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Giuseppe de Liguoro: A Pioneer of Early Italian Cinema
Giuseppe de Liguoro Credit: Museo Nazionale del Cinema – TorinoBorn in Naples on January 10, 1869, Giuseppe de Liguoro is credited with creating historical, epic films that reached beyond the borders...
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Netflix's ‘SanPa: Sins of the Savior’
From Variety..Netflix’s first Italian original doc series “SanPa: Sins of the Savior” follows controversial drug rehab founder Vincenzo Muccioli, and has made a splash on the platform since its Dec. 30...
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Cesare Zavattini: A Screenwriter Who Helped Define Italian Cinema
He may not be a household name, but he was a major force behind the rise of the neorealism movement and Italy’s Golden Age of Cinema.Screenwriter Cesare Zavattini was born in the region of...
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Criterion Channel Marks 30 Years of Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation
Ten shorts by the Sicilian documentary filmmaker Vittorio De Seta will be made available on the Criterion Channel, January 28. In recognition of 30 years since Martin Scorsese founded the Film...
View ArticleItalian Biblical Movies to Watch During Lent
Join me in beginning the Lenten season with my favorite adaptation of one of the Gospels- Pier Paolo Pasolini's 1964 “Il Vangolo Secondo Matteo" (The Gospel According to St. Matthew) and a few...
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Spaghetti, aglio, olio, peperoncino with Alberto Sordi
Last Sunday we launched the eighth edition of our winter series Cinema & Cibo with an update from our first edition in 2014, a film shown that year at the Berlin Film Fest that has recently been...
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Comedy Groundbreaker Franca Valeri
Comedic pioneer Franca Valeri was born Alma Franca Maria Norsa in Milan in 1920 to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother. Forced to hide her religious identity during World War II, she turned personal...
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Celebrate Giulietta Masina's 100th Birthday with a Walking Tour of Rome
Last year, we celebrated the centennials of Alberto Sordi, Federico Fellini and Franca Valeri. This year, it's Giulietta Masina's turn to shine. Born on February 22, 1921 in San Giorgio di Piano, a...
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From the Golden Age to Contemporary Italian Cinema, Sophia Loren Remains in...
After nearly a decade away from the spotlight, Sophia Loren has returned to the screen in a film directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. Now available on Netflix, “La vita davanti a sé” (The Life Ahead) is...
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Olive Harvesting in Calabria- Life Imitates Art
Ciccio's Olive GrovesIn this week’s edition of Cibo & Cinema, a look at olive harvesting in Calabria with one of my favorite short films- Luigi Di Gianni’s 1967 “Tempo di Raccolta,” which documents...
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March is Full of Italian Films, Stars and Locations
If Stanley Tucci's CNN series "Searching for Italy" is making you nostalgic for Italian culture, you are in for a treat as March is jam packed with new Italian arrivals. Below is a list of interesting,...
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"Around 1918, (Francesca) Bertini was probably the most powerful woman in Italian cinema. She was certainly the highest paid, and her authoritative temperament and exorbitant privileges were so well...
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Cinema & Cibo: A Short Film Reflects How Food and Family Intertwine for...
Veronica Spedicati’s “Il Nostro Tempo” (Our Time) follows a young girl as she deals with her father’s declining health. I saw the short film during the celebration of the International Day of Italian...
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Conversations with the Women Directors of the 2021 Rochester Independent...
It was such a pleasure for me to curate the Italian Section of the Rochester Independent Global Film Series. Our final lineup features six films, four of which are directed by women. I am grateful for...
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Mimmo Verdesca's Portrait of Alida Valli Streams One Day Only in the US
A new documentary about actress Alida Valli will be available in the United States on Sunday, March 21 through the virtual film festival, Filming Italy Los Angeles. Contemporary actress Giovanna...
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Celebrate Nino Manfredi's Centennial
Born Saturnino Manfredi on March 22, 1921, in Frosinone, Nino Manfredi was one of Italy’s most prolific actors from the 1950s to right before his death in 2004.Manfredi graduated with a law degree but...
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Design Visionaries Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo
Written by Sveva De MarinisDuring the 6th edition of Filming Italy Los Angeles, production designers Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, who have been married for years, hosted a masterclass and...
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A Conversation with Director Luca Caserta
Luca Caserta's 2019 short film "Dimmi chi sono" (Tell Me Who I Am) has received high acclaim from every corner of the globe. "Dimmi chi sono" is the story of a young mother who is violently attacked...
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Happy 90th Birthday, Adriana Asti!
"Be like me, I don't love anybody anymore and they call me Amore." An unforgettable line in Pier Paolo Pasolini's 1961 "Accattone" came from a spirited, light-hearted prostitute portrayed by Adriana...
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Marco Pontecorvo's "Fatima" Now in Theaters and Streaming
Marco Pontecorvo’s “Fatima” opened today in theaters across the US.Based on the true story of the 1917 Marian apparitions reported by three children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal,...
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