Italian Cinema Today

"On a Magical Night"  More great films have been added to Film at Lincoln Center ’s virtual cinema, including a new 2K restoration of Nanni Moretti’s  "Caro Diario" and "On a Magical Night" starring Chiara Mastroianni. Mastroianni is law professor Maria, whose 25-year marriage to Richard (singer-songwriter Benjamin Biolay) is ruptured when he discovers texts from Maria’s younger lover on her phone. After checking into a hotel across the street, she doesn’t exactly find herself alone with her thoughts: over the course of a hallucinatory evening, she’s visited by a series of impossible guests, including Richard’s twenty-something self (Vincent Lacoste) and the embodiment of her own free will (Stéphane Roger). Christophe Honoré’s stylish and sensual aesthetic makes for a swooning reflection on love and memory that becomes even more heartrending thanks to the brilliant cast. With stunning cinematography and quirky characters, "Caro Diario" (D...

Photo by Storyboard Media Nanni Moretti's new film, Santiago, Italia will close the 36th edition of the Torino Film Festival in November. The docufilm, which features interviews and archival footage of the months following the coup of 11 September 1973 that ended the democratic government of Salvador Allende in Chile, focuses on the role played by the Italian embassy in Santiago, which gave shelter to hundreds of opponents of the regime of Pinochet, allowing them to reach Italy. The film will be released in Italy on December 6. Click here for more information on the Torino Film Festival screening. The festival runs November 23 - December 1.

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...

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...

Born in Naples in 1958, Riccardo Zinna truly is a jack of all trades. He's a natural born artist who does it all.   He's an actor, musician and visual artist with no formal training.   Yet, he has risen to the top of his game in each of his artistic fields. He credits his mother's passion for life and her support and confidence in him to live his life freely and do what makes him happy.   Zinna is best known in Italy as a television and film star. He has done many supporting roles in high profile films such as Gabriele Salvatores ' thriller, Io non ho paura and Nanni Morretti's , Caro diario . However, he’s proven that he can carry the lead role as well. He did so with great success in Toni D'Angelo's 2008 breakout hit, Una Notte . The story centers on a group of old friends who were brought together by the sudden death of one of their comrades. Zinna takes on the role of a musician who gave up on his dream for a more realistic career in finance. He ...

Silvana Mangano is one of Italy's most memorable leading ladies. She was born in Rome on April 21, 1930, and grew up amid conditions of poverty during World War II.   She persevered through those tough times, training as a dancer.   Then in 1946, she won the Miss Rome beauty pageant, a victory that gave her the push she needed to discover her destiny. Just three years later, she landed a role in one of the most influential films of Italian cinema, "Riso Amaro" (Bitter Rice) by Giuseppe De Santis. The film was one of the first of the Neorealist film movement and received an Academy Award nomination in 1950. Produced by Mangano's husband, the prolific filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis , "Riso Amaro" is a multi-layered story that called on Mangano's talent and sex appeal to portray a peasant girl who could manipulate just about anyone with her beauty. The story follows three main characters through the rice-planting season in northern Italy during World W...

It's labeled a comedy but it's really a reflection on the human condition and spirit, and how events of the past affect how we deal with the present. Nanni Moretti's film "Habemus Papam" (WeHave a Pope) recently made its way to American shores. The story centers on a newly elected pope who really doesn't want the job. When Cardinal Melville is unexpectedly chosen by his peers to lead the Catholic Church, the enormous responsibility brings to the surface old disappointments and dreams that were never realized. Just as he is about to step onto the world's stage to address his followers, the Pope has a panic attack and literally gets out of dodge. A renowned psychiatrist, played by Nanni Moretti, is called in to assess the situation and consult with the pope. The film opens with archival footage of the Vatican's funeral for Pope John Paul II and then follows the cardinals into conclave as they ponder their choices for a new spiritual leader, optin...