Italian Cinema Today

“I was born and raised on the island of Ischia, a thermal and volcanic island, to which I belong. It’s the place where I recharge myself with energy, where I am in contact with the elements of nature, magnificent and fearsome as only a volcanic island can be.” Lucianna De Falco is your quintessential southern Italian woman, reflecting the magnificent land of her origins. Beautiful, passionate and exuding strength, she is a character actress who has four decades of roles under her belt. Whether she is on stage, the big screen or television, she has an undeniable commanding presence. “I started my career as an actress thanks to the confidence my mother gave me as a child, De Falco explained. “She had a hair salon where I listened to the various idioms of her foreign clientele. I would asked her, "What language is it?" She always replied, "It's German" or It’s Russian,” making me believe that I could speak all the languages of the world, and thus giving ...

"Cinema is about the gaze, about where someone is looking. I love to make movies where a character is thinking the line but not speaking the line.” One of Italy’s most prolific and visionary filmmakers, Ferzan Ozpetek, draws inspiration from situations in everyday life and adds his unique point-of-view to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.  Born in Turkey in 1959, Ozpetek moved to Rome two decades later to work in theater and assist various film directors.  In 1997, he made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Hamam Turkish Bath , which went on to win two Golden Globes for Best New Director and Best Soundtrack. Since then, Ozpetek has directed some of the most beautiful and profound films of contemporary Italian cinema. He calls upon his own life experiences when deciding on a film project. He then builds upon that experience with his writing partner and close friend of more than 30 years, Gianni Romoli. Together, they transform an idea into a m...

Boys Cry Since the early 2000's, I've always looked forward to the month of June because of the remarkable selection of contemporary Italian films shown in New York at Lincoln Center's annual series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema .  This year's diverse lineup, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà, includes the Berlin Film Festival sleeper hit by the D’Innocenzo brothers, Boys Cry , the story of two best friends who get in over their heads with organized crime;  Innovative director Fulvio Risuleo's Look Up ; Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s second feature, Sicilian Ghost Story ; Sergio Castellitto’s emotionally-driven Fortunata , with Jasmine Trinca, who won the Un Certain Regard Best Actress prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival; and three works by returning Open Roads filmmakers: Marco Tullio Giordana’s Name of a Woman , Ferzan Ozpetek’s Naples in Veils , starring the talented Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Alessa...

Her girl-next-door looks got her discovered when she was just a teenager. Fifteen years later, she's one of Italy's top dramatic actresses. Born and raised in Rome, Jasmine Trinca  never had intentions of becoming an actress, but she was discovered by a talent scout and fate took over. Trinca's first role was in Nanni Moretti's 2001 drama, La stanza del figlio (The Son's Room.) It's the tragic story of how parents deal with the death of a child. Trinca portrays the role of Irene, the sister of the character who dies in a swimming accident.   Trinca was just a teenager when she appeared in this film, but her performance was strong as she shared scenes with cinema veterans Laura Morante and Nanni Moretti. Her performance earned her the prestigious Guglielmo Biraghi prize as best new talent of the year. For as much success as she had in that film, she thought her career would end there.  It was only after director Marco Tullio Giordana off...

Actor Raoul Bova recently presented two of his films in Canada at the Italian Contemporary Film Festival and the Niagara Integrated Film Festival: Carlo Vanzina’s time travel comedy "Rewind and Reboot" (Torno Indietro e Cambio Vita) and the romantic comedy "All Roads Lead to Rome," which he presented alongside cinema legend and co-star Claudia Cardinale . Bova’s acting career spans more than two decades and it has been a joy to watch him grow and evolve as an actor. He’s not afraid to take on complex characters like Lorenzo in Ferzan Ozpetek’s  "Facing Windows" while he seems to embrace and have fun with lighter storylines like the two he just presented.    I had the great pleasure of meeting Raoul Bova in Niagara Falls where he presented "All Roads Lead to Rome" with Claudia Cardinale. He had a full schedule lined up that day with very little time for interviews, but I managed to slip in three quick questions and he was graceful eno...

Margherita Buy (L) and Sabrina Ferilli at the 2015 Rome premiere of Io e Lei She has been a fixture in Italian cinema for decades with an impressive range that has landed her in all kinds of zany predicaments. Whether she's discovering the secret life of her deceased husband, dealing with a coming-of-age-daughter or struggling with the effects of a depressed economy, Margherita Buy's strong presence and command of her roles makes her a spell-binding leading lady. Born on January 15, 1962 in the Eternal City, Buy studied her craft at Rome's Academy of Dramatic Arts Silvio D'Amico. That's where she met her future husband and lifelong collaborator, Sergio Rubini. The two made a number of successful films together, including Tutto l'amore che c'e , L'amore ritorna and L'uomo nero . Although their marriage didn't work out, the two have remained close friends and continue to work together.     Buy has been making movies since the mid-80...

The cast and filmmakers of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  in Rome  A few years ago, I interviewed actor, Luca Calvani on the occasion of his U.S. release, When in Rome . Today, we are revisiting our conversation as he is promoting his much anticipated spy thriller, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the all-star cast includes Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant. Based on the television series by Sam Rolfe, the story is set in the 1960's and follows CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin as they participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons. The U.S. release date is set for August 14, but the cast recently did some press for the film in the Eternal City, where much of it was shot. Luca Calvani Born in Tuscany, Calvani has traveled the world following his career. He began working as a model in the 1990's...