Italian Cinema Today

The professional collaboration and friendship between actors Marco Giallini and Valerio Mastandrea goes back decades. The two began working together more than 20 years ago on the television show Infiltrato.   More recently, director Paolo Genovese has paired the actors in his last two feature films, Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) and The Place , both of which have screened in the United States to great reviews. I caught up with Genovese in June while he was presenting The Place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual film series Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. I asked him about this most magical collaboration of two immense talents of contemporary Italian cinema. Watch his response (in Italian with English subtitles)... He mentions at the end that he would like to make a movie just with them. Apparently, he is not the only director with that idea. Simone Spada is at work on his second feature film  Domani è un altro giorno (Tomorrow is An...

The 2017 David di Donatello award show, which took place on Monday, was an exciting event that celebrated many great contemporary talents of Italian cinema.  I was fortunate to have seen most of the nominees.  Among my personal favorites  is Michele Vannucci's  Il più grande sogno  simply because it is based on one of the most inspiring, beautiful stories I've ever  heard, and the person behind that story is as authentic and down-to-earth as they come. The film won the 3 Future Award, which is determined by the public. With Director Michele Vannucci and Actor Mirko Frezza I first saw  Il più grande sogno last September when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. I didn't make it to Venice, but thanks to a great online platform called Festival Scope , which offers a handful of premieres to be screened on the web, I felt like I was there. The film itself blew me away, and then when I realized it was based on a true story, I knew t...

From the opening night film to various presentations, this year's Roma Fiction Fest is shaping up to be a must-attend event. In Arte Nino  starring Elio Germano will open the festival on Wednesday. The film chronicles the life of Italy's beloved iconic actor Nino Manfredi. Directed by his son, Luca Manfredi, the entire cast, which includes one of my favorite contemporary Italian actresses, Anna Ferruzzo , will walk the Red Carpet and attend the Wednesday premiere. Among the fabulous events are a Friday discussion with the crew of The Young Pope with various garments and costumes on display. Saturday, actor extraordinaire  Marco Giallini will discuss his hit RAI television series, Rocco Schiavone . The festival runs December 7 - 11, with the screenings will held in the various theaters at The Space Cinema Moderno di Roma, which is located at Piazza della Repubblica. If you are in Rome and a cinema aficionado like me, I highly recommend checking out a few of ...

I read a quote about Paolo Genovese’s “Perfetti sconosciuti” (Perfect Strangers) -   “Un film che rimane impresso, prima nella pancia e poi nella mente.” –A film that remains first in the stomach and then in the mind. That sums up how you will feel upon watching the film. If you’re a filmmaker, you will take it one step further by asking yourself, "Why didn’t I think of that?” This is a universal story, a testament to the times in which we live. If I was limited to one word in reviewing this film, it would be, genius. That word covers just about every aspect of the film from the writing to the directing to the acting to the lighting to the set design to the wardrobe. Each person, every detail made “Perfetti Sconosciuti” a true masterpiece. I watched it several times before I attempted to write this. The first time, I just read the subtitles. The second time, I focused on the performances and then I watched it again to pay attention to the production details such as the...

He's an intense, articulate actor with dozens of diverse roles to his credit, and his latest film, Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) is set to make its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Roman-born actor, Marco Giallini shines in the roles he takes on, whether he is the oddball in a comedy, the sexy mystery man in a drama or the bad guy you’d love to hate in a thriller.   In each case, Giallini reels us into his character’s fascinating world with his impressive range of performing. Born in Rome in 1963, Giallini grew up with a number of interests including music, motorcycles and soccer. Before he discovered his call to act, he explored his passion for music, starting his own band in the early 80’s called, I Monitors. Then in 1985, destiny knocked at his door, and Giallini enrolled in acting school. He studied theater and for nearly a decade, participated in local productions in Rome’s many venues. It was in 1995 that h...

Here's a film that I am really hoping makes its way to American shores in 2016. Storie sospese is the story of Thomas (Marco Giallini) who works with a group of climbers in a high mountain yard to secure the impervious side of a mountain. When an unexpected problem causes the closure of the yard, the workers suddenly find themselves unemployed.  Thomas faces grave financial problems. A former colleague who now runs a small business comes to the rescue and offers him a job in a small town in Abruzzo. There, he meets Giovanna ( Maya Sansa ) a feisty teacher and a young geologist, who joins him in his work. He finds himself having to deal with a social life that he was no longer used to, and strange dynamics with his new job. I'm looking forward to seeing two of my favorite actors working together.. also looking forward to seeing Marco Giallini in a dramatic role. It seems that he's so good at comedy, he sometimes get pigeon-holed in that same...