Italian Cinema Today

S is for Stanley opens in New York today. If there ever was a must-see documentary film, this is it.  S is for Stanley, the 2016 David di Donatello winner for Best Documentary ,  is an intimate story of friendship. It’s the story of the Italian behind the genius of Stanley Kubrick. Without giving the captivating twists and turns of the film away, director Alex Infascelli introduces Emilio D’Alessandro as a young Italian who moves to London to his life-changing introduction to Stanely Kubrick and then the lifetime of working as Kubrick’s right hand man from giving his opinions about actors (was not of fan of Jack Nicholson) to returning a jacket with a broken zipper to feeding the zoo of stray animals on Kubrick’s property to making a cameo role in the last film that Kubrick would make. If you are familiar with Kubrick’s work, this is a fascinating account of how his films came together. If you are not familiar with his work, this is a moving story of fri...

Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdelene in "The Passion of the Christ" also filmed in Matera The 2019 European Capital of Culture for 2019 will again serve as the set for a Hollywood biblical epic. Shooting is scheduled to begin in November for the story of Mary Magdalene. Filming will take place in the ancient Sassi district of Matera and will last for 6-8 weeks. The project is still untitled, but has been described as a "biopic" about the story of Mary Magdalene, presenting "a human and authentic portrait of the most enigmatic figures in history." The American production director Garth Davis will direct Rooney Mara in the role of Mary Magdalene. Joaquin Phoenix will play the part of Jesus. If you live in the region, a casting call has been announced for male and female children, aged between eight and 13 years with a dark complexion and Mediterranean features. They also welcome children of African and Central American descent. They ask that children mus...