Italian period drama “My Place Is Here” is being released in Italy by Adler Ent. on May 9, and is being sold at Cannes by Beta Cinema. Variety speaks to the film’s directors, Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone, and debuts its trailer (below).
“My Place Is Here” is set in the years following the end of World War II. Women have just been given the vote in Italy, but in Calabria, a conservative rural region in Southern Italy, men still rule the roost.
An unmarried single mother, Marta, who is deemed to have brought shame on her family, has been promised to an older farmer as his wife. While making preparations for the wedding, Marta meets Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay wedding planner. He encourages her to broaden her horizons and take typing lessons at the local Communist Party office as a means of finding work. Here she meets Communist activist Bianca,...
“My Place Is Here” is set in the years following the end of World War II. Women have just been given the vote in Italy, but in Calabria, a conservative rural region in Southern Italy, men still rule the roost.
An unmarried single mother, Marta, who is deemed to have brought shame on her family, has been promised to an older farmer as his wife. While making preparations for the wedding, Marta meets Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay wedding planner. He encourages her to broaden her horizons and take typing lessons at the local Communist Party office as a means of finding work. Here she meets Communist activist Bianca,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Cinema has acquired international sales rights outside Italy to “My Place Is Here,” directed by Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone. They kicked off sales on the film at the European Film Market.
Set in rural Italy’s southern region of Calabria during the late 1940s, “My Place” is about the friendship between a single mother and a local wedding planner, who is the only gay person in their village. This friendship leads her to challenge the prejudices of the community and fight to find her place in the world.
“My Place Is Here” marks Porto’s feature film debut. Co-director Bortone is a helmer and producer known for “Red Like the Sky” (2005) and “Coffee” (2016), which was an Italy-China co-production, among other titles. The film is based on Porto’s eponymous novel that will be published in Italy in March.
The film stars Ludovica Martino, who has a fanbase in...
Set in rural Italy’s southern region of Calabria during the late 1940s, “My Place” is about the friendship between a single mother and a local wedding planner, who is the only gay person in their village. This friendship leads her to challenge the prejudices of the community and fight to find her place in the world.
“My Place Is Here” marks Porto’s feature film debut. Co-director Bortone is a helmer and producer known for “Red Like the Sky” (2005) and “Coffee” (2016), which was an Italy-China co-production, among other titles. The film is based on Porto’s eponymous novel that will be published in Italy in March.
The film stars Ludovica Martino, who has a fanbase in...
- 2/18/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Cinema has acquired international sales rights to My Place Is Here, directed by Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone.
Starring Cinema Paradiso’s Marco Leonardi and Ludovica Martino (Skam Italia), My Place Is Here is a drama with a strong friendship story at its core.
The film is set in the aftermath of WWII against the conservative backdrop of Southern Italy, just as Italian women have gained the right to vote. When single mother Marta accepts the proposal of an older farmer, she meets Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay wedding planner and forges an unlikely friendship with him. Lorenzo...
Starring Cinema Paradiso’s Marco Leonardi and Ludovica Martino (Skam Italia), My Place Is Here is a drama with a strong friendship story at its core.
The film is set in the aftermath of WWII against the conservative backdrop of Southern Italy, just as Italian women have gained the right to vote. When single mother Marta accepts the proposal of an older farmer, she meets Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay wedding planner and forges an unlikely friendship with him. Lorenzo...
- 2/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Paramount’s “Mean Girls” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £3.2 million ($4.1 million), according to numbers from Comscore.
After a stellar reign at the top, Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” slid to second place with £1.6 million and after seven weekends, has a total of £58.3 million. In its second weekend, Disney’s “Poor Things” collected £1.09 million in third place for a total of £3.7 million. In fourth position, in its fourth weekend, Sony’s “Anyone But You” took in £1.07 million for a total of £7 million.
Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “One Life” that collected £858,245 in its third weekend for a total of £7.4 million.
There were two other debuts in the Top 10. Universal’s awards season contender “The Holdovers,” which has won two Golden Globes and scored five Oscar and seven BAFTA nominations, bowed with £689,771 in sixth place. Pathe Live’s “Queen Rock Montreal” concert film placed ninth with £285,110.
In 10th place,...
After a stellar reign at the top, Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” slid to second place with £1.6 million and after seven weekends, has a total of £58.3 million. In its second weekend, Disney’s “Poor Things” collected £1.09 million in third place for a total of £3.7 million. In fourth position, in its fourth weekend, Sony’s “Anyone But You” took in £1.07 million for a total of £7 million.
Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “One Life” that collected £858,245 in its third weekend for a total of £7.4 million.
There were two other debuts in the Top 10. Universal’s awards season contender “The Holdovers,” which has won two Golden Globes and scored five Oscar and seven BAFTA nominations, bowed with £689,771 in sixth place. Pathe Live’s “Queen Rock Montreal” concert film placed ninth with £285,110.
In 10th place,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
With longer days and—at some more progressive places of employment—Summer Fridays in full effect, daily agendas are now suddenly awash with temporal real estate. Should you use these extra hours to reconnect with family, go to museums or explore the natural world in all its holy wonders? No! You should be watching movies, and lots of ’em! Luckily, June is a rock-solid month with plenty of great Don’t-Miss Indies titles to enjoy.
Padre Pio
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited)
Director: Abel Ferrara
Cast: Shia Labeouf, Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi
Why We’re Excited: A two-time Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), indie veteran Abel Ferrara’s new biographical drama is based on the Irl story of Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar and priest Francesco Forgione, who was venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1999. It...
Padre Pio
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited)
Director: Abel Ferrara
Cast: Shia Labeouf, Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi
Why We’re Excited: A two-time Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), indie veteran Abel Ferrara’s new biographical drama is based on the Irl story of Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar and priest Francesco Forgione, who was venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1999. It...
- 6/5/2023
- by Su Fang Tham
- Film Independent News & More
Stars: Daniel Caltagirone, Adam Deacon, Lois Brabin-Platt, Max Lohan, Eric Roberts, Marco Leonardi, Georges St-Pierre, Lucas Aurelio, Elijah Rowen, Bentley Kalu | Written and Directed by Savvas D. Michael
Twenty-five years on from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels the British gangster revival is still going strong. Case in point Hitmen, the new film from writer/director Savvas D. Michael who has already made several contributions to the genre including The Bezonians, Smoking Guns and Original Gangster.
Luke and Lauren are having marital issues. But that doesn’t mean she’s thrilled when Jackie starts hitting on her and when she mocks him, hitting her. This leads to a beating which in turn leads to Jackie’s death.
That would be bad enough, but Jackie’s grandfather Michael is a wealthy CEO with some rather shady connections. When they’re acquitted by reason of self-defense he puts a million-dollar contract on the couple.
Twenty-five years on from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels the British gangster revival is still going strong. Case in point Hitmen, the new film from writer/director Savvas D. Michael who has already made several contributions to the genre including The Bezonians, Smoking Guns and Original Gangster.
Luke and Lauren are having marital issues. But that doesn’t mean she’s thrilled when Jackie starts hitting on her and when she mocks him, hitting her. This leads to a beating which in turn leads to Jackie’s death.
That would be bad enough, but Jackie’s grandfather Michael is a wealthy CEO with some rather shady connections. When they’re acquitted by reason of self-defense he puts a million-dollar contract on the couple.
