Continuing its push into the genre space, Italy’s Indiana Production has announced it is set to produce action chiller “Piranhas in Rome – The Great Horror Beauty,” from a screenplay by ace Rome-based writing duo Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti, who penned hit superhero movie “They Call Me Jeeg.”
While its director is still being decided, the “Piranhas in Rome” scribes are promoting the project that is set in an “apocalyptic and aquatic” Eternal City “as it has never seen before,” according to a synopsis.
Menotti (which is the pen name of comic book artist and screenwriter Roberto Marchionni) provided Variety with exclusive concept art – see image above – for the live-action project in which predatory freshwater fish invade Rome by entering the city’s water supply system through the Tiber river.
The film’s heroic protagonists are Ilenia, a policewoman hellbent on doing anything to save the Italian capital, even if...
While its director is still being decided, the “Piranhas in Rome” scribes are promoting the project that is set in an “apocalyptic and aquatic” Eternal City “as it has never seen before,” according to a synopsis.
Menotti (which is the pen name of comic book artist and screenwriter Roberto Marchionni) provided Variety with exclusive concept art – see image above – for the live-action project in which predatory freshwater fish invade Rome by entering the city’s water supply system through the Tiber river.
The film’s heroic protagonists are Ilenia, a policewoman hellbent on doing anything to save the Italian capital, even if...
- 7/24/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Over the past few years Italian cinema has been making strides in the global arena and 2024 looks likely to bolster its international standing. New works by top auteurs Paolo Sorrentino and Luca Guadagnino will be launching from the festival circuit just as a fresh crop of directors comes to fore, starting with Margherita Vicario, whose first film “Gloria!” scored a Berlin competition slot.
Below is a compendium of new Italian movies set to hit this year’s fest circuit.
“Another End” – Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve (“The Worse Person in the World”) star as lovers caught in an unusual bind in Italian director Piero Messina’s sci-fi film “Another End” which is competing in Berlin. This second feature by Messina – whose first feature, “The Wait,” launched with a splash in the 2015 Venice competition – is set in a near-future when a new technology exists that can put the consciousness of...
Below is a compendium of new Italian movies set to hit this year’s fest circuit.
“Another End” – Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve (“The Worse Person in the World”) star as lovers caught in an unusual bind in Italian director Piero Messina’s sci-fi film “Another End” which is competing in Berlin. This second feature by Messina – whose first feature, “The Wait,” launched with a splash in the 2015 Venice competition – is set in a near-future when a new technology exists that can put the consciousness of...
- 2/17/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Khaby Lame, the Senegalese-born Italian influencer who is the most-followed content creator on TikTok, is set to make his feature film debut playing a food delivery rider who is recruited by the CIA in an action-comedy that will take him around the world.
The English-language spy comedy working-titled “00Khaby” – and set in Italy, the U.S., Monte Carlo, Dubai and France’s Côte d’Azur, among other locations – will see Lame playing a JustEat rider who, after intersecting with a dissident scientist, is recruited by the CIA as bait to mislead enemy secret services. “While he runs away from arms traffickers and steals DNA samples, the clumsy secret agent must also deal with his jealous Italian Chinese girlfriend and her annoying little brother,” reads the film’s synopsis. “But in the end, thanks to a mix of cunning, luck and his unshakeable optimism, he will be able to foil no less than World War III.
The English-language spy comedy working-titled “00Khaby” – and set in Italy, the U.S., Monte Carlo, Dubai and France’s Côte d’Azur, among other locations – will see Lame playing a JustEat rider who, after intersecting with a dissident scientist, is recruited by the CIA as bait to mislead enemy secret services. “While he runs away from arms traffickers and steals DNA samples, the clumsy secret agent must also deal with his jealous Italian Chinese girlfriend and her annoying little brother,” reads the film’s synopsis. “But in the end, thanks to a mix of cunning, luck and his unshakeable optimism, he will be able to foil no less than World War III.
- 2/1/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has rounded out its cast, bringing on 11 international talents to star opposite the returning Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. The list includes Salvatore Esposito (Gomorrah), Orli Shuka (Gangs of London), Evin Ahmad (Who Is Erin Carter?), Cristian Solimeno (The Glass Man), Nazmiye Oral (Propaganda), Yasen Zates Atour (The Witcher), Giuseppe Schillaci (Romulus), Dino Kelly (Peaky Blinders), Rico Verhoeven (Black Lotus), Velibor Topic (Outside the Wire) and Antonio Bustorff (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One).
(L-r) Rico Verhoeven, Velibor Topić and Antonio Bustorff
Wrapping principal photography on July 5th — a little more than a week prior to the launch of the SAG-AFTRA strike — Pantera marks the sequel to Den of Thieves, the action thriller from writer-director Christian Gudegast which grossed nearly $45M stateside and more than $80M WW via STX in 2018. The original film watches as a group from the L.
(L-r) Rico Verhoeven, Velibor Topić and Antonio Bustorff
Wrapping principal photography on July 5th — a little more than a week prior to the launch of the SAG-AFTRA strike — Pantera marks the sequel to Den of Thieves, the action thriller from writer-director Christian Gudegast which grossed nearly $45M stateside and more than $80M WW via STX in 2018. The original film watches as a group from the L.
- 8/1/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The main jury for the upcoming Venice Film Festival has added a number of prestigious filmmakers, with Jane Campion, Martin McDonagh, Laura Poitras and Mia Hansen-Løve joining jury president Damien Chazelle for the festival.
Other jurors on the panel include Saleh Bakri (“Wajib”), Gabriele Mainetti (“They Call Me Jeeg”), Santiago Mitre and Shu Qi (“The Assassin”).
The jury is responsible for awarding the following prizes during the festival: Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay and “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.
The festival also unveiled the juries for the other sections on Thursday, with the Orizzonti section jury set to include Jonas Carpignano, Kaouther Ben Hania, Kahlil Joseph, Jean-Paul Salomé and Tricia Tuttle.
The “Luigi De Laurentis” award for a debut film,...
Other jurors on the panel include Saleh Bakri (“Wajib”), Gabriele Mainetti (“They Call Me Jeeg”), Santiago Mitre and Shu Qi (“The Assassin”).
The jury is responsible for awarding the following prizes during the festival: Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay and “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.
The festival also unveiled the juries for the other sections on Thursday, with the Orizzonti section jury set to include Jonas Carpignano, Kaouther Ben Hania, Kahlil Joseph, Jean-Paul Salomé and Tricia Tuttle.
The “Luigi De Laurentis” award for a debut film,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Vmi Releasing has picked up North American rights to the fantastical WWII drama Freaks vs. the Reich (formerly Freaks Out), which won eight awards at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, including the Grafetta d’Oro for Best Film, and went on to land six David di Donatello Awards from the Academy of Italian Cinema the following year. The second feature from director Gabriele Mainetti (They Call Me Jeeg) will bow in theaters and on digital on April 28th.
Related Story Roadside Attractions Acquires Emerson Brothers Drama ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ With Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe & Zooey Deschanel Related Story Vmi Releasing Taps 'Skinamarink' Exec Producer Jonathan Barkan As Head Of U.S. Distribution Related Story Michael Madsen Horror Gets North America Deal; Toronto Music Biz Pic Adds Cast; Carmen Aguirre Memoir Optioned — North America Briefs
The film set in 1943 Rome opens on an artisanal circus owned by elderly magician,...
