A visual love letter to the Sicilian culture and landscape, Sergio Gianfalla’s documentary “Sicily in Photographs” features images taken by a few of the island’s most renowned photographers, including Angelo Pitrone, Melania Messina and Mauro D’Agati, and the stories behind them. The film begins with the photographers talking about what initially sparked their interest in photography and then what fueled their passion to master their craft. We are then taken through the Sicilian countryside for a firsthand look at the natural landscape that has captured their intrigue through the years.   ..read more

When a team of speleologists descended 700 meters into the Bifurto Abyss in Cosenza, Calabria, in 1961, they discovered that the underground caverns were the third deepest in the world and the deepest in Europe. Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Frammartino retraces that mission six decades later with a cast of locals and their livestock in his latest documentary, “Il buco” (“The Hole”). Inspiration for the film came while he was on location shooting his 2007 documentary, “Le quattro volte” (“Four Times”). Officials in the Pollino mountains, which stretch between Calabria and Basilicata, showed ..read more

Anna Magnani in a scene from "Mamma Roma" Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1962 “Mamma Roma” starring Anna Magnani, follows the title character, a Roman prostitute determined to change her life and give her son the opportunities she never had. She seizes the opportunity to leave her life on the streets behind when her pimp (Franco Citti) gets married and frees her from his possession. Mamma then goes to the small provincial town of Guidonia to fetch her son, Ettore (Ettore Garofolo), and bring him to Rome to embark on their new life together. She buys a pushcart, finds an apartment in a nice nei ..read more

As 2023 has drawn to a close, we look back at one event that honored a living legend. Organizers of the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival, which ran August 30 – September 9, recognized a number of iconic artists. Tributes included a film retrospective dedicated to Gina Lollobrigida, who passed away in January.  One special recognition went to director Liliana Cavani, who was awarded a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Now 90 years old, Cavani was there to receive her award and later presented her new film, "L'ordine del tempo,” which premiered out of competition.  ..read more

Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO She became an international overnight sensation for her role in the HBO hit series “The White Lotus,” but she’s no stranger to Italian moviegoers. Born in Naples in 1994, Simona Tabasco started acting when she was just 8 years old. Her craft is second nature to her now, but acting didn’t always come easily. In an interview with Forbes, she explained, “The spark that started my acting career didn’t happen right away when I started acting, but it broke out during the last 10 years.” Her first feature film role came around that time in Edoardo De Angelis’ 2014 cri ..read more

A recently recovered film treasure will make its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival next week.  “Pier Paolo Pasolini – Agnès Varda – New York – 1967” is a short documentary shot with 16 mm color film by the French director Agnès Varda in New York City. The two were in town for the 4th edition of the New York Film Festival. The footage shows Pasolini walking around Times Square narrated by a Q&A voiceover between the two discussing filmmaking, Christianity and life.    The clarity is stunning for a film made more than 50 years ago. The footage was discove ..read more

Calabrese actor and musician Fortunato Verduci has a new project; an enchanting music video celebrating the land he loves so much. Set at the Castle of Santo Niceto, an 11th-century Byzantine castle situated on a hilltop in Motta San Giovanni in the province of Reggio Calabria, Verduci and model Maryame Jafire recite a tale of love to the organetto-inspired song, “l'amuri effectu.” Directed by photographer and video editor Vincenzo Sanci, the song is performed by musicians Giuseppe Lucà, who is also a manufacturer of traditional Calabrian instruments, and Antonio Nicolò, a renowned expert in ..read more

Tommaso Ragno in a scene from "Nostalgia" A seasoned character actor, his performances reflect the diversity and intensity of his stage training as well as his knack for comic timing. Born in 1967 in the region of Puglia, Tommaso Ragno grew up in the north of Italy and studied acting at the Paolo Grassi School of Dramatic Arts in Milan. In 1988, he appeared in his first stage production, which was directed by Mario Martone, a filmmaker who would have a huge impact on his work.    Ragno continued perfecting his craft, building a distinguished career as a theater actor for a d ..read more

With a passion for telling stories about women, and a talent for creating compelling dramas, she has created unique works that resonate with audiences worldwide. Born in 1981 in Rome, Elisa Amoruso studied Performing Arts at the city’s La Sapienza University, and went on to further her studies in screenwriting at Rome’s famed Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.   She began her filmmaking career with short narratives and documentaries that were met with much success and prestigious awards including the David Donatello and Nastro d’Argento from the Italian Journalists Association.  ..read more

Lincoln Center described Pietro Marcello as “quietly redefining contemporary Italian cinema.” While the filmmaker says that the neorealist masterpieces of Vittorio De Sica have moved him to tears, he has charted a dramatically different course while drawing deeply from those cinematic roots. Born in 1976 in Caserta, Italy, Marcello attended Naples’ renowned Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied painting. Finding himself drawn to storytelling, he launched the radio program “Il tempo dei Magliari” and began experimenting with documentaries. “Carta” and “Scampia” were among his first short fil ..read more