Italian Cinema Today

Born on August 21, 1956 in Tuscany, actress Laura Morante brings an effortless passion to her work and is known for delivering intense dramatic performances that make her characters unforgettable.    Morante started out as a dancer and attributes her success in acting to the self-discipline and love of rehearsal she found in dancing. She began her acting career in theater before making her screen debut in Giuseppe Bertolucci's 1981  Oggetti Smarrit  (Lost and Found). The film that brought her recognition outside Italy was Nanni Moretti’s 2001  La stanza del figlio  (The Son's Room). Morante's character deals with the devastating loss of a child, and her sensitivity to the feelings of her character was apparent as she went through so many of the painful stages of mourning a loved one.  Since she started out as a dancer, Morante found common ground with her character, Yolanda, in John Malkovich's  The Dancer Upstairs . Although she has ...

A poignant documentary film will be released on March 8 on the occasion of International Women's Day. "Strane Straniere" ( Strange Foreigners), the new film by Elisa Amoruso was presented at the 2016 Rome Film Festival in the program dedicated to young filmmakers-  Alice nella città, in the section- Kino Panorama Italia. The film tells the story of five women:  Ana, Ljuba, Radi, Sihem and Sonia five that have left their countries for various reasons in search of a new life in Rome. The one thing these women have in common is that they are  entrepreneurs, each starting her own business. Over the course one day, Amorous explores the process of assimilating and reinventing themselves in this beautiful, but foreign land. From work to family to business, the film touches on the  interwoven stories of five strong, determined women. Watch the trailer....

"I have an innate passion for human relationships, and how people manifest emotions, reactions and feelings."  Those words come from Italian filmmaker, Maria Sole Tognazzi. Born in 1971, she grew up surrounded by cinema.  She is the daughter of legendary comedy actor, Ugo Tognazzi, one of the most prominent characters of the "Commedia all'Italiana".  Maria Sole is the youngest of four children and took a different path than her siblings. Unlike her brothers, Gianmarco, Ricky and Thomas, all successful actors, Maria prefers to stay behind the camera.  She started her career by working as an assistant director and made a series of video clips and a short film, Non finisce qui . Her follow up to that film, C'ero anch'io,  set the foundation for her first feature-length film, the ensemble comedy, Passato prossimo . The all-star cast includes her brother, Gianmarco along with Paola Cortellesi, Valentina Cervi, Pierfrancesco Fav...

Valeria Golino on the set of "Miele" Valeria Golino will present her directorial debut film to New York audiences tonight along with her star, Jasmine Trinca. "Miele" (Honey) is the story of Irene, a woman who lives an isolated life. She works in a hospice setting, helping terminally-ill people die with dignity by giving them a drug. One day she supplies a supposed new client with a fatal dose, only to find out he’s perfectly healthy. Irene is determined not to be responsible for his suicide. From this moment, Irene and Grimaldi are locked unwillingly in a tense and unusual relationship which will change Irene’s life forever. Valeria Golino Valeria Golino is one of Italy's most celebrated actresses, but she is no stranger to American cinema. Born in Naples in 1966, Golino is most recognized in the U.S. for her role in "Rain Man." She's was the girlfriend of Tom Cruise's character, Charlie. The role put her on the map as an internation...