Related Story Roadside Attractions Acquires Emerson Brothers Drama ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ With Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe & Zooey Deschanel Related Story Vmi Releasing Taps 'Skinamarink' Exec Producer Jonathan Barkan As Head Of U.S. Distribution Related Story Michael Madsen Horror Gets North America Deal; Toronto Music Biz Pic Adds Cast; Carmen Aguirre Memoir Optioned — North America Briefs
The film set in 1943 Rome opens on an artisanal circus owned by elderly magician,...
- 4/3/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film festival is back in person at the Glasgow Film Theatre, which for 17 glorious years has been FrightFest’s second home, as part of the internationally renowned Glasgow Film Festival.
From Thursday 10th March to Saturday 12th March, FrightFest opens its terror trove to present twelve tasty treasures; an extravaganza of the dark arts, embracing the latest genre discoveries from around the globe, spanning eight countries in three continents, which includes World, International and UK premieres.
Alan Jones, co-director of FrightFest commentated:
It’s with great delight and with every single bloody bell and werewolf whistle available, we can proudly announce that FrightFest Glasgow 2022 will be an awesome in-person event featuring the best new fantasy, horror and thriller movies, plus all the expected trimmings.
Despite the gloom and doom being spoken about the future of the film industry in general, it’s heartening to...
From Thursday 10th March to Saturday 12th March, FrightFest opens its terror trove to present twelve tasty treasures; an extravaganza of the dark arts, embracing the latest genre discoveries from around the globe, spanning eight countries in three continents, which includes World, International and UK premieres.
Alan Jones, co-director of FrightFest commentated:
It’s with great delight and with every single bloody bell and werewolf whistle available, we can proudly announce that FrightFest Glasgow 2022 will be an awesome in-person event featuring the best new fantasy, horror and thriller movies, plus all the expected trimmings.
Despite the gloom and doom being spoken about the future of the film industry in general, it’s heartening to...
- 3/3/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Italy’s robust 2022 Berlinale representation of a half-dozen titles runs the gamut from the latest works by venerable veterans Paolo Taviani and Dario Argento to pics by fresh new Cinema Italiano voices including Chiara Bellosi, whose first film, “Ordinary Justice,” launched from Berlin in 2020.
Taviani, who is 91, is returning to Berlin but alone this time — his filmmaker brother, Vittorio, with whom he won a Golden Bear in 2012 for “Caesar Must Die,” passed away in 2018 — in competition with surreal drama “Leonora Addio,” inspired by a short story by Italian playwright and author Luigi Pirandello.
Argento, who set his 1977 chiller “Suspiria” in Germany, will be at the Berlinale for the first time as a director with Rome-set suspenser “Dark Glasses,” though he was on the fest’s main jury panel in 2001. Film unspools as a Berlinale Special Gala.
Bellosi is back with Panaorama selection “Swing Ride” (“Calcinculo”), about a 15-year-old named...
Taviani, who is 91, is returning to Berlin but alone this time — his filmmaker brother, Vittorio, with whom he won a Golden Bear in 2012 for “Caesar Must Die,” passed away in 2018 — in competition with surreal drama “Leonora Addio,” inspired by a short story by Italian playwright and author Luigi Pirandello.
Argento, who set his 1977 chiller “Suspiria” in Germany, will be at the Berlinale for the first time as a director with Rome-set suspenser “Dark Glasses,” though he was on the fest’s main jury panel in 2001. Film unspools as a Berlinale Special Gala.
Bellosi is back with Panaorama selection “Swing Ride” (“Calcinculo”), about a 15-year-old named...
- 2/13/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Ten years after turning in a vampire film that was lifeless in all the wrong ways and only seven months after making an improbable comeback as an actor for Gaspar Noé, Dario Argento has returned behind the camera, returned to the genre that made him famous, and returned to the Berlin International Film Festival with “Dark Glasses,” . If it falls ever-so-short, you’ve got to give it points for trying.
Shot after the 81-year-old filmmaker finished his work on “Vortex,” Argento’s latest directorial outing feels, in some small way, like a response to his rather somber acting debut. If Argento the actor was last seen quite literally fading away on-screen, Argento the director stages his follow-up to be a perfectly lurid reply, as if to say: “I’m not gone yet!”
The filmmaker loses no time setting the scene; once actor Ilenia Pastorelli (“They Call Me Jeeg”) full-body swaggers...
Shot after the 81-year-old filmmaker finished his work on “Vortex,” Argento’s latest directorial outing feels, in some small way, like a response to his rather somber acting debut. If Argento the actor was last seen quite literally fading away on-screen, Argento the director stages his follow-up to be a perfectly lurid reply, as if to say: “I’m not gone yet!”
The filmmaker loses no time setting the scene; once actor Ilenia Pastorelli (“They Call Me Jeeg”) full-body swaggers...
- 2/11/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Indiewire
At 81, Italian horror maestro Dario Argento is busier than ever.
The director of a string of cult chiller classics starting in the 1970s, including “The Bird With the Crystal Plumage,” “Suspiria” and “Deep Red,” was at Cannes last July with his acting debut in Gaspar Noe’s “Vortex,” about a pair of old lovers. Argento was also celebrated last year with a new book by Italian critic Steve Della Casa and a retro at New York’s Lincoln Center. This spring he’s set to be honored with a big show at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema in Turin.
More significantly, having returned to the director’s chair after a decade, Argento is back with “Dark Glasses,” which he describes as a classic thriller, or giallo, as the violent crime genre is known in Italy.
“Dark Glasses,” which is set in present-day Rome, screens on Feb. 11 as a Berlinale Special Gala,...
The director of a string of cult chiller classics starting in the 1970s, including “The Bird With the Crystal Plumage,” “Suspiria” and “Deep Red,” was at Cannes last July with his acting debut in Gaspar Noe’s “Vortex,” about a pair of old lovers. Argento was also celebrated last year with a new book by Italian critic Steve Della Casa and a retro at New York’s Lincoln Center. This spring he’s set to be honored with a big show at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema in Turin.
More significantly, having returned to the director’s chair after a decade, Argento is back with “Dark Glasses,” which he describes as a classic thriller, or giallo, as the violent crime genre is known in Italy.
“Dark Glasses,” which is set in present-day Rome, screens on Feb. 11 as a Berlinale Special Gala,...
- 2/11/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
... a Rome-set giallo about a prostitute blinded by a serial killer in a botched attack who takes in a young Chinese boy whose life has also been abruptly altered forever by the maniac’s actions. He will become her ally in a struggle to see off the serial killer once and for all. Deadline was the first to share a new and graphic trailer for Dark Glasses the first film from horror icon Dario Argento in a decade! Dark Glasses is an Italian-language movie starring Ilenia Pastorelli (They Call Me Jeeg). Argento's daughter Asia (Land Of The Dead) and Andrea Zhang also star. Check out the trailer down below. And yes, it is indeed graphic. Good to see you again, Signor Argento. ...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/10/2022
- Screen Anarchy
After launching last year’s edition as a two-pronged event held last March and June, this year’s Berlin Film Festival is attempting to return to (relative) normalcy, complete with an enviable lineup of new films. While the Berlinale’s European Film Market has moved online, this year’s Berlin Film Festival is sticking to an in-person event with limited capacity, mandatory vaccines, and no parties.
But although moviegoers might not be literally partying it up during the course of the 10-day festival, there will still be plenty to celebrate, including new films from beloved auteurs like Claire Denis, Dario Argento, Quentin Dupieux, Ursula Meier, and Peter Strickland, plus new works from rising stars on the international circuit like Kivu Ruhorahoza, Ashley McKenzie, and Li Ruijun. There are Covid-made features and murderous revenge thrillers, small-scale romances and real-life twins making their debut, and at least one film that just might...
