There’s something about Italian films that gets under my skin. When I watch them, I always ride a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from nostalgia to sentimentality to anger to sadness to fear to joy to empathy. For more than a decade now, I look forward every year to the media screenings of the films selected for Lincoln Center’s annual Italian film series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. I anticipate the films bringing me into the worlds of their complex characters and the artists responsible for creating them. I look forward to this kind of cinematic escape, and every year, …

  When many of us Italian-Americans imagine our families back in Italy, we have visions of beautiful, welcoming people filled with warmth and enthusiasm. Since all of my great-grandparents came from the regions of Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, I have a special affection for the south. My paternal great grandfather came from Calabria, so I naturally consider all Calabrese warm and full of love and compassion like him and his children; my grandfather and great aunts. Well that is exactly what I found when I contacted “Anime nere” (Black Souls) cast member, Stefano Priolo for an interview about his beloved …

  “Black Souls” (Anime nere) is the latest Italian film to make its way to American shores, and it’s being warmly embraced by our critics and audiences. The title is appropriate for the tone of the film. It is very dark indeed. Its characters are trapped in a world dominated by organized crime. But “Black Souls” is not your typical mafia movie. It’s a story about brothers and family bonds. The cast — led by profoundly talented actors Marco Leonardi, Fabrizio Ferracone and Peppino Mazzotta — have so much chemistry, it’s easy to forget you’re watching a movie. Africo, the …

  The international appeal of Italian cinema is growing with each passing year. American audiences in particular are being treated to dozens of contemporary Italian films through festivals all over the country. However, it isn’t every day that we get a nationwide theatrical release. Such is the case with Francesco Munzi’s latest film, “Anime nere” (Black Souls). The title is appropriate for the tone of the film. It is indeed a very dark film in which its characters are trapped in a world where their lives are dominated by organized crime. When I first saw the film, my initial reaction …

  Contemporary Italian cinema is gaining momentum worldwide with each passing year. When I began writing for Fra Noi back in 2004, I could count on one hand the contemporary Italian film festivals held in America. Fast forward to 2015, and there are dozens of series and festivals across the country that showcase the latest in Italian cinema. That popularity has captured the attention of film distributors, leading them to discover how much Americans really enjoy a good Italian movie. Francesco Munzi’s “Anime nere” (Black Souls) is the latest example of this trend. The film gained international acclaim when it …