-themed movies in America? That was one of the questions I explored in my 2018 documentary, Return to Lucania .. When I sat down with actor/director Pif on two occasions, he told me so much about the differences in how the Sicilian mafia (Cosa Nostra) is portrayed in American films versus how it was in real life.  Chatting with Pif at Lincoln Center's annual film series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema In this clip from my documentary, Pif talks about how so many mafiosi ended up in America. I was initially asking him about the organized crime group Black Hand, which had a pretty strong presence here in Rochester, New York from 1910-ish through the '50s. They were known to level houses with bombs if they didn’t get their “protection money” and in one

Shooting Underway for the Manetti Brothers' 'Diabolic'

Moi with the Manetti Bros in NYC, 2012 Cineuropa is reporting that shooting is underway for the Manetti Brothers' new film Diabolic , which follows the adventures of the famous Italian comic book hero- a fascinating, steely-eyed thief created in the 60s by Angela and Luciana Giussani. The all-star cast includes Luca Marinelli, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea, Claudia Gerini and Serena Rossi. Written by Michelangelo La Neve and the Manetti Bros., who penned the story alongside Mario Gomboli, the film will tell the darkly romantic story of Diabolik and Eva’s first meeting, set in the fictitious state of Clerville in the 1960s. The movie will be shot between Courmayeur, Bologna, Milan and Trieste. “Diabolik is the dream that we’ve been chasing since the very beginning”, the two brothers explained when announcing the film to attendees of the Giornate Professionali del Cinema event in Sorrento, back in December. “We’re in seventh heaven and thrilled to be bringing this pr

Series based on Tommaso Buscetta is in the works

Variety is reporting that  Mediaset  is moving into the international TV arena with a high-end series about  Tommaso Buscetta , the first high-ranking member of Cosa Nostra to break the Sicilian Mafia’s oath of silence. Working-titled “Don Masino” the eight-episode show is being shepherded by prominent producer  Pietro Valsecchi  through his  TaoDue film and TV shingle, which is fully owned by  Mediaset .  Valsecchi, who has long been churning out hits on his home turf, has been developing the Buscetta series for six years. He was beaten to the punch by director Marco Bellocchio’s feature film The Traitor , the Buscetta biopic that has been a box office draw in Italy after launching from Cannes and is Italy’s Oscar candidate this year.  “It confirms that Buscetta is a powerful character,” said Valsecchi, who adds that the series will be “completely different” because it will cover the “full narrative arc of his story in its many facets.” The Mediaset series arc will star

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Announces Partnership with Istituto Luce – Cinecittà

ACADEMY MUSEUM ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ISTITUTO LUCE – CINECITTÀ Annual Series of Italian Film Screenings Will Begin with Centennial Tribute to Federico Fellini ROME, ITALY, October 8, 2019 –   The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures today announced Istituto Luce – Cinecittà as a Founding Supporter with a five-year agreement in support of an annual series of Italian films and accompanying public programs. The museum will be the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies and moviemaking. Over the course of the five-year agreement, the Academy Museum team will curate an annual series of Italian masterpiece film screenings and programs in consultation with Istituto Luce – Cinecittà. The first will be a centennial tribute to the legendary writer-director Federico Fellini (1920–1993), which will travel to major museums and film institutes in Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. The partnership was announced today on the occasion

Tony Saccucci's 'La prima donna' to be a “Pre-opening” Film of the 14th Rome Film Fest

Licia Maglietta On Monday October 14th at 8:30 pm, the Rome Film Fest will enter the concert hall of the Teatro dell'Opera for the world premiere screening of La prima donna , the new documentary film by Tony Saccucci starring Licia Maglietta. The screening is part of the programme of pre-opening events taking place ahead of the 14th Rome Film Fest, which will be held October 17 - 27, 2019. Emma Carelli In his sophomore film, Tony Saccucci – who directed Il pugile del duce , special mention at the Nastro d'Argento awards as Best Debut Film – tells the forgotten, rediscovered and shocking story of Emma Carelli, an absolute diva of the opera. Acclaimed worldwide in the early twentieth century, she was one of the first women managers in Italy as director of the Teatro Costanzi (today's Teatro dell'Opera in Rome) from 1912 to 1926. A soprano renowned in Italy, Europe and as far as South America, she triumphed as an impresario as well, in an environment dominated