- 5/30/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
To mark the release of Hitmen available on DVD & Digital Platforms from 5th June, we have 3 DVDs to give away!
After accidentally killing the grandson of powerful CEO, Michael Hero (Eric Roberts), a married couple (Danny Caltagirone and Lois Braben-Platt) are forced to fight or flee for their lives when the vengeful businessman enlists the help of a mob boss (Marco Leonardi) to take them down. With a $1 million bounty placed on their heads, the chase begins as they attract the attention of the world’s deadliest assassins, who will stop at nothing to claim their prize.
Hitmen is the darkly comic British action-thriller from Savvas D. Michael, director of multi-award winning The Bezonians. Shot in London, and featuring exotic story locations from New York to Sorrento, the cast includes Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, BAFTA-winner Adam Deacon (Anuvahood), legendary UFC champion Georges St-Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Italian star Marco Leonardi.
After accidentally killing the grandson of powerful CEO, Michael Hero (Eric Roberts), a married couple (Danny Caltagirone and Lois Braben-Platt) are forced to fight or flee for their lives when the vengeful businessman enlists the help of a mob boss (Marco Leonardi) to take them down. With a $1 million bounty placed on their heads, the chase begins as they attract the attention of the world’s deadliest assassins, who will stop at nothing to claim their prize.
Hitmen is the darkly comic British action-thriller from Savvas D. Michael, director of multi-award winning The Bezonians. Shot in London, and featuring exotic story locations from New York to Sorrento, the cast includes Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, BAFTA-winner Adam Deacon (Anuvahood), legendary UFC champion Georges St-Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Italian star Marco Leonardi.
- 5/28/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Padre Pio, Abel Ferrara’s Shia Labeouf-starring follow-up to 2021’s Zeroes and Ones, finally gets a trailer ahead of its theatrical release next month. The biopic, co-written by Ferrara and Maurizio Braucci, depicts the early life of the titular Catholic saint as he begins his ministry at a monastery in a remote Italian village that becomes rocked by political tension in the wake of WWI. The film premiered last year during the Venice Film Festival in Italy, fitting for the film’s subject matter and the director’s longtime residence in the country. Alongside Labeouf, Padre Pio stars Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi, Asia […]
The post Trailer Watch: Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/10/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Padre Pio, Abel Ferrara’s Shia Labeouf-starring follow-up to 2021’s Zeroes and Ones, finally gets a trailer ahead of its theatrical release next month. The biopic, co-written by Ferrara and Maurizio Braucci, depicts the early life of the titular Catholic saint as he begins his ministry at a monastery in a remote Italian village that becomes rocked by political tension in the wake of WWI. The film premiered last year during the Venice Film Festival in Italy, fitting for the film’s subject matter and the director’s longtime residence in the country. Alongside Labeouf, Padre Pio stars Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi, Asia […]
The post Trailer Watch: Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/10/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
"It feels like a sin to question these things, it feels like a sin to be angry with the Lord." Gravitas Ventures has revealed an official trailer for Padre Pio, a new film from American director Abel Ferrara, who now lives and works in Italy. This premiered at the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival last year (did anyone even see it?) and opens in the US this June. This biopic from Ferrara follows Roman Catholic Saint Padre Pio in his early years. At the end of World War I, Padre Pio begins his ministry at a remote monastery in southern Italy. Soon, his charisma and storied visions bring him fame. Shia Labeouf stars alongside Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi, Asia Argento, Vincenzo Crea, Luca Lionello, Brando Pacitto, Stella Mastrantonio, and Salvatore Ruocco. Some may remember that this role "saved" Labeouf's life, as he claimed in an interview last...
- 5/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has nabbed North American rights to the Shia Labeouf-led drama Padre Pio from filmmaker Abel Ferrara, slating it for a day-and-date release on June 2nd.
Related Story Neon Acquires Domestic Rights To Anne Hathaway Sundance Movie ‘Eileen’ Related Story Gravitas Ventures Acquires Sophie Lane Curtis Drama 'On Our Way' Starring Micheál Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave And Jordana Brewster Related Story Jennifer A. Goodman Thriller 'The Unseen' Starring 'Breaking Bad's Rj Mitte Acquired By Gravitas Ventures
In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.
Related Story Neon Acquires Domestic Rights To Anne Hathaway Sundance Movie ‘Eileen’ Related Story Gravitas Ventures Acquires Sophie Lane Curtis Drama 'On Our Way' Starring Micheál Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave And Jordana Brewster Related Story Jennifer A. Goodman Thriller 'The Unseen' Starring 'Breaking Bad's Rj Mitte Acquired By Gravitas Ventures
In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.
- 3/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The Mammoth Film Festival is set to open with Shia LeBeouf’s Padre Pio, Abel Ferrara’s historical drama that debuted at Venice.
Ferrara’s latest feature has LeBoeuf playing an Italian friar who rose to prominence at a time when fascist powers began to take over Italy. Padre Pio also stars Asia Argento, Marco Leonardi and Christina Chiriac, and director Ferrara will be at the northern California festival to do a post-film Q&a on March 2.
Mammoth will close with Bonded, which stars Diego Calva and is directed by Mohit Ramchandani. The thriller is inspired by a true story from the producers of Argentina 1985 and is executive produced by Yalitza Aparicio.
Mammoth, which is set to run from March 2 to 6 in Mammoth Lakes, California, has also added the horror thriller Night Shift, which stars Phoebe Tonkin, Lamorne Morris and Patrick Fischler and is directed and written by Benjamin and Paul China.
Ferrara’s latest feature has LeBoeuf playing an Italian friar who rose to prominence at a time when fascist powers began to take over Italy. Padre Pio also stars Asia Argento, Marco Leonardi and Christina Chiriac, and director Ferrara will be at the northern California festival to do a post-film Q&a on March 2.
Mammoth will close with Bonded, which stars Diego Calva and is directed by Mohit Ramchandani. The thriller is inspired by a true story from the producers of Argentina 1985 and is executive produced by Yalitza Aparicio.
Mammoth, which is set to run from March 2 to 6 in Mammoth Lakes, California, has also added the horror thriller Night Shift, which stars Phoebe Tonkin, Lamorne Morris and Patrick Fischler and is directed and written by Benjamin and Paul China.
- 2/24/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chitrangda Singh, who is known for films like ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’, ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’, ‘Baazaar’ and ‘Modern Love Mumbai’, is playing the lead role in Goutam Ghose’s next Indo-Italian yet-to-be-titled film, which also stars Italian actor Marco Leonardi, known for his work in the acclaimed movie ‘Cinema Paradiso’.
The film is being made in English, Hindi, and partly in Italian with its story revolving around issues of human displacement, through the story of a couple and their child. The first look of the film has been released and it shows the actress in a de-glam look. Donning a plain orange saree and minimalist make-up, Chitra looks sharp and beautiful.
The official statement from the production house Life Journey Films Production Llp stated, “Chitrangda is that rare combination of beauty with talent. She has proved her mettle as an actress. We are thrilled to work with her. The role is...
The film is being made in English, Hindi, and partly in Italian with its story revolving around issues of human displacement, through the story of a couple and their child. The first look of the film has been released and it shows the actress in a de-glam look. Donning a plain orange saree and minimalist make-up, Chitra looks sharp and beautiful.