But although moviegoers might not be literally partying it up during the course of the 10-day festival, there will still be plenty to celebrate, including new films from beloved auteurs like Claire Denis, Dario Argento, Quentin Dupieux, Ursula Meier, and Peter Strickland, plus new works from rising stars on the international circuit like Kivu Ruhorahoza, Ashley McKenzie, and Li Ruijun. There are Covid-made features and murderous revenge thrillers, small-scale romances and real-life twins making their debut, and at least one film that just might...
- 2/9/2022
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Back in 2016, Italian director Gabriele Mainetti won the audience award at the Amsterdam Imagine film festival with his excellent superhero drama They Call Me Jeeg Robot. In a world which started to be seriously oversaturated with superhero films already, Mainetti's entry was fresh and full of real empathy. It caused me to say in my review: "...if this film truly jumpstarts a new age of Italian genre films, then Gabriele Mainetti has officially become my new superhero." Well... his latest entry Freaks Out just won the audience award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where people rated it a 4.5 out of 5. Amazingly, again it's a superhero film. Kinda. Sort...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/8/2022
- Screen Anarchy
In the pantheon of notoriously unavailable films, Jerry Lewis’ “The Day the Clown Cried” occupies a special plinth: Its outline — a circus clown is imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp where he cheers up Jewish children before being forced to lead them to their doom — makes it one of the few movies to have been suppressed purely on the grounds of “yikes.” It is perhaps unfair to compare it with “Freaks Out,” the second film from Italian director Gabriele Mainetti (“They Call Me Jeeg”), though given that Mainetti’s film also involves circus performers, Nazis and a train full of Jewish people being transported to the camps, quite which film the comparison is unfair to is up for debate. After all, Lewis’ boondoggle didn’t have in it a psychotic, ether-addicted, six-fingered, “Sieg Heil!”-ing pianist who can see into the future, and a whole host of references to, of all things,...
- 9/9/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
The country’s box office is still sputtering but Italian cinema is instead “in a state of grace,” as Venice chief Alberto Barbera put it recently as he announced the five features from Italy that are competing for the fest’s Golden Lion. It’s the most he’s ever selected from Italy.
And Barbera is adamant that he didn’t allocate almost one-fourth of Venice’s 21 competition slots to Cinema Italiano “to support our colors at a difficult time.”
“Some years he selects very little from Italy,” notes Barbara Salabè, who is the top Warner Bros. exec in Italy. “But this year Alberto told me: ‘the [Italian] films are good.’”
The Italian contingent on the Lido spans a wide range of cinematic styles, from “Il Buco,” an eclectic film with no dialogue or music about a group of speleologists who, in 1961, discover the world’s second-deepest cave — directed by underground helmer Michelangelo Frammartino,...
And Barbera is adamant that he didn’t allocate almost one-fourth of Venice’s 21 competition slots to Cinema Italiano “to support our colors at a difficult time.”
“Some years he selects very little from Italy,” notes Barbara Salabè, who is the top Warner Bros. exec in Italy. “But this year Alberto told me: ‘the [Italian] films are good.’”
The Italian contingent on the Lido spans a wide range of cinematic styles, from “Il Buco,” an eclectic film with no dialogue or music about a group of speleologists who, in 1961, discover the world’s second-deepest cave — directed by underground helmer Michelangelo Frammartino,...
- 9/4/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Venice this year has the goods and the glitz with a star-studded lineup packed with hotly anticipated titles such as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” and Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” alongside more esoteric titles. It’s likely to make the Lido a place to reignite theatrical and bolster its standing as an awards season kingmaker.
The U.S. studios and indies will be out in force. European cinema is well-represented, especially Italy. Latin America has a significant presence, as does the Middle East. The only notable absence is China, which, due to Covid restrictions, makes travel to and from the country extremely difficult for filmmakers.
“Up until recently all Americans were in lockdown, which was much more rigid than what European productions had to contend with,” says Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera. “Americans shuttered for a year, films were not released,...
The U.S. studios and indies will be out in force. European cinema is well-represented, especially Italy. Latin America has a significant presence, as does the Middle East. The only notable absence is China, which, due to Covid restrictions, makes travel to and from the country extremely difficult for filmmakers.
“Up until recently all Americans were in lockdown, which was much more rigid than what European productions had to contend with,” says Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera. “Americans shuttered for a year, films were not released,...
- 8/27/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italian sales company True Colours has secured a seven-title slate of pics premiering in Venice across various sections, including Mario Martone’s competition entry “The King of Laughter” and high-profile doc “Django and Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained,” in which Quentin Tarantino talks about the influential Spaghetti Westerns director.
Martone (“Capri Revolution”), who is a Lido aficionado, will once again vye for the Golden Lion with “King of Laughter,” a drama about Neapolitan theatre luminary Edoardo Scarpetta, played by Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”). Italy’s 01 Distribution will release the film in Italian theaters in September.
Another Venice competition title that True Colours is handling –– in this case in tandem with Rai Com –– is “Freaks Out,” the new genre-bender by Gabriele Mainetti, known for off-kilter 2016 superhero pic “They Call Me Jeeg.” Mainetti’s latest is set in 1943 Rome where four “freaks” who work in a circus are left to their...
Martone (“Capri Revolution”), who is a Lido aficionado, will once again vye for the Golden Lion with “King of Laughter,” a drama about Neapolitan theatre luminary Edoardo Scarpetta, played by Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”). Italy’s 01 Distribution will release the film in Italian theaters in September.
Another Venice competition title that True Colours is handling –– in this case in tandem with Rai Com –– is “Freaks Out,” the new genre-bender by Gabriele Mainetti, known for off-kilter 2016 superhero pic “They Call Me Jeeg.” Mainetti’s latest is set in 1943 Rome where four “freaks” who work in a circus are left to their...
- 7/29/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival has unveiled a star-studded lineup full of hotly anticipated new works from Jane Campion, Ana Lily Amirpour, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Denis Villeneuve, Ridley Scott, Paolo Sorrentino and Edgar Wright — to name a few standouts — who are likely to bolster the Lido’s standing as an awards season kingmaker.
Amirpour’s “Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon,” in competition, starring Kate Hudson as girl with unusual powers who escapes from a mental asylum, will bring the Iranian-American director back to Venice after her post-apocalyptic cannibal love story “The Bad Batch,” scored the Special Jury Prize in 2016.
Campion, as anticipated by Variety, is competing with “The Power of the Dog,” a drama about feuding brothers set in 1920s Montana starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. “Dog” is one of two Netflix Original films in the Venice competition, the other one being Paolo Sorrentino’s personal drama “The Hand of God,...
Amirpour’s “Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon,” in competition, starring Kate Hudson as girl with unusual powers who escapes from a mental asylum, will bring the Iranian-American director back to Venice after her post-apocalyptic cannibal love story “The Bad Batch,” scored the Special Jury Prize in 2016.
Campion, as anticipated by Variety, is competing with “The Power of the Dog,” a drama about feuding brothers set in 1920s Montana starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. “Dog” is one of two Netflix Original films in the Venice competition, the other one being Paolo Sorrentino’s personal drama “The Hand of God,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Despite Italy having been among countries hardest hit by the pandemic, film production almost never stopped. So there is a backlog of new titles ready to hit global festivals and markets starting from Cannes, as well as newer projects.
