Italian Cinema Today

In a scene from  Cesare Deve Morire They say that everyone has a story and actor Salvatore Striano is no exception. Born in 1972 in Napoli's notoriously rough neighborhood of Spagnoli, Striano comes from a hard-working family. The third of four children, Striano lost his way during his teenage years, but rebounded like no other, and today he is considered one of Italy’s most talented character actors. Striano describes his family as “gente semplice” – simple people. His father left for work at 5:30 in the morning and worked well into the evenings. His mother sold clothes at sidewalk stands. At the age of 9, his toddler sister came down with a serious illness and was hospitalized for several months. Striano’s mother did not leave her side. With a father that worked all day and a mother at the bedside of her daughter, there was little to no supervision during that period for Salvatore and his siblings. That’s when things started to go wrong and his so-called street life began...

I’ve been seeing a ton of press on social media about a new RaiUno fiction that will air tonight in Italy about a fisherman turned mayor. “Il Sindaco Pescatore” which literally translates to the “The Fisherman Mayor”, boasts an amazing cast and reconstructs the story of an honest man who stood up for his beliefs and in doing so, paid the ultimate price. Sergio Castellitto portrays Angelo Vassallo, a professional fisherman who faced the dangers of his job knowing that he may or may not return from a day’s work on the tumultuous sea. Described as an “angry fisherman”, Vassallo was outspoken about his observations on the general disrespect of the environment and government policies whether local or national. So he decided to take matters into his own hands and run for mayor of his seaside town of Pollica, a commune of Salerno in the region of Campania. He was victorious in his pursuit and when he transitioned to a career in politics, the bravery and realism of his days a...

I just discovered the Barilla spots by Gabriele Salvatores and Pierfrancesco Favino.. and I have to say that I really love them. Upon further research, I learned that this tradition of borrowing the talents of Italian cinema for Barilla commercials goes way back to the 60's and includes artists like Federico Fellini and Mina. The new spots feature Favino in everyday stories, which highlight the features of Barilla's new products. Filming began   in May of last year at Barilla's   headquarters in Parma , and  t he campaign hit the airwaves in September . I stumbled upon a spot when I was searching for something completely unrelated. What a nice surprise! Here are a few of the spots, plus one of Fellini's from the 80's. You can see more by going to YouTube and searching Pubblicità Barilla Pierfrancesco Favino.

He is best known for the design of a monumental structure in the early 1970’s and now he is being celebrated by a whole new generation of admirers.   Italian engineer Sergio Musmeci is credited with the design of the Basento Bridge or Musmeci Bridge over the river Basento near Potenza in southern Italy. Musmeci designed the structure in 1967. The construction took place between 1971 and 1976, weighing heavily on the engineer’s theories of minimum structural design. The bridge was built on the main route of transportation between the industrial and residential areas of the city.   Fast forward some 40 years later and a young filmmaker named Vania Cauzillo is presenting her documentary film on Sergio Musmeci in the city in which his bridge stands.     Born and raised in Potenza, Cauzillo’s documentary, “La ricerca della forma, Il genio di Sergio Musmeci” premiered to a packed house last Friday in Rome at the MAXXI Museum, a haven of art and cinema located...

“I found it fun to deconstruct the legend of success, to portray the arrogance of those who lose sight of what matters and how corruptible people are." Actor Fabio De Luigi steps   behind the camera for " Tiramisù," a new comedy featuring  Vittoria Puccini , Angelo Duro , Alberto Farina , Giulia Bevilacqua , Nicola Pistoia , John Esposito , Orso Maria Guerrini and Pippo Franco . The film follows   Antonio Moscati ( Fabio De Luigi ), a pharmaceutical rep with little enthusiasm for his job, and therefore little success. His wife, Aurora ( Vittoria Puccini ), is a sweet woman , but  Antonio has this nagging   fear that   she will soon tire   of him and his mediocre lifestyle . Everything changes one day when Antonio accidently leaves the tiramisù his wife made in a doctor's office. " Tiramisù"  opens   in Italian theaters on 25 February. Watch the trailer here .

A new hashtag is gaining momentum on social media. #Luogoideale is the brainchild of journalist and filmmaker Sergio Ragone, and was created to express his pride for the land in which he was born and raised- Basilicata.    Ragone is no stranger to Italian Cinema Today. I have spoken with him on several occasions about the resurgence in film production that is happening now in his region. This time, we talked about the motive behind this hashtag, #luogoideale and what makes his cherished region of Basilicata such an ideal place to live, visit and film. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included. What is the story behind this hashtag #luogoideale, which translated means, ideal place? I’ve done a lot in recent years. I’ve been in the company of those who told me stories of courage and beauty. They were stories about the south, specifically Basilicata. I’ve realized by travelling across the region that the beauty before my eyes has been seen an...

It premiered at the Festa del Cinema in Rome last October, now director Gabriele Mainetti's action-packed thriller will open across Italy at the end of February. "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot" (They call me Jeeg Robot) is the story of Enzo Ceccotti (Claudio Santamaria, an ex-con from the slums, who comes into contact with a radioactive substance, then accidentally discovers he has superpowers. A somewhat sneaky introvert, he's sure his new capabilities will do wonders for his life in crime, but that all changes when he meets Alessia (Illenia Pastorelli), who's convinced he's the hero from the famous Japanese comic strip, Steel Jeeg Robot. For more information, visit Cineuropa's comprehensive FilmFOCUS . Watch the teaser trailer... And the second teaser trailer...