The official statement from the production house Life Journey Films Production Llp stated, “Chitrangda is that rare combination of beauty with talent. She has proved her mettle as an actress. We are thrilled to work with her. The role is...
- 12/17/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Filming for the fourth season of the Sky Original series “Das Boot” wrapped in Malta last week, and the first look images have been released. NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling international sales of the series, which is produced by Bavaria Fiction, on behalf of Sky Studios.
In Season 4, which is coming to Sky’s premium channel Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now next year, the brutal submarine war in the Mediterranean Sea comes to a head, while intrigues and secrets spread through Berlin. Resistance to the Nazis grows within the Kriegsmarine’s own ranks.
Rick Okon as Klaus Hoffmann, Sascha Gersak as Rahn, Jakub Horak as Bischof
After a shared tragedy, the siblings Klaus (Rick Okon) and Hannie Hoffmann (Rosalie Thomass) find their way back to each other. Both fight for their cause. Klaus has returned to the German Reich from Portugal. As a submarine commander he travels to Naples...
In Season 4, which is coming to Sky’s premium channel Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now next year, the brutal submarine war in the Mediterranean Sea comes to a head, while intrigues and secrets spread through Berlin. Resistance to the Nazis grows within the Kriegsmarine’s own ranks.
Rick Okon as Klaus Hoffmann, Sascha Gersak as Rahn, Jakub Horak as Bischof
After a shared tragedy, the siblings Klaus (Rick Okon) and Hannie Hoffmann (Rosalie Thomass) find their way back to each other. Both fight for their cause. Klaus has returned to the German Reich from Portugal. As a submarine commander he travels to Naples...
- 9/22/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
American Night Trailer Alessio Della Valle‘s American Night (2021) movie trailer has been released by Saban Films. The American Night stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emile Hirsch, Paz Vega, Michael Madsen, Jeremy Piven, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Andy Warhol, Fortunato Cerlino, Manal El-Feitury, Anastacia, and Marco Leonardi. Crew Alessio Della Valle wrote the screenplay for American Night. [...]
Continue reading: American Night (2021) Movie Trailer: Jonathan Rhys Meyers & Emile Hirsch star in Alessio Della Valle’s Neo-noir Thriller...
Continue reading: American Night (2021) Movie Trailer: Jonathan Rhys Meyers & Emile Hirsch star in Alessio Della Valle’s Neo-noir Thriller...
- 9/2/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"My father promised it to me and I want it back, because it's mine." Saban Films has unveiled an official trailer for an over-the-top neo-noir thriller titled American Night, from Italian filmmaker Alessio Della Valle (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway). This is arriving in October and almost looks like direct-to-video schlock, but it might be fun enough to see on the big screen. How's this for a plot? A neo-noir set in the New York City's corrupt contemporary art world where the art dealer John Kaplan and the ruthless head of New York's mafia, Michael Rubino, fight for money, art, power and love. Filled with daring double-crosses and surprising twists and turns, and Jeremy Piven as a "stuntman and wannabe ninja." The film also stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emile Hirsch, Paz Vega, Michael Madsen, and Marco Leonardi. The art world is getting crazier & crazier these days, so it's amusing...
- 9/1/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Giuseppe Tornatore’s romantic ode to the movies charmed America, convincing theater-goers that little Italian kids are the cutest in the world. Little Salvatore Cascio grows up in a projection booth under the life-tutelage of kindly Philippe Noiret. Arrow presents the theatrical version of this Best Foreign Picture Oscar winner in 4K Ultra HD. The (greatly) extended version is on a second Blu-ray — it plays like a different movie entirely.
Cinema Paradiso
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 174, 155, 124 min. / Nuovo cinema Paradiso / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 49.95
Starring: Philippe Noiret, Antonella Attili, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Agnese Nano, Brigitte Fossey, Pupella Maggio, Leopoldo Trieste.
Cinematography: Blasco Giurato
Film Editor: Mario Morra
Original Music: Ennio Morricone, Andrea Morricone
Produced by Mino Barbera, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanna Romagnoli
Written and Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Every so often there comes along a European movie that so captures American audiences, one would...
Cinema Paradiso
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 174, 155, 124 min. / Nuovo cinema Paradiso / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 49.95
Starring: Philippe Noiret, Antonella Attili, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Agnese Nano, Brigitte Fossey, Pupella Maggio, Leopoldo Trieste.
Cinematography: Blasco Giurato
Film Editor: Mario Morra
Original Music: Ennio Morricone, Andrea Morricone
Produced by Mino Barbera, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanna Romagnoli
Written and Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Every so often there comes along a European movie that so captures American audiences, one would...
- 1/12/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
"I'd rather drink poison than break my back for you." Kino Lorber has released an official US trailer for the Italian drama Martin Eden, which first premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year to tons of acclaim. It also played at the Toronto & New York Film Festivals last year. The film is adapted from Jack London's 1909 novel of the same name, but recreated as a very Italian story. Italian actor Luca Marinelli won the Best Actor prize in Venice for playing Martin, then went on to co-star in Netflix's The Old Guard this year. Martin Eden struggles to rise above his destitute, proletarian circumstances with an intense and passionate pursuit of self-education, hoping to achieve a place among the literary elite as a famed writer. The film also stars Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Carlo Cecchi, Pietro Ragusa, Denise Sardisco, Carmen Pommella, Elisabetta Valgoi, & Savino Paparella.
- 9/21/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights Sean Cisterna’s dramatic feature From the Vine for a PVOD and digital release this fall. The movie, written by Willem Wennekers, and adapted from Ken Cancellara’s novel Finding Marco, follows Mark Gentile (Joe Pantoliano), an attorney and automotive company executive, who travels to Italy after a major humiliation in business. He returns to the tiny village of Acerenza, visiting the vineyard where he grew up and finds it in a state of disrepair. Mark gets an idea to bring the overgrown property back to life and start producing wine again. Mark convinces various denizens of Acerenza, each with their own comedic personality, to aid him in this seemingly impractical effort, promising everyone a share in the business if it is successful. Concerned about his sudden and lengthy trip, Mark is joined by his wife Marina, and his twenty-something daughter, Laura,...
- 7/28/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
"If you build this vineyard in honour of your grandfather, it can become everyone's dream." Indiecan Ent. has released an official trailer for an indie drama titled From the Vine, adapted from the novel "Finding Marco" by Kenneth Canio Cancellara. This played at the Ischia Global Film & Music Fest in Italy last year, and also stopped by the Napa Valley and Naples Film Festivals. The story follows a man who has an "ethical crisis" and returns to his hometown in rural Italy, where he finds new purpose reviving his grandfather's old vineyard, and figuring out a sustainable future for the small town nearby. Joe Pantoliano stars as Marco, with a cast including Paula Brancati, Marco Leonardi, Wendy Crewson, Tony Nardi, Tony Nappo, Franco Lo Presti, and Kevin Hanchard. This looks mostly harmless and drunk-on-wine fun, but it gets weird when the moon starts talkin'. This plays like an amusing Italy...