Below is a compendium of hot Cinema Italiano titles in various stages of production.
“Bones and All”
Luca Guadagnino started shooting this U.S.-set film in May, marking his first collaboration with Timothée Chalamet since “Call Me by Your Name.” Pic is adapted from the eponymous novel by Camille DeAngelis and tells the story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, a disenfranchised drifter, as they meet and join forces for a road trip through Ronald Reagan’s America.
“La Chimera”
Alice Rohrwacher will soon shoot her fourth feature revolving around the black market of stolen archaeological artifacts.
Below is a compendium of hot Cinema Italiano titles in various stages of production.
“Bones and All”
Luca Guadagnino started shooting this U.S.-set film in May, marking his first collaboration with Timothée Chalamet since “Call Me by Your Name.” Pic is adapted from the eponymous novel by Camille DeAngelis and tells the story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, a disenfranchised drifter, as they meet and join forces for a road trip through Ronald Reagan’s America.
“La Chimera”
Alice Rohrwacher will soon shoot her fourth feature revolving around the black market of stolen archaeological artifacts.
- 7/9/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
This Italian series led by a young man who turns his social invisibility into a superpower is dropping today on Netflix, in a triumph for multiculturalism, inclusion and the fight against prejudice. Invisibility in the eyes of society is transformed into a superpower in Zero, the new Italian Netflix original series created by Menotti (They Call Me Jeeg), based upon an idea by the writer of Angolan origin Antonio Dikele Distefano. This eight-episode production sees an Italian series placing a young, Italian man of colour at the heart of its story, for the very first time, supported by a wholly multicultural cast of young, second generation immigrants, to tackle themes such as diversity, inclusion, gentrification and the sense of belonging within an outer suburb of Milan which has never been shown before. Directed by Paola Randi, Ivan Silvestrini, Margherita Ferri and Mohamed Hossameldin, Zero’s protagonist is Omar (newcomer Giuseppe Dave.
Italy is among the first countries in the world where film and TV production restarted after the peak of the pandemic and the country is now trying to become among the first in Europe to reopen movie theaters.
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini in late February announced tentative plans to reopen Italian cinemas on March 27 in areas with lower Covid-19 infection and death rates, using new stricter social distancing norms. Though it remains to be seen whether Franceschini’s plan will pan out, what’s clear is that “Italy’s trade organizations and the government are engaged in a fruitful dialogue,” says producer Carlo Cresto-Dina, whose Tempesta Film is best-known for regularly shepherding pics by Cannes regular Alice Rohrwacher such as “The Wonders” and “Happy as Lazzaro.”
Cresto Dina points out that “right now in Italy it’s tough to find available crew, since they are all taken,” thanks to the...
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini in late February announced tentative plans to reopen Italian cinemas on March 27 in areas with lower Covid-19 infection and death rates, using new stricter social distancing norms. Though it remains to be seen whether Franceschini’s plan will pan out, what’s clear is that “Italy’s trade organizations and the government are engaged in a fruitful dialogue,” says producer Carlo Cresto-Dina, whose Tempesta Film is best-known for regularly shepherding pics by Cannes regular Alice Rohrwacher such as “The Wonders” and “Happy as Lazzaro.”
Cresto Dina points out that “right now in Italy it’s tough to find available crew, since they are all taken,” thanks to the...
- 3/4/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Since True Colours launched in 2015, it has rapidly doubled the size of its lineups to roughly 20 titles per year, while continuing to carefully curate distribution strategies for each film and made lots of global inroads.
The company is known among Italian producers for transparency and providing rapid sales reports, while foreign buyers like working with execs “because they always make things easy,” says Nicolas Zumaglini, head of content at prominent Latin American distributor Telefilms, who notes that “they have definitely helped spread Italian cinema in the region.” As for True Colours giving cinema Italiano more global reach, the most poignant recent example is “Il Testimone Invisibile” (“The Invisible Witness”), a remake of Spanish thriller (“Contratiempo”), directed by Italy’s Stefano Mordini. “Invisible Witness” is the European title that’s scored the highest gross at the Chinese box office, roughly $5 million, since movie theaters re-opened in China post-pandemic.
The True Colours...
The company is known among Italian producers for transparency and providing rapid sales reports, while foreign buyers like working with execs “because they always make things easy,” says Nicolas Zumaglini, head of content at prominent Latin American distributor Telefilms, who notes that “they have definitely helped spread Italian cinema in the region.” As for True Colours giving cinema Italiano more global reach, the most poignant recent example is “Il Testimone Invisibile” (“The Invisible Witness”), a remake of Spanish thriller (“Contratiempo”), directed by Italy’s Stefano Mordini. “Invisible Witness” is the European title that’s scored the highest gross at the Chinese box office, roughly $5 million, since movie theaters re-opened in China post-pandemic.
The True Colours...
- 11/9/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Now that creator Hideo Kojima has parted ways with Konami, Metal Gear Solid is on ice. The company attempted to produce a game without him, but spinoff Metal Gear Survive was panned on release and sold terribly. As such, five years after the last full entry, there are no plans for any future titles in the series. The last flickering flame is that the movie adaptation by Jordan Vogt-Roberts is apparently still in development at Sony Pictures.
Vogt-Roberts has been working on this for years, regularly posting concept art, marking significant anniversaries with fan videos and hinting at casting. But now, Kojima himself has chipped in by revealing he’s spotted the perfect actor to play Solid Snake, saying:
“Luca Marinelli recently caught my eye after watching The Old Guard and Martin Eden. He played an impressive villain in They Call Me Jeeg Robot, but I think that he will break out soon,...
Vogt-Roberts has been working on this for years, regularly posting concept art, marking significant anniversaries with fan videos and hinting at casting. But now, Kojima himself has chipped in by revealing he’s spotted the perfect actor to play Solid Snake, saying:
“Luca Marinelli recently caught my eye after watching The Old Guard and Martin Eden. He played an impressive villain in They Call Me Jeeg Robot, but I think that he will break out soon,...
- 7/29/2020
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
Produced by Fabula Pictures, the series’ nine episodes directed by Paola Randi, Ivan Silvestrini, Margherita Ferri and Mohamed Hossameldin will be available from the beginning of 2021. Filming has kicked off on a new Italian Netflix Original Series Zero, which was born out of an idea from young Lombardian writer of Angolan origin Antonio Dikele Distefano and created by Menotti (the co-author of They Call Me Jeeg). Written by Dikele Distefano and Menotti, together with Stefano Voltaggio (who’s also Creative Executive Producer on the series) Massimo Vavassori, Carolina Cavalli and Lisandro Monaco, Zero tells the tale of a shy boy with the extraordinary superpower of invisibility. He’s not so much a superhero as a modern hero who discovers his powers when Barrio, a peripheral neighbourhood in Milan from which he longs to escape, finds itself in peril. Zero will have to step into the uncomfortable shoes of a hero,...
American playwright and filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan, French actor and “The Artist” star Bérénice Bejo, and Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir will serve on the International Jury of the Berlin Film Festival.
The other jury members are German producer Bettina Brokemper, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, and programmer, film critic and director Kleber Mendonça Filho from Brazil. As previously reported actor Jeremy Irons will head the jury.
Lonergan wrote and directed “Manchester by the Sea,” for which he won the Oscar for original screenplay. He earned Oscar nominations for co-writing “Gangs of New York” and “You Can Count on Me” in the same category.
Bejo was Oscar nominated for “The Artist” and won best actress at Cannes for “The Past.”
