Italian Cinema Today

Americans know her as Rosa Napolitano from " The Golden Door ," Emanuele Crialese's   heartfelt story of immigration in America at the turn of the 20th century. Italians know her as a diverse contemporary actress always mesmerizing audiences as she wondrously transforms herself into her characters.  Born in Palermo in 1981, Isabella Ragonese studied her craft in her hometown with theater director Michele Perriera. Her studies included interpretations of his work whether it'd be writing, directing or starring in adaptations. Upon graduating, she received her first big break in Crialese's "Nuovomondo" (The Golden Door) and just two years later, headed the all-star cast of Paolo Virzì's  "Tutta la vita davanti" (The Whole Life Ahead). She went on to appear in numerous productions on both the big and small screen. Then in 2014, she teamed up again with her "Tutta la vita davanti" costar Elio Germano for ...

Emanuele Crialese  Emanuele Crialese is one of the most inventive and poetic filmmakers working today. The messages in his films speak to the dreams and desires within the soul, and their breathtaking cinematography reveals the  pride he feels for a land to which he is deeply connected. Born in Rome in 1965, Emanuele Crialese’s Sicilian roots are the driving force to the plots of his movies. Crialese earned his degree at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.  He originally set out to take a short film course at the university but was granted a full scholarship after presenting a sample of his work. Much of Crialese’s career has been dedicated to exploring the plight of the immigrant, and the irony of this lies within the fact that while in New York City attending film school, he lived in a Lower East Side tenement, which was once occupied by immigrants during the immigration wave of the 20th century. One has to wonder if that experience has h...