- 7/12/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Pietro Marcello in front of an Andrei Tarkovsky Stalker and Satyajit Ray Apu Trilogy posters: “For me Martin Eden is a very contemporary character. So my objective was to span over the entire 20th century …” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Pietro Marcello’s Martin Eden star Luca Marinelli (Andrea in Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty) in the title role won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival where the film had its world première. Based on the 1909 novel by Jack London, with a screenplay co-written with Maurizio Braucci, Martin Eden, shot by Alessandro Abate and Francesco Di Giacomo, represents the 20th Century unlike any other film. Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Carlo Cecchi, Denise Sardisco and Carmen Pommella feature in the excellent ensemble surrounding our troubled hero.
Pietro Marcello on Luca Marinelli in Martin Eden: “We do love Martin Eden in the first part of the film because he's authentic,...
Pietro Marcello’s Martin Eden star Luca Marinelli (Andrea in Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty) in the title role won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival where the film had its world première. Based on the 1909 novel by Jack London, with a screenplay co-written with Maurizio Braucci, Martin Eden, shot by Alessandro Abate and Francesco Di Giacomo, represents the 20th Century unlike any other film. Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Carlo Cecchi, Denise Sardisco and Carmen Pommella feature in the excellent ensemble surrounding our troubled hero.
Pietro Marcello on Luca Marinelli in Martin Eden: “We do love Martin Eden in the first part of the film because he's authentic,...
- 10/11/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
"Fight for them, Martin." The Match Factory has debuted an official promo trailer for the Italian drama Martin Eden, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival just recently. It also played at the Toronto Film Festival, and will next stop by the New York Film Festival this fall. The film is adapted from Jack London's 1909 novel of the same name, but recreated as a very Italian story. Italian actor Luca Marinelli won the Best Actor prize in Venice for playing Martin. Martin Eden struggles to rise above his destitute, proletarian circumstances through an intense and passionate pursuit of self-education, hoping to achieve a place among the literary elite as a writer. The film also stars Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Denise Sardisco, Carmen Pommella, Carlo Cecchi, Elisabetta Valgoi, Pietro Ragusa, & Savino Paparella. This film will appeal to cinephiles the most, as it's extra artsy and dense, but still worth a look.
- 9/17/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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
Golden Globe-winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emile Hirsch, Paz Vega, and Golden Globe and Emmy-winner Jeremy Piven will star in American Night, a neo-noir thriller helmed by first-time film director Alessio Jim Della Valle.
Written by Della Valle, the plot follows Michael Rubino (Hirsch) who has just become the Don of the New York Mafia, but his greatest dream is to devote his life to painting and become a great artist. John Kaplan (Meyers), an art dealer, may feel like his life is in shambles, but he still has the best eye for spotting fakes in the world. Their paths, apparently distant, cross when Andy Warhol’s Pink Marilyn is stolen, setting off a series of unexpected events that upend their lives.
Vega will play Sarah,...
Written by Della Valle, the plot follows Michael Rubino (Hirsch) who has just become the Don of the New York Mafia, but his greatest dream is to devote his life to painting and become a great artist. John Kaplan (Meyers), an art dealer, may feel like his life is in shambles, but he still has the best eye for spotting fakes in the world. Their paths, apparently distant, cross when Andy Warhol’s Pink Marilyn is stolen, setting off a series of unexpected events that upend their lives.
Vega will play Sarah,...
- 5/3/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Martin Eden
Italian director Pietro Marcello tackles Jack London’s 1909 novel Martin Eden for his second narrative feature. Although various television versions have been made, the last cinematic venture of the novel was Sidney Salkow’s 1942 adaptation. Starring Luca Marinelli, Marco Leonardi, Vincenzo Nemolato, Rinat Khismatouline, and Pietro Ragusa the project is and Italian-French co-production through Avventurosa and Shellac Sud, produced by Thomas Ordonneau and Francisco Paolillo, with Viola Fugen and Michael Weber serving as co-producers (both of whom also worked on Cemetery of Splendor and Foxtrot).…...
Italian director Pietro Marcello tackles Jack London’s 1909 novel Martin Eden for his second narrative feature. Although various television versions have been made, the last cinematic venture of the novel was Sidney Salkow’s 1942 adaptation. Starring Luca Marinelli, Marco Leonardi, Vincenzo Nemolato, Rinat Khismatouline, and Pietro Ragusa the project is and Italian-French co-production through Avventurosa and Shellac Sud, produced by Thomas Ordonneau and Francisco Paolillo, with Viola Fugen and Michael Weber serving as co-producers (both of whom also worked on Cemetery of Splendor and Foxtrot).…...
- 1/4/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
“Survival needs preparation.”
Star Wars prequel star Hayden Christiansen stars alongside Harvey Keitel in a new sci-fi action thriller called The Last Man, and today we have the first trailer for it for you to watch.
It seems like it’s been awhile since we’ve seen either of these actors in a movie, and now they’ve popped up in an interesting one together.
The story follows Kurt Matheson (Christensen), “a war veteran with Ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) who perceives that the end of the world is coming. After establishing a relationship with a dubious Messiah (Keitel), he leaves his normal life and begins the construction of a shelter underground, training himself, in an extreme way, at the cost of losing everything and making people believe he is insane. When he also believes it, something extraordinary happens”
The film was directed by first time director Rodrigo H. Vila,...
Star Wars prequel star Hayden Christiansen stars alongside Harvey Keitel in a new sci-fi action thriller called The Last Man, and today we have the first trailer for it for you to watch.
It seems like it’s been awhile since we’ve seen either of these actors in a movie, and now they’ve popped up in an interesting one together.
The story follows Kurt Matheson (Christensen), “a war veteran with Ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) who perceives that the end of the world is coming. After establishing a relationship with a dubious Messiah (Keitel), he leaves his normal life and begins the construction of a shelter underground, training himself, in an extreme way, at the cost of losing everything and making people believe he is insane. When he also believes it, something extraordinary happens”
The film was directed by first time director Rodrigo H. Vila,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
"We must prepare for the worst of humanity." Lionsgate has launched a trailer for an indie sci-fi action film titled The Last Man, which is pretty much the opposite (in every way) from this year's film The First Man. From director Rodrigo H. Vila, the film stars Hayden Christensen as a war veteran with post traumatic stress disorder who perceives that the end of the world is coming. After establishing a relationship with a dubious Messiah, he leaves his normal life to begin the construction of a shelter underground and trains himself, in an extreme way, at the cost of everything in his life. When he also believes the Messiah, something extraordinary happens. The cast includes Harvey Keitel, Liz Solari, Marco Leonardi, Fernan Miras, Justin Kelly, and Rafael Spregelburd. While I am always curious about new sci-fi, this looks like one of those throwaway, forgettable action flicks that no one will ever watch.
- 12/9/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Joe Pantoliano will star in the whimsical Italian vineyard drama From the Vine Came the Grape, directed by Sean Cisterna (Kiss and Cry, Full Out).
Pantoliano, best known for his star turns on HBO's The Sopranos and in the film Memento, plays a downtrodden corporate executive who suffers a crisis of ethics, retreats to his family's hometown in southern Italy and discovers a vineyard on its last legs.
Alienated family members, played by Wendy Crewson and Paula Brancati (who is also producing the film), track him down to stop a vineyard-revitalization project before it spirals out of control.
Italian actor Marco Leonardi ...
Pantoliano, best known for his star turns on HBO's The Sopranos and in the film Memento, plays a downtrodden corporate executive who suffers a crisis of ethics, retreats to his family's hometown in southern Italy and discovers a vineyard on its last legs.
