Italian Cinema Today

Franca Abategiovanni  "Naples, more than inspires me, is a part of me." Passionate words from a Neapolitan actress whose origins are at the very foundation of her work. Born in Ercolano, a comune located in Naples, Franca Abategiovanni began acting in theater when she was a young girl. Those beginnings led her to a successful career in film, and the freedom to return every so often to her first love-theater. She charmed and humored American audiences earlier this year as a strong-willed mother in Rupert Evertt's "The Happy Prince ."  A British biographical story of the tragic last days of Oscar Wilde, the film premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival and is currently in Italian theaters. I recently spoke with Franca Abategiovanni about her diverse roles and her love of her hometown of Naples. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included. When did your discover this desire to be an actress? Theater has always been in...

" Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.”  -Albert Einstein My great-grandparents shortly after arriving in America Most Italian-Americans in their 40’s are third generation, which means our great-grandparents were part of the 12,000,000 people with hopes and dreams who arrived on Ellis Island during the mass immigration of the early 1900’s. Many of us are lucky enough to have known at least one of those brave souls. In my case, it was my great-grandmother Rosa Maria Nigro who immigrated to western New York from Rionero in Vulture, located in Italy's southern region of Basilicata. She came to America as a teenager in 1906. She married, raised four children (one of whom was killed on D-Day in World War II) and modestly lived the American dream. She passed away in 1980 when I was 8-years-old but she made a lifetime impression on ...

For decades Massimo Gaudioso has given voice, personality, idiosyncrasies and life to some of the most memorable and fascinating characters in Italian cinema. His 17-year collaboration as a screenwriter with director Matteo Garrone resulted in contemporary classics like Gomorrah , Reality and Tale of Tales .   According to Gaudioso, their fateful meeting took place two decades go at the Torino Film Festival where they were debuting their films. They had a lot in common- in particular the desire to make a self-produced, independent film, which did not follow the usual guidelines, instead was made solely out of their enthusiasm and passion. The exchanged ideas on cinema and immediately found common ground. They vowed to work together someday. “We then made a short film together for a tram in Rome that ran through the city. Matteo asked me if I wanted to help him write his third film Estate Romana (Roman Summer) and since then, we have been together and we’ve developed this beaut...