Jacir’s debut feature “Salt of This Sea” was in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival. Her second feature film, “When I Saw You,” premiered in the Berlinale’s Forum section,...
The other jury members are German producer Bettina Brokemper, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, and programmer, film critic and director Kleber Mendonça Filho from Brazil. As previously reported actor Jeremy Irons will head the jury.
Lonergan wrote and directed “Manchester by the Sea,” for which he won the Oscar for original screenplay. He earned Oscar nominations for co-writing “Gangs of New York” and “You Can Count on Me” in the same category.
Bejo was Oscar nominated for “The Artist” and won best actress at Cannes for “The Past.”
Jacir’s debut feature “Salt of This Sea” was in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival. Her second feature film, “When I Saw You,” premiered in the Berlinale’s Forum section,...
- 2/4/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The popular Italian actor-director will play himself in ten episodes that revolve around tics, neuroses and entertaining anecdotes from everyday life; Filmauro is producing for Amazon Studios. “Every single day, I’m put through the mill, with fans turning up at my door, people bumping into me on the street and friends asking me for medical advice. I’ve got a jotter full of notes; I feel like I have a lot of freedom. It’ll be fun. It’ll be a kind of self-analysis.” Carlo Verdone is preparing his debut TV outing, Vita da Carlo, a ten-episode comedy series that will bring together tics, neuroses and entertaining anecdotes from everyday life. The much-loved actor-director will be playing himself, but there will also be a few cameos by some of Italy’s most famous stars. Devised by Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti (They Call Me Jeeg), who are writing it together with Verdone and his long-time.
Netflix recently announced a new Italian original titled “Zero” that will mark the first Italian series centered around the present-day lives of black Italian youths. “Zero” is based on several books by young writer and TV music show host Antonio Dikele Distefano, who was born in Italy from Angolan parents. The project was originated by Italian screenwriter and now creative executive producer Stefano Voltaggio, who pitched it to Netflix. It’s being produced by Italy’s Fabula Pictures, the shingle behind Netflix’s “Baby.” Variety spoke to Voltaggio about how he got this groundbreaking show off the ground. Excerpts.
“Zero” is groundbreaking for Italy in several respects. There’s the subject matter, of course, but also the fact that it originated from a writer pitching it directly to Netflix. How did you pull it all off?
“Zero” was born out of a collaboration between myself and Antonio Dikele Distefano who wrote three novels.
“Zero” is groundbreaking for Italy in several respects. There’s the subject matter, of course, but also the fact that it originated from a writer pitching it directly to Netflix. How did you pull it all off?
“Zero” was born out of a collaboration between myself and Antonio Dikele Distefano who wrote three novels.
- 10/20/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Jack London is one of those writers who lost their place in the pantheon of greats at home but remains a major early 20th-century author in Europe. Though best known in the States for his wilderness novels, London’s key novel is “Martin Eden,” a semi-autobiographical work tracing his background from unschooled sailor to celebrated writer, encompassing all his class anger, political musings and intense dissatisfaction with the life he created. It was made into a forgotten 1942 film starring Glenn Ford and then adapted for TV in the 1970s by the Germans, the French and even the Soviets, all of whom undoubtedly tempered London’s entrenched libertarianism to suit their purposes. Now Pietro Marcello (“The Mouth of the Wolf”) has made it the subject of his sprawling first full-fiction film, sticking close to the narrative while setting it in an undefinable 20th-century moment to make his own statements about the creative process,...
- 9/2/2019
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
It’s a pretty safe bet that the Italian entries at Venice that will make the biggest splashes this year are both TV series premiering in the official selection: Paolo Sorrentino’s limited series “The New Pope” and Stefano Sollima’s cocaine-trafficking drama “ZeroZeroZero.”
While these are both shows by directors who also work in film, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera has no qualms in pointing out that in the film sphere the domestic pickings were slim this year.
Venice selectors received 186 Italian films, which amounts to roughly 10% of the total submissions. “And more than half were unwatchable microbudget first works,” Barbera says. “You wonder: why produce this stuff?”
However, the TV series, both commissioned by Sky Italia and screening out of competition, are on a different level. “They were both a big gamble,” Barbera says. And they cost a lot, “but you really see the results.”
Barbera says everyone...
While these are both shows by directors who also work in film, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera has no qualms in pointing out that in the film sphere the domestic pickings were slim this year.
Venice selectors received 186 Italian films, which amounts to roughly 10% of the total submissions. “And more than half were unwatchable microbudget first works,” Barbera says. “You wonder: why produce this stuff?”
However, the TV series, both commissioned by Sky Italia and screening out of competition, are on a different level. “They were both a big gamble,” Barbera says. And they cost a lot, “but you really see the results.”
Barbera says everyone...
- 8/27/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Bill Murray, Wes Anderson, Ron Howard, Bret Easton Ellis and Hirokazu Kore-eda all confirmed for masterclasses.
Bill Murray will receive the lifetime achievement award from this year’s Rome Film Fest (Oct 17-27) in an accolade to be presented by longtime collaborator Wes Anderson with whom he has worked on films including The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and Moonrise Kingdom.
Anderson will also host a masterclass with Murray.
Additionally, the festival will host the a screening of Ron Howard’s documentary Pavarotti and a masterclass with the Us director.
The complete line-up of the festival will be unveiled onf...
Bill Murray will receive the lifetime achievement award from this year’s Rome Film Fest (Oct 17-27) in an accolade to be presented by longtime collaborator Wes Anderson with whom he has worked on films including The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and Moonrise Kingdom.
Anderson will also host a masterclass with Murray.
Additionally, the festival will host the a screening of Ron Howard’s documentary Pavarotti and a masterclass with the Us director.
The complete line-up of the festival will be unveiled onf...
- 6/24/2019
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Genre filmmaking currently seems to be getting more traction within projects in the Italian cinema pipeline, be it dark fables, a Cosa Nostra thriller with a fresh angle, a Rome origins epic in pre-Roman Latin, or other types. Below is a compendium of standout titles in various stages, some of which may surface on the 2019 festival circuit.
“Pinocchio” — Matteo Garrone, who previously ventured into the world of fable with Salma Hayek-starrer “Tale of Tales,” is currently shooting a live action version of Carlo Collodi’s classic about a puppet that comes to life in which Roberto Benigni is playing Geppetto. Garrone’s $20 million Italian-language pic, which producer Jeremy Thomas has called “a horror story for kids” and “a representation of the original book,” rather than its animated popularization, is a co-production between Italy and France, produced by Garrone’s Archimede Films, Rai Cinema and Jean Labadie’s Le Pacte,...
“Pinocchio” — Matteo Garrone, who previously ventured into the world of fable with Salma Hayek-starrer “Tale of Tales,” is currently shooting a live action version of Carlo Collodi’s classic about a puppet that comes to life in which Roberto Benigni is playing Geppetto. Garrone’s $20 million Italian-language pic, which producer Jeremy Thomas has called “a horror story for kids” and “a representation of the original book,” rather than its animated popularization, is a co-production between Italy and France, produced by Garrone’s Archimede Films, Rai Cinema and Jean Labadie’s Le Pacte,...
- 2/8/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rai Com is kicking off sales in Berlin on Italian producer Ginevra Elkann’s directorial debut, “Magari” (If Only), which stars Brett Gelman (“Fleabag”), Alba Rohrwacher (“Happy as Lazzaro”), Riccardo Scamarcio (“Loro”) and France’s Céline Sallette (“Les Revenants”).