Alienated family members, played by Wendy Crewson and Paula Brancati (who is also producing the film), track him down to stop a vineyard-revitalization project before it spirals out of control.
Italian actor Marco Leonardi ...
- 11/15/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Joe Pantoliano will star in the whimsical Italian vineyard drama From the Vine Came the Grape, directed by Sean Cisterna (Kiss and Cry, Full Out).
Pantoliano, best known for his star turns on HBO's The Sopranos and in the film Memento, plays a downtrodden corporate executive who suffers a crisis of ethics, retreats to his family's hometown in southern Italy and discovers a vineyard on its last legs.
Alienated family members, played by Wendy Crewson and Paula Brancati (who is also producing the film), track him down to stop a vineyard-revitalization project before it spirals out of control.
Italian actor Marco Leonardi ...
Pantoliano, best known for his star turns on HBO's The Sopranos and in the film Memento, plays a downtrodden corporate executive who suffers a crisis of ethics, retreats to his family's hometown in southern Italy and discovers a vineyard on its last legs.
Alienated family members, played by Wendy Crewson and Paula Brancati (who is also producing the film), track him down to stop a vineyard-revitalization project before it spirals out of control.
Italian actor Marco Leonardi ...
- 11/15/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The hunter becomes the prey in Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome, and on July 25th , Blue Underground will release the film like never before in a three-disc limited edition Blu-ray that is packed with bonus features to go with the 2K restoration, which is teased in a new video:
"Dario Argento’S Masterpiece Of Terror – Uncut, Uncensored And Newly Remastered!
When beautiful police detective Anna Manni follows the bloody trail of a sophisticated serial murderer/rapist through the streets of Italy, the young woman falls victim to the bizarre “Stendhal Syndrome” – a hallucinatory phenomenon which causes her to lose her mind and memory in the presence of powerful works of art. Trapped in this twilight realm, Anna plunges deeper and deeper into sexual psychosis, until she comes to know the killer’s madness more intimately than she ever imagined.
Horror maestro Dario Argento (Suspiria, Opera) reaches new heights of...
"Dario Argento’S Masterpiece Of Terror – Uncut, Uncensored And Newly Remastered!
When beautiful police detective Anna Manni follows the bloody trail of a sophisticated serial murderer/rapist through the streets of Italy, the young woman falls victim to the bizarre “Stendhal Syndrome” – a hallucinatory phenomenon which causes her to lose her mind and memory in the presence of powerful works of art. Trapped in this twilight realm, Anna plunges deeper and deeper into sexual psychosis, until she comes to know the killer’s madness more intimately than she ever imagined.
Horror maestro Dario Argento (Suspiria, Opera) reaches new heights of...
- 7/5/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
"A lot of people think that the world is coming to an end. I don't think it... I know it." An official trailer has arrived online for a pre-apocalyptic, action, sci-fi movie titled Numb, at the Edge of the End. This stars Hayden Christensen, who hasn't appeared in much since Star Wars, as a war veteran with Ptsd who perceives that the end of the world is coming. It's kind of hard to figure out what exactly this is about - it seems like an odd mix of genres and post-apocalyptic tropes, with a gang of weirdos and a bearded prophet and Vr goggles. I actually think Harvey Keitel looks pretty damn cool with that big white beard. The cast also includes Marco Leonardi, Justin Kelly, Liz Solari, Rafael Spregelburd, and Raymond E. Lee. This doesn't look good, but I will admit I'm curious to see more. Maybe there's something to it?...
- 6/2/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The first trailer has dropped for the upcoming thriller “Numb, at the Edge of the End.” The film is directed by Rodrigo H. Vila (“Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America,” “Boca Juniors 3D: The Movie”) and stars “Star Wars” actor Hayden Christensen in the lead role.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Christensen plays Tov Matheson, a war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. After meeting a dubious prophet named Noe (Harvey Keitel), Tov is convinced that the end of the world is coming. As he leaves his normal life and begins to prepare for the apocalypse, those around him begin to think he’s gone insane.
The film was written by Vila with script collaborator Dan Bush (“The Signal,” “Ghost of Old Highways”). It also stars Justin Kelly (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”), Marco Leonardi (“The Space Between...
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Christensen plays Tov Matheson, a war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. After meeting a dubious prophet named Noe (Harvey Keitel), Tov is convinced that the end of the world is coming. As he leaves his normal life and begins to prepare for the apocalypse, those around him begin to think he’s gone insane.
The film was written by Vila with script collaborator Dan Bush (“The Signal,” “Ghost of Old Highways”). It also stars Justin Kelly (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”), Marco Leonardi (“The Space Between...
- 5/22/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
The hunter becomes the prey in Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome, and this July, Blue Underground will release the film like never before in a three-disc limited edition Blu-ray that is packed with bonus features to go with the 2K restoration, including several new interviews.
Blue Underground will release The Stendhal Syndrome on July 25th, and you can check out the official details and cover art below:
"Dario Argento’S Masterpiece Of Terror – Uncut, Uncensored And Newly Remastered!
When beautiful police detective Anna Manni follows the bloody trail of a sophisticated serial murderer/rapist through the streets of Italy, the young woman falls victim to the bizarre “Stendhal Syndrome” – a hallucinatory phenomenon which causes her to lose her mind and memory in the presence of powerful works of art. Trapped in this twilight realm, Anna plunges deeper and deeper into sexual psychosis, until she comes to know the killer...
Blue Underground will release The Stendhal Syndrome on July 25th, and you can check out the official details and cover art below:
"Dario Argento’S Masterpiece Of Terror – Uncut, Uncensored And Newly Remastered!
When beautiful police detective Anna Manni follows the bloody trail of a sophisticated serial murderer/rapist through the streets of Italy, the young woman falls victim to the bizarre “Stendhal Syndrome” – a hallucinatory phenomenon which causes her to lose her mind and memory in the presence of powerful works of art. Trapped in this twilight realm, Anna plunges deeper and deeper into sexual psychosis, until she comes to know the killer...
- 5/16/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Mark Harrison May 19, 2017
From the currently playing Their Finest to the likes of Bowfinger and Boogie Nights, we salute the movies about making movies...
If you haven't caught up yet, Their Finest is currently playing in UK cinemas and it's a gorgeous little love letter to perseverance through storytelling, set against the backdrop of a film production office at the British Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Based on Lissa Evans' novel, Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy play characters whose access to the film industry has been contingent on the global crisis that takes other young men away from such trifling matters, and it's a real joy to watch.
Among other things, the film got us thinking about other films about making films. We're not talking about documentaries, even though Hearts Of Darkness, the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, may be the greatest film about...
From the currently playing Their Finest to the likes of Bowfinger and Boogie Nights, we salute the movies about making movies...
If you haven't caught up yet, Their Finest is currently playing in UK cinemas and it's a gorgeous little love letter to perseverance through storytelling, set against the backdrop of a film production office at the British Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Based on Lissa Evans' novel, Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy play characters whose access to the film industry has been contingent on the global crisis that takes other young men away from such trifling matters, and it's a real joy to watch.
Among other things, the film got us thinking about other films about making films. We're not talking about documentaries, even though Hearts Of Darkness, the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, may be the greatest film about...
- 5/3/2017
- Den of Geek
Giuseppe Tornatore’s ode to the Italian love of movies was a major hit here in 1990, despite being severely cut by Miramax. In 2002 the director reworked his long version into an almost three-hour sentimental epic that enlarges the film’s scope and deepens its sentiments.
Cinema Paradiso
Region B Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / Special Edition / 174, 155, 124 min. /
Nuovo cinema Paradiso / Street Date March 21, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Philippe Noiret, Antonella Attili, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Agnese Nano, Brigitte Fossey, Pupella Maggio, Leopoldo Trieste
Cinematography: Blasco Giurato
Production Designer: Andrea Crisanti
Film Editor: Mario Morra
Original Music: Ennio and Andrea Morricone
Produced by Mino Barbera, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanna Romagnoli
Written and Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Your average foreign import movie, it seems, makes a brief splash around Oscar time and then disappears as if down a rabbit hole. A few years back I saw a fantastic Argentine movie called The Secret in Their Eyes.
Cinema Paradiso
Region B Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / Special Edition / 174, 155, 124 min. /
Nuovo cinema Paradiso / Street Date March 21, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Philippe Noiret, Antonella Attili, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Agnese Nano, Brigitte Fossey, Pupella Maggio, Leopoldo Trieste
Cinematography: Blasco Giurato
Production Designer: Andrea Crisanti
Film Editor: Mario Morra
Original Music: Ennio and Andrea Morricone
Produced by Mino Barbera, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanna Romagnoli
Written and Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Your average foreign import movie, it seems, makes a brief splash around Oscar time and then disappears as if down a rabbit hole. A few years back I saw a fantastic Argentine movie called The Secret in Their Eyes.
- 3/14/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Shudder will take viewers to the place that's "not as brightly lit" this Halloween season, as the 1980s anthology series Tales From the Darkside will be available to watch in its entirety on the horror streaming service beginning October 1st:
Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.
As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.
Premiering October 20th...
Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.
As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.
Premiering October 20th...
- 9/28/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Francesco Munzi’s tale of a Calabrian mob family at war is sombre and spare
Don’t say mafia, say ’ndrangheta – the Calabrian crime network that is the subject of Francesco Munzi’s gripping drama, as sombre as its title suggests. This is a dynastic tale that gets more claustrophobic as it develops, as its web of vendetta-style recriminations closes in on the Carbone clan, goat farmers who have diversified into riskier and more profitable businesses.
The film focuses on the differences of character between the Carbone brothers: Luigi (Marco Leonardi), the hard man out in the field; urbane Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), who lives a seemingly respectable bourgeois lifestyle in Milan; and older brother Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), who’d rather tend his herd than continue the old cycle of bloodshed. But when Luciano’s tearaway son makes a rebellious gesture, matters move inexorably towards an outcome that could be called operatic,...
Don’t say mafia, say ’ndrangheta – the Calabrian crime network that is the subject of Francesco Munzi’s gripping drama, as sombre as its title suggests. This is a dynastic tale that gets more claustrophobic as it develops, as its web of vendetta-style recriminations closes in on the Carbone clan, goat farmers who have diversified into riskier and more profitable businesses.
The film focuses on the differences of character between the Carbone brothers: Luigi (Marco Leonardi), the hard man out in the field; urbane Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), who lives a seemingly respectable bourgeois lifestyle in Milan; and older brother Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), who’d rather tend his herd than continue the old cycle of bloodshed. But when Luciano’s tearaway son makes a rebellious gesture, matters move inexorably towards an outcome that could be called operatic,...
- 11/1/2015
- by Jonathan Romney
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★☆☆ Francesco Munzi's Black Souls (2014) is a grimly serious family tragedy centred around the feuds within the Calabrian equivalent of the mafia, the 'Ndrangheta. The drama begins in Amsterdam where a business deal is going down between mob boss Luigi (Marco Leonardi) and some Spanish, or South American partners. It doesn't really matter which as this proves to be largely an irrelevance to the rest of the film. In fact, the story has a couple of false starts and seems to stumble into being, but this also might be a way of subverting our expectations.
- 10/30/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Xan Brooks, Henry Barnes and Catherine Shoard review Black Souls, an Italian gangster thriller set in the foothills of the Aspromonte mountains. Francesco Munzi’s film sees the younger generation of a prominent family itching to get into the crime business as their elders look for a way out. Black Souls, which stars Marco Leonardi and Peppino Mazzotta, is released in the UK on Friday 30 October
• Watch the full Guardian film show
Continue reading...
• Watch the full Guardian film show
Continue reading...
- 10/29/2015
- by Xan Brooks, Henry Barnes, Catherine Shoard, Dan Susman, Richard Sprenger, Phil Maynard and Andrea Salvatici
- The Guardian - Film News
'Everest' 2015, with Jake Gyllenhaal at the Venice Film Festival. What global warming? Venice Film Festival 2015 jury: Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón president The 2015 Venice Film Festival, to be held Sept. 2–12, has announced the members of its three main juries: Venezia 72, Horizons, and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film. In case you're wondering, “Why Venezia 72”? Well, the simple answer is that this is the 72nd edition of the festival. Looking at the lists below, you'll notice that, as usual, Europeans dominate the award juries. The only two countries from the Americas represented are the U.S. and Mexico, and here and there you'll find a sprinkling of Asian film talent. Golden Lion jury The Golden Lion – Venezia 72 Competition – jury is comprised by the following: Jury President Alfonso Cuarón, the first Mexican national to take home the Best Director Academy Award (for the Sandra Bullock-George Clooney...
- 7/28/2015
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
In places where opportunities and hope are harder to obtain than a loaded gun, the glorification of a seemingly effortless and powerful criminal lifestyle is engraved deeply into the youth’s psyche like a poisonous spell. Irremediably, it becomes their most tangible aspiration. Kids there do not dream of becoming doctors, lawyers or teachers, but drug dealers, murderers, or gangsters who walk through life intoxicated by the fear of others disguised as respect. It’s just the same in a rough American neighborhood, a Mexican border town, a war torn African capital, or an isolated village in the Italian countryside.
Is in this last setting that director Francesco Munzi unfolds “Black Souls” (Anime Nere), an understated mafia tale that is brutally unflinching and sobering when distilling the built-in conventions of the genre and reapplying them in a powerfully stark manner. First, Munzi takes us on a short trip to the high-stakes world of international drug trafficking and the money laundering schemes that fueled it. Brothers Luigi (Marco Leonardi) and Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) manage the operation as a family business each with a distinct approach to getting things done. Luigi is the threatening brute that’s willing to get his hands dirty, while Rocco prefers to be as diplomatic as the drug underworld allows. But just as we are prompted to believe the film will follow on the footsteps of countless predecessors, the perspective shifts to a much more intimate, almost pastoral, look at the unbreakable ties and honor-driven feuds between opposite families within the same criminal microcosm: the Calabrian hills in southern Italy.
Making a humble living from farming and raising cattle, Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), the eldest sibling in the dynasty, disapproves of his younger brothers lifestyle, which he left behind years ago. But in spite of his father’s evident disdain for his siblings’ violent ways, Luciano’s son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo), a teenage boy full of senseless bravado and thirst for retribution, admires his uncle Luigi ‘s status as an authority figure within the community. Projecting fearlessness and absolute dispassion to be part of the gang, Leo grows detached from his father and begins partaking in the increasingly dangerous disputes with their adversaries. With Luigi back in town, old grudges resurfacing, and Leo’s reckless ability to start trouble, tragedy permanently lurks over the entire clan.