The multi-language pic is currently shooting in the seaside town of Sabaudia, outside Rome.
Produced by Wildside and Rai Cinema, “Magari” is a sentimental comedy about three kids of divorced parents who, while living in Paris with their bourgeois Russian-Orthodox mother, are suddenly packed off and sent to stay with their unconventional and broke Italian father, Carlo.
Elkann wrote the screenplay with writer Chiara Barzini, author of English-language novel “Things That Happened Before the Earthquake.”
Elkann previously directed the short “Vado a Messa,” which screened at Venice. As a producer she’s shepherded several standout festival titles, including Noaz Deshe’s Swahili-language drama “White Shadow,” which won the 2013 Venice Film Festival’s Lion of the Future.
The multi-language pic is currently shooting in the seaside town of Sabaudia, outside Rome.
Produced by Wildside and Rai Cinema, “Magari” is a sentimental comedy about three kids of divorced parents who, while living in Paris with their bourgeois Russian-Orthodox mother, are suddenly packed off and sent to stay with their unconventional and broke Italian father, Carlo.
Elkann wrote the screenplay with writer Chiara Barzini, author of English-language novel “Things That Happened Before the Earthquake.”
Elkann previously directed the short “Vado a Messa,” which screened at Venice. As a producer she’s shepherded several standout festival titles, including Noaz Deshe’s Swahili-language drama “White Shadow,” which won the 2013 Venice Film Festival’s Lion of the Future.
- 2/8/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rome’s Mia market for TV series, feature films and documentaries wrapped on a positive note Sunday after four days of intense dealmaking and presentations, which saw some 2,000 executives, including 400 buyers, sample a substantial offering of select new top notch mostly European product.
“We still don’t generate the big announcements like Mipcom,” said market director Lucia Milazzotto, but, she added “we are growing.” Milazzotto boasted that for its fourth edition the new concept Mia event, created to put Italy back on the markets map, attracted a big rise in U.S. attendees across all sectors, “which means more buyers, and more commissioning editors,” came lured by “the cream of the European crop.”
The American contingent at Mia comprised Anonymous Content chief Paul Green, Oscar-winning multi-hyphenate Bryan Fogel (“Icarus”), Sony Pictures Entertainment Senior VP Katrhyn Busby, “Narcos” show-runner Chris Brancato, and “Bridesmaids” and “Ghostbusters” director Paul Feig. Besides coming to do business,...
“We still don’t generate the big announcements like Mipcom,” said market director Lucia Milazzotto, but, she added “we are growing.” Milazzotto boasted that for its fourth edition the new concept Mia event, created to put Italy back on the markets map, attracted a big rise in U.S. attendees across all sectors, “which means more buyers, and more commissioning editors,” came lured by “the cream of the European crop.”
The American contingent at Mia comprised Anonymous Content chief Paul Green, Oscar-winning multi-hyphenate Bryan Fogel (“Icarus”), Sony Pictures Entertainment Senior VP Katrhyn Busby, “Narcos” show-runner Chris Brancato, and “Bridesmaids” and “Ghostbusters” director Paul Feig. Besides coming to do business,...
- 10/22/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Roughly 400 buyers will get a taste of new Italian and, more broadly, European TV skeins, movies, and docs at Rome’s new concept Mia market, which has assembled a discerning display of potentially hot high-profile content in various stages, set to attract a copious contingent of top-level international execs.
In line with its stated mission of being an “incubator and accelerator” for the Italian industry in the global arena — as market director Lucia Milazzotto said during a recent press conference — the fourth edition of the post-Mipcom pre-afm (Oct. 17-21) event features sneak peeks of upcoming high-profile local goods, such as Rai’s “The Name of The Rose” adaptation toplining John Turturro and Sky Italia’s financial thriller “Devils,” co-starring Patrick Dempsey and Italian A-lister Alessandro Borghi, as well as “Freaks Out” (pictured) the new genre-bending pic by Gabriele Mainetti who made a splash with widely sold sleeper hit “They Call Me Jeeg.
In line with its stated mission of being an “incubator and accelerator” for the Italian industry in the global arena — as market director Lucia Milazzotto said during a recent press conference — the fourth edition of the post-Mipcom pre-afm (Oct. 17-21) event features sneak peeks of upcoming high-profile local goods, such as Rai’s “The Name of The Rose” adaptation toplining John Turturro and Sky Italia’s financial thriller “Devils,” co-starring Patrick Dempsey and Italian A-lister Alessandro Borghi, as well as “Freaks Out” (pictured) the new genre-bending pic by Gabriele Mainetti who made a splash with widely sold sleeper hit “They Call Me Jeeg.
- 10/17/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores is set to shoot a road movie with the working title “Don’t Be Afraid If I Hug You,” which involves a father and his autistic son on the run. Pic stars Italian A-listers Claudio Santamaria (“They Call Me Jeeg”) and Valeria Golino.
Rai Com has boarded and will kick off world sales in Toronto. Salvatores’ new pic will start shooting this month.
Based on a widely translated bestseller by Italy’s Fulvio Ervas — which was inspired by a true story — “Don’t Be Afraid” is penned by Umberto Contarello (“The Great Beauty”). Santamaria will play a boozing lounge singer who accidentally intersects with his teen autistic son, whom he has never met before. He has an epiphany and decides to hit the road with him in an attempt to fight his son’s autism. They are chased by the boy’s mother (Golino) and her husband.
Rai Com has boarded and will kick off world sales in Toronto. Salvatores’ new pic will start shooting this month.
Based on a widely translated bestseller by Italy’s Fulvio Ervas — which was inspired by a true story — “Don’t Be Afraid” is penned by Umberto Contarello (“The Great Beauty”). Santamaria will play a boozing lounge singer who accidentally intersects with his teen autistic son, whom he has never met before. He has an epiphany and decides to hit the road with him in an attempt to fight his son’s autism. They are chased by the boy’s mother (Golino) and her husband.
- 9/7/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios has acquired North American, U.K., and Indian rights to “Rainbow – A Private Affair,” the last work co-directed by Italy’s revered Taviani brothers.
Amazon’s purchase from Paris-based Pyramide Intl. of those streaming rights follows Vittorio Taviani’s death in May, at 88, and comes as the film goes on theatrical release via Pyramide in France. The directing duo’s surviving member, Paolo Taviani, who is 86, told the French newspaper Le Monde last week that he would keep working even without his brother, with whom he made movies all his life, “until my devastated country rises from its ruins,” an apparent reference to Italy under its new populist government.
“Rainbow – A Private Affair,” which launched last year from Toronto, is an adaptation of a short novel written by Italian author Beppe Fenoglio and set during Italy’s mid-1940s civil war, when partisans and fascists engaged in battles of attrition.
Amazon’s purchase from Paris-based Pyramide Intl. of those streaming rights follows Vittorio Taviani’s death in May, at 88, and comes as the film goes on theatrical release via Pyramide in France. The directing duo’s surviving member, Paolo Taviani, who is 86, told the French newspaper Le Monde last week that he would keep working even without his brother, with whom he made movies all his life, “until my devastated country rises from its ruins,” an apparent reference to Italy under its new populist government.
“Rainbow – A Private Affair,” which launched last year from Toronto, is an adaptation of a short novel written by Italian author Beppe Fenoglio and set during Italy’s mid-1940s civil war, when partisans and fascists engaged in battles of attrition.
- 6/12/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Second World War-set film focuses on four circus workers.
Screen can unveil a first look at They Call Me Jeeg director Gabriele Mainetti’s next film, Freaks Out.