This perpetual feeling of an imminent disaster approaching is what makes the film a restrained and potent statement. Intelligently, the filmmaker chooses unnerving tension over gruesome imagery. Of course, violence is unavoidable in a story like this, but those scenes are much more effective because of their importance in the layered emotional landscape presented. Pride is a boundless catalyst for hatred, and that’s what motivates the individuals here to die in the name of their lineage. Leo loses respect for his father because the promise of easy cash and overall badassery is exponentially more enticing than arduously working the land. Luciano is a coward in his son’s eyes for wanting to live a peaceful life, but the man can hardly experience that as he is caught up in between his brothers’ unfinished business and preventing Leo from following their path. It’s all the subtext that is embedded in every interaction that keeps “Black Souls” from becoming predictable, and instead asks us to ponder on the complex set of characters on screen.
Hauntingly somber, but all the more enthralling because of it, Vladan Radovic’s cinematography inconspicuously contributes to Munzi’s exploration of human darkness. A prime example of its gloomy appeal is a funeral sequence that centers both on a mother grieving her son, and the inevitably brutal consequences of the event. However, although a viscerally serious tone permeates the film, Munzi and Radovic were clever enough to capture beautiful moments of rural life that give “Black Souls” a timeless atmosphere: Luigi singing a traditional tune for the sheer joy of singing or Luciano walking among the ruins of an ancient church quietly denoting his religious devotion. Such glimpses of vulnerability create a mob film that is more concerned with the subtleties beneath the gunshots.
Indispensable for an ensemble piece like “Black Souls,” the entire cast, even those in minimal roles, is made up of a group of actors capable of refraining from ostentatious performances and focusing on the characters’ essential, nuanced qualities. Their conflicts are so profoundly intertwined that a weak link would have been problematic. Still, among these talented group, Fabrizio Ferracane as Luciano gives the most quietly compelling performance as a father, a brother, and a son who can’t recognize himself anymore or fit in among those around him. Ultimately, Ferracane steals the film in the riveting and shocking conclusion.
“Black Souls” delivers a gutsy twist on the tiresome works that showcase villains as stars and their feats as heroic. Munzi offers authenticity and poignancy ignoring our expectations and portraying his characters as deeply misguided people for whom loyalty is a golden asset and death is a common outcome. His film is about unspoken rules and unforgivable transgressions that might appear irrational to the outsider, but unquestionable to those involved.
"Black Souls" is now playing in NYC and opens in Los Angeles on April 24th.
Director Francesco Munzi will be doing a Skype Q&A from Rome, Italy on Saturday 4/18 at both the Angelika Film Center in NYC (after the 7:30 pm show) & at the Angelika Film Center in Fairfax, Va (after the 8pm show).
For all the play dates and theaters across the U.S. visit Here...
Is in this last setting that director Francesco Munzi unfolds “Black Souls” (Anime Nere), an understated mafia tale that is brutally unflinching and sobering when distilling the built-in conventions of the genre and reapplying them in a powerfully stark manner. First, Munzi takes us on a short trip to the high-stakes world of international drug trafficking and the money laundering schemes that fueled it. Brothers Luigi (Marco Leonardi) and Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) manage the operation as a family business each with a distinct approach to getting things done. Luigi is the threatening brute that’s willing to get his hands dirty, while Rocco prefers to be as diplomatic as the drug underworld allows. But just as we are prompted to believe the film will follow on the footsteps of countless predecessors, the perspective shifts to a much more intimate, almost pastoral, look at the unbreakable ties and honor-driven feuds between opposite families within the same criminal microcosm: the Calabrian hills in southern Italy.
Making a humble living from farming and raising cattle, Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), the eldest sibling in the dynasty, disapproves of his younger brothers lifestyle, which he left behind years ago. But in spite of his father’s evident disdain for his siblings’ violent ways, Luciano’s son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo), a teenage boy full of senseless bravado and thirst for retribution, admires his uncle Luigi ‘s status as an authority figure within the community. Projecting fearlessness and absolute dispassion to be part of the gang, Leo grows detached from his father and begins partaking in the increasingly dangerous disputes with their adversaries. With Luigi back in town, old grudges resurfacing, and Leo’s reckless ability to start trouble, tragedy permanently lurks over the entire clan.
This perpetual feeling of an imminent disaster approaching is what makes the film a restrained and potent statement. Intelligently, the filmmaker chooses unnerving tension over gruesome imagery. Of course, violence is unavoidable in a story like this, but those scenes are much more effective because of their importance in the layered emotional landscape presented. Pride is a boundless catalyst for hatred, and that’s what motivates the individuals here to die in the name of their lineage. Leo loses respect for his father because the promise of easy cash and overall badassery is exponentially more enticing than arduously working the land. Luciano is a coward in his son’s eyes for wanting to live a peaceful life, but the man can hardly experience that as he is caught up in between his brothers’ unfinished business and preventing Leo from following their path. It’s all the subtext that is embedded in every interaction that keeps “Black Souls” from becoming predictable, and instead asks us to ponder on the complex set of characters on screen.
Hauntingly somber, but all the more enthralling because of it, Vladan Radovic’s cinematography inconspicuously contributes to Munzi’s exploration of human darkness. A prime example of its gloomy appeal is a funeral sequence that centers both on a mother grieving her son, and the inevitably brutal consequences of the event. However, although a viscerally serious tone permeates the film, Munzi and Radovic were clever enough to capture beautiful moments of rural life that give “Black Souls” a timeless atmosphere: Luigi singing a traditional tune for the sheer joy of singing or Luciano walking among the ruins of an ancient church quietly denoting his religious devotion. Such glimpses of vulnerability create a mob film that is more concerned with the subtleties beneath the gunshots.
Indispensable for an ensemble piece like “Black Souls,” the entire cast, even those in minimal roles, is made up of a group of actors capable of refraining from ostentatious performances and focusing on the characters’ essential, nuanced qualities. Their conflicts are so profoundly intertwined that a weak link would have been problematic. Still, among these talented group, Fabrizio Ferracane as Luciano gives the most quietly compelling performance as a father, a brother, and a son who can’t recognize himself anymore or fit in among those around him. Ultimately, Ferracane steals the film in the riveting and shocking conclusion.
“Black Souls” delivers a gutsy twist on the tiresome works that showcase villains as stars and their feats as heroic. Munzi offers authenticity and poignancy ignoring our expectations and portraying his characters as deeply misguided people for whom loyalty is a golden asset and death is a common outcome. His film is about unspoken rules and unforgivable transgressions that might appear irrational to the outsider, but unquestionable to those involved.
"Black Souls" is now playing in NYC and opens in Los Angeles on April 24th.
Director Francesco Munzi will be doing a Skype Q&A from Rome, Italy on Saturday 4/18 at both the Angelika Film Center in NYC (after the 7:30 pm show) & at the Angelika Film Center in Fairfax, Va (after the 8pm show).
For all the play dates and theaters across the U.S. visit Here...
- 4/15/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Don't be alarmed if you feel a little lost during the early scenes of the somber new gangster film Black Souls. Director Francesco Munzi lets his tragic narrative unfold gradually and subtly, like a neo-neorealist take on The Godfather. There's a good reason for this: He wants to show us his individual characters — all members of the Carbone family – in their different environments. And at first, this isn't quite the Mafia we recognize from movies. There's a mundane quality to this business: We see Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), the boss, getting cash from his bankers so he can pay his men (many of whom, we may notice, have Middle Eastern names); we see his loose-cannon brother Luigi (strong-jawed Marco Leonardi — who was once the fresh-faced teenage Toto in Cinema Paradiso) negotiating some kind of deal with a group of Spaniards; we see Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane), the oldest, who wants...
- 4/11/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
In his review of Vitagraph Films’ Black Souls (Anime Nere), Travis Keune wrote the movie is, “a richly deep story about an unconventional “family business” that conjures up the essence of The Godfather but distances itself even further from the genre stereotypes than just about any film we’ve seen in recent years.”
Read the rest of the review here and check out the brand new clip.
Based on real events described in Gioacchino Criaco’s novel, Black Souls (Anime Nere) is a tale of violence begetting violence and complex morality inherited by each generation in rural, ancient Calabria, a reallife mafia (‘Ndrangheta) seat in Southern Italy.
The Carbone family consists of three brothers, Luigi (Marco Leonardi) and Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) who are engaged in the family business of international drug trade and Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) who has remained in the ancestral town of Africo in the Aspromonte mountains on the Mediterranean coast – herding goats.
Read the rest of the review here and check out the brand new clip.
Based on real events described in Gioacchino Criaco’s novel, Black Souls (Anime Nere) is a tale of violence begetting violence and complex morality inherited by each generation in rural, ancient Calabria, a reallife mafia (‘Ndrangheta) seat in Southern Italy.
The Carbone family consists of three brothers, Luigi (Marco Leonardi) and Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) who are engaged in the family business of international drug trade and Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) who has remained in the ancestral town of Africo in the Aspromonte mountains on the Mediterranean coast – herding goats.
- 4/10/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Crime and families (and crime families) have been a part of international cinema for years with movies as diverse as The Godfather, Animal Kingdom and The Raid all touching on the subject to varying degrees. Two new far lower profile films head into theaters this week, and while neither reach the heights of the ones just mentioned they’re both worthy additions to the sub-genre as they explore the deadly ramifications of mixing blood relatives with bloodletting. You can pick your friends, but it turns out you can’t pick your crime family. ————————————————- Three adult men, brothers, have moved on from the grief over their father’s murder to focus on what makes them happy. Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) is a businessman, at least on the outside, who runs a drug and crime empire from his snazzy Milan apartment while Luigi (Marco Leonardi) participates with a far more hands-on approach. The...
- 4/10/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Like many genre films, the category of mafia films is often branded with certain expectations. Granted, not all of these films are created equal, but we generally expect to see lots of violence and/or lots of foul language and Hollywood stereotypes. Where Black Souls succeeds is in refusing such stereotypes and telling a richly deep story about an unconventional “family business” that conjures up the essence of The Godfather but distances itself even further from the genre stereotypes than just about any film we’ve seen in recent years.
Director Francesco Munzi’s Black Souls (“Anime nere” in Italian) maintains a nearly unprecedented level of dignity for its type. The film tells the story of three brothers closely connected to N’drangheta, a mafia-like criminal organization based out of Calabria. These three brothers, sons of a shepherd, have differing views on their relationships with N’drangheta, which plays a...
Director Francesco Munzi’s Black Souls (“Anime nere” in Italian) maintains a nearly unprecedented level of dignity for its type. The film tells the story of three brothers closely connected to N’drangheta, a mafia-like criminal organization based out of Calabria. These three brothers, sons of a shepherd, have differing views on their relationships with N’drangheta, which plays a...
- 4/9/2015
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“You’re dressed like a shepherd!” Driving around Milan, middle-aged Luigi Carbone (an unrecognizable Marco Leonardi, of Like Water for Chocolate fame) affectionately disparages his 20-year-old nephew, Leo (Giuseppe Fumo), before planting him in a job in his own industry. The only child has fled a Calabrian farm and the father who runs it, Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane, master of fluctuating facial tics), who is Luigi’s oldest brother. Leo hopes for an exciting and lucrative life better tailored to his needs than herding: working with Luigi, his idol, Uncle Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), and their childhood pal and staunch ally, Nicola (Stefano Priolo). […]...
- 4/9/2015
- by Howard Feinstein
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
“You’re dressed like a shepherd!” Driving around Milan, middle-aged Luigi Carbone (an unrecognizable Marco Leonardi, of Like Water for Chocolate fame) affectionately disparages his 20-year-old nephew, Leo (Giuseppe Fumo), before planting him in a job in his own industry. The only child has fled a Calabrian farm and the father who runs it, Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane, master of fluctuating facial tics), who is Luigi’s oldest brother. Leo hopes for an exciting and lucrative life better tailored to his needs than herding: working with Luigi, his idol, Uncle Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta), and their childhood pal and staunch ally, Nicola (Stefano Priolo). […]...
- 4/9/2015
- by Howard Feinstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Now I Lay Me Down to Kill: Munzi’s Enjoyably Reserved Mafia Film
Premiering last fall at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, where it picked up a handful of prizes, Francesco Munzi’s third film, Black Souls, is a deliberately paced examination of familiar mafia standards. Based on a novel by Giacchino Criaco, it’s bound to be compared (and perhaps exist within the shadow of) Matteo Garrone’s highly celebrated 2008 feature, Gomorrah. But Munzi’s film is equally convincing, lending an austere sense of realism to what otherwise plays like a classic theatrical tragedy of three brothers at odds, locked in opposition and contention with the heavy baggage of their lineage. Light on dialogue and heavy on brooding characters marinating in their own mistrust or disdain of one another, it’s a successfully engaging film, but despite an enjoyably dire finale, isn’t as memorable as some modern comparative material.
Premiering last fall at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, where it picked up a handful of prizes, Francesco Munzi’s third film, Black Souls, is a deliberately paced examination of familiar mafia standards. Based on a novel by Giacchino Criaco, it’s bound to be compared (and perhaps exist within the shadow of) Matteo Garrone’s highly celebrated 2008 feature, Gomorrah. But Munzi’s film is equally convincing, lending an austere sense of realism to what otherwise plays like a classic theatrical tragedy of three brothers at odds, locked in opposition and contention with the heavy baggage of their lineage. Light on dialogue and heavy on brooding characters marinating in their own mistrust or disdain of one another, it’s a successfully engaging film, but despite an enjoyably dire finale, isn’t as memorable as some modern comparative material.
- 4/9/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The makers of Black Souls, a superior Italian gangster movie, deserve praise for executing with atypical sensitivity a generic times-are-changing/nostalgia-for-an-imaginary-chivalrous-yesteryear scenario. Like most post-Godfather Mafia dramas, Black Souls concerns an ambivalent protagonist — in this case, gruff goat-herder Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) — who has a love/hate relationship with his family's unspoken, honor-bound traditions. Luciano, the eldest of three brothers, cares for siblings Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) and Luigi (Marco Leonardi). But Luciano doesn't want anything to do with their drug-smuggling business or their shaky alliance with Don Peppe, the man who killed Luciano's father. Luciano is forced to do something after his trigger...
- 4/8/2015
- Village Voice
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.