Currently shooting, the €9m production is from Lucky Red and Mainetti’s own Goon Films together with Rai Cinema, in coproduction with Belgian company GapBusters.
Rai Com and True Colours began sales on the project at the recent Cannes Film Festival market.
Mainetti wrote the Freaks Out screenplay with his They Call Me Jeeg co-writer Nicola Guaglianone. The film tells the story of four friends in Rome during the Second World War.
Screen can unveil a first look at They Call Me Jeeg director Gabriele Mainetti’s next film, Freaks Out.
Currently shooting, the €9m production is from Lucky Red and Mainetti’s own Goon Films together with Rai Cinema, in coproduction with Belgian company GapBusters.
Rai Com and True Colours began sales on the project at the recent Cannes Film Festival market.
Mainetti wrote the Freaks Out screenplay with his They Call Me Jeeg co-writer Nicola Guaglianone. The film tells the story of four friends in Rome during the Second World War.
- 5/18/2018
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Italy’s film industry is coming out of a cyclical slump, with executives boasting about a burst of innovation, vitality and growth as they talk up the substantial five-feature cinema Italiano presence at Cannes.
Indeed, the two Italian titles in the fest’s competition — Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” described as an “urban Western,” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro,” about a young peasant who travels in time — are somewhat symptomatic of a shift from naturalism into new genres, which, in terms of narratives, is the biggest novelty. The third Italian pic in the official selection, Valeria Golino’s “Euphoria,” in Un Certain Regard, is a more classic drama about two brothers with opposite characters, but with a fresh flourish.
Roberto Cicutto, who heads film entity Istituto Luce Cinecittà, says the Italian contingent at Cannes proves that, when it comes to movies, the country is “at the forefront” globally and...
Indeed, the two Italian titles in the fest’s competition — Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” described as an “urban Western,” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro,” about a young peasant who travels in time — are somewhat symptomatic of a shift from naturalism into new genres, which, in terms of narratives, is the biggest novelty. The third Italian pic in the official selection, Valeria Golino’s “Euphoria,” in Un Certain Regard, is a more classic drama about two brothers with opposite characters, but with a fresh flourish.
Roberto Cicutto, who heads film entity Istituto Luce Cinecittà, says the Italian contingent at Cannes proves that, when it comes to movies, the country is “at the forefront” globally and...
- 5/11/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Out April 13, 2017 in Italian theatres, Francesco Amato’s comedy sees the Neapolitan actor playing the role of a rigid psychoanalyst who winds up in trouble
by Camillo De Marco from Cineuropa.org
Toni Servillo in “Let Yourself Go!”
Toni Servillo in a comic role? Yes it is possible, and happens in “Let Yourself Go”/ “Lasciati andare” by Francesco Amato (“Cosimo and Nicole”), in theatres as of today with 01 Distribution. With a beard and glasses à la Sigmund Freud, Servillo plays a psychoanalyst who lives and works in the Roman ghetto, a beautiful neighbourhood in the historic city centre which is rarely used in films. Separated from his wife Giovanna (played by a Carla Signoris on top form) — but with a very thin wall separating their respective bedrooms — Dr. Elia Venezia lives a methodical and rather self-centered existence, livened up only by the weirdness of some of his clients, until one...
by Camillo De Marco from Cineuropa.org
Toni Servillo in “Let Yourself Go!”
Toni Servillo in a comic role? Yes it is possible, and happens in “Let Yourself Go”/ “Lasciati andare” by Francesco Amato (“Cosimo and Nicole”), in theatres as of today with 01 Distribution. With a beard and glasses à la Sigmund Freud, Servillo plays a psychoanalyst who lives and works in the Roman ghetto, a beautiful neighbourhood in the historic city centre which is rarely used in films. Separated from his wife Giovanna (played by a Carla Signoris on top form) — but with a very thin wall separating their respective bedrooms — Dr. Elia Venezia lives a methodical and rather self-centered existence, livened up only by the weirdness of some of his clients, until one...
- 4/20/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Watch a the brand new movie clip ‘Newfound Powers’ from the upcoming film “They Call Me Jeeg” (Lo Chiamavano Jeeg Robot) from director Gabriele Mainetti and starring Claudio Santamaria, Luca Marinelli, Ilenia Pastorelli and Stefano Ambrogi. Enzo, an ex-con from the poor outskirts of Rome, puts his newfound superpowers to use furthering his career as […]
The post New Clip from They Call Me Jeeg Robot Released appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post New Clip from They Call Me Jeeg Robot Released appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/16/2017
- by B Corder
- ShockYa
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out. And if you're into box office and how movies might do, come play some of the box office games at EZ1 Productions including their new Pick 5 game!
This Past Weekend:
As expected, Legendary Pictures’ Kong: Skull Island won the weekend, and honestly, the Weekend Warrior’s original prediction of $61.6 million was pretty darn close to the movie’s opening weekend which ended up at $61 million. (Unfortunately, I chickened out on Thursday because my prediction was so much higher than all others and lowered it to $58 million, which was Still closer to than every other prediction last weekend.) Also, as expected (at least by me), Hugh Jackman’s Logan took a 2nd weekend tumble as has been the case with most X-Men movies,...
This Past Weekend:
As expected, Legendary Pictures’ Kong: Skull Island won the weekend, and honestly, the Weekend Warrior’s original prediction of $61.6 million was pretty darn close to the movie’s opening weekend which ended up at $61 million. (Unfortunately, I chickened out on Thursday because my prediction was so much higher than all others and lowered it to $58 million, which was Still closer to than every other prediction last weekend.) Also, as expected (at least by me), Hugh Jackman’s Logan took a 2nd weekend tumble as has been the case with most X-Men movies,...
- 3/15/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Pact marks Netflix’s first global deal for an Italian movie, according to producers.
Netflix has boarded global rights, excluding Italy, to Italian romantic comedy Slam: Tutto Per Una Ragazza, the adaptation of the 2008 Nick Hornby novel Slam.
Netflix has picked up rights to the film in 189 territories - where it will be labeled a ‘Netflix original’ on its April 15 release - while in Italy the film will have a theatrical and home entertainment release (March 23) through Universal. Netflix also has SVoD rights to the film in Italy.
According to producers, the deal marks Netflix’s first global deal for an entirely Italian movie.
Slam, which premiered at the Torino Film Festival last November, is produced by Rai Cinema and Indigo Film (The Great Beauty).
The deal was revealed today by the film’s producers at a press event in Rome.
Jasmine Trinca (Miele) and Luca Marinelli (They Call Me Jeeg) star in the feature which is directed...
Netflix has boarded global rights, excluding Italy, to Italian romantic comedy Slam: Tutto Per Una Ragazza, the adaptation of the 2008 Nick Hornby novel Slam.
Netflix has picked up rights to the film in 189 territories - where it will be labeled a ‘Netflix original’ on its April 15 release - while in Italy the film will have a theatrical and home entertainment release (March 23) through Universal. Netflix also has SVoD rights to the film in Italy.
According to producers, the deal marks Netflix’s first global deal for an entirely Italian movie.
Slam, which premiered at the Torino Film Festival last November, is produced by Rai Cinema and Indigo Film (The Great Beauty).
The deal was revealed today by the film’s producers at a press event in Rome.
Jasmine Trinca (Miele) and Luca Marinelli (They Call Me Jeeg) star in the feature which is directed...
- 3/7/2017
- ScreenDaily
Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2016 discoveries”.
Ryland Aldrich: #1. They Call Me Jeeg. Gabrielle Mainetti’s Italian-language superhero crime actioner hit me completely by surprise at last year’s Fantastic Fest.
Continue reading...
Ryland Aldrich: #1. They Call Me Jeeg. Gabrielle Mainetti’s Italian-language superhero crime actioner hit me completely by surprise at last year’s Fantastic Fest.
Continue reading...
- 2/6/2017
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
If you’re just about numb to comic book films these days, then allow this quaint Italian picture to cleanse your palette. The debut feature-length effort from from Gabriele Mainetti seems like a fresh yet familiar take on this type of film; it also reminds once how much fun this type of story can be sans all the machismo and infighting. They Call Me Jeeg Robot is an impressive piece of work, with violence to spare, but it doesn’t glamorize heroes or villains. That’s an important thing to note because it also earns points for originality even if the story is of the passé “hero born of toxic waste” variety.
It’s rare to pair the words “origin story” with praise, but there’s no hiding that fact here. Although, this is more of comic film seen through the lens of something like Taken or Layer Cake. For once,...
It’s rare to pair the words “origin story” with praise, but there’s no hiding that fact here. Although, this is more of comic film seen through the lens of something like Taken or Layer Cake. For once,...
- 9/26/2016
- by Marc Ciafardini
- The Film Stage
The 22nd edition of Paris’ premiere fantastic film festival L’Etrange closed today with the announcement of their ‘Palmare’ Awards and for the first time in the festival’s history, two films shared the top prize. Ahead of closing film The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, The Mo Brother’s (Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto) Headshot and Gabrielle Mainetti’s They Call Me Jeeg Robot jointly received The Grand Nouveax Genre Award. Indonesian genre specialist’s The Mo Brother's latest violent thriller stars The Raid’s Iko Uwais as a man on a mission to save the woman who rescued him. Gabrielle Mainetti can add one more award to the already impressive haul he’s received for his Italian super-hero action-comedy feature. The Audience Award went to Chilean-French multi-hyphenate Alejandro Jodorowsky for...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/19/2016
- Screen Anarchy
UK genre fans are currently enjoying five days of nailbiting action with the 2016 edition of the Horror Channel FrightFest now underway in Shepherd's Bush, London, and we are chronicling the event with the official FrightFest TV daily highlights packages. Day Two's subjects? Director Ben Parker, Actors Charlotte Salt & Johannes Kuhnke and Composer James Bradfield discuss The Chamber; Director Gabriele Mainetti discusses They Call Me Jeeg Robot; Director Alastair Orr discusses From A House On Willow Street; Director Adam Levins discusses Population Zero; Director Andy Edwards discusses Ibiza Undead; and Actor Dominic Monaghan discusses Pet. ...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/27/2016
- Screen Anarchy
With August almost over and September around the corner, we’re only a few weeks away from the start of Fantastic Fest, taking place September 22nd–29th in Austin, Texas. Following the announcement of the first wave of programming earlier this month, the second wave of films have now been revealed, including even more titles for horror, sci-fi, and suspense fans to look forward to seeing:
Press Release: Austin, TX – Thursday, August 25, 2016 – Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest delivers another dose of cinematic decadence with its second wave of programming. Procured once again from the most curious corners of the genre universe, Fantastic Fest is proud to announce its opening film, Denis Villeneuve’s stunning Arrival. Arrival marks Villeneuve’s Fantastic Fest debut, which has proven to be worth the wait as his spectacular science fiction feature promises to kick off proceedings in explosive fashion.
It wouldn’t be Fantastic Fest...
Press Release: Austin, TX – Thursday, August 25, 2016 – Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest delivers another dose of cinematic decadence with its second wave of programming. Procured once again from the most curious corners of the genre universe, Fantastic Fest is proud to announce its opening film, Denis Villeneuve’s stunning Arrival. Arrival marks Villeneuve’s Fantastic Fest debut, which has proven to be worth the wait as his spectacular science fiction feature promises to kick off proceedings in explosive fashion.
It wouldn’t be Fantastic Fest...
- 8/25/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Fantastic Fest has announced the second wave of programming for this year’s edition of the Austin-based fête, which runs from September 22 — 29. “The Bad Batch,” a new restoration of 1971’s “The Zodiac Killer,” “Toni Erdmann,” “The Handmaiden” and opening-night selection “Arrival” are among the most prominent selections, with a number of appropriately oddball offerings thrown in as well. Full list below.
“Aalavandhalan” (Suresh Krissna)
Kamal Hassan stars in this ridiculously entertaining tale of an Indian commando pitted against his own serial killer twin brother in a deadly race to save the beautiful Tejaswini from certain death.
“Arrival” (Denis Villeneuve)
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team — led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) — are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers — and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life,...
“Aalavandhalan” (Suresh Krissna)
Kamal Hassan stars in this ridiculously entertaining tale of an Indian commando pitted against his own serial killer twin brother in a deadly race to save the beautiful Tejaswini from certain death.
“Arrival” (Denis Villeneuve)
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team — led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) — are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers — and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life,...
- 8/25/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The Mayhem Film Festival is always a highlight of seasonal festivities in Notthingham, England every October. The festival has just announced the first two titles of this year's lineup. Homeland hero Steve Barker, keeps dipping into the zombie genre after bringing us Outpoust and Outpost: Black Sun with his new flick The ReZort. And currently making it's rounds on the festival circuit with a stop the other week at Fantasia is Gabriele Mainetti's They Call Me Jeeg Robot. Mayhem Film Festival are thrilled to announce Steve Barker’s The ReZort and Gabriele Mainetti’s They Call Me Jeeg Robot as the first two films from their 12th edition’s line-up. Returning to Broadway, Nottingham on 13-16 October, Mayhem Film Festival will also welcome Steve Barker...
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- 8/5/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Genre festival reveals masterclasses and film programme.
Horror Channel FrightFest (Aug 25-29) has unveiled the line-up of events and movies for its 2016 edition, set to be held at the Vue cinema in London’s Shepherds Bush.
Screen will host a panel on the future of the UK horror film industry, followed by the first Screen International Horror Rising Star Award [click here for the shortlist].
There will also be a horror writing master class with writer-director James Moran; a women in horror symposium; a special effects demo from maestro Dan Martin; and a discussion by filmmaker Paul Davis – who made John Landis approved doc Beware The Moon - marking the 35th anniversary of An American Werewolf In London.
The festival is also set to screen H.G. Lewis’ 1963 gore classic Blood Feast, which is getting a 4K restoration from Arrow.
The FrightFest audience will be the first in the UK to see The Neighbor, directed by Marcus Dunstan (The Collection).
The festival will also...
Horror Channel FrightFest (Aug 25-29) has unveiled the line-up of events and movies for its 2016 edition, set to be held at the Vue cinema in London’s Shepherds Bush.
Screen will host a panel on the future of the UK horror film industry, followed by the first Screen International Horror Rising Star Award [click here for the shortlist].
There will also be a horror writing master class with writer-director James Moran; a women in horror symposium; a special effects demo from maestro Dan Martin; and a discussion by filmmaker Paul Davis – who made John Landis approved doc Beware The Moon - marking the 35th anniversary of An American Werewolf In London.
The festival is also set to screen H.G. Lewis’ 1963 gore classic Blood Feast, which is getting a 4K restoration from Arrow.
The FrightFest audience will be the first in the UK to see The Neighbor, directed by Marcus Dunstan (The Collection).
The festival will also...
- 7/22/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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