A number of contemporary Italian films will be available to stream in the coming months. Gianfranco Rosi’s new documentary “Notturno” will be available via the New York Film Festival’s Virtual Cinema on October 6. Having just premiered at the Venice Film Festival, the documentary film was shot over a three-year period along the borders between Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan and Lebanon. Rosi gives voice to a human drama that transcends geographical divisions and time, with encounters and images of the life that is impacted by the continuous tragedy of civil wars, brutal dictatorships, foreign invasions and interference and living in the …

Based on the bestselling novel by Wally Lamb, the HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True” follows the struggles of Dominick Birdsey as he goes to great lengths to protect his identical twin brother, Thomas, who is suffering from severe mental illness. The series stars Italian-American actor Mark Ruffalo in a bravura performance as both brothers. In the fifth episode, Birdsey’s efforts lead him to a book written by his grandfather, a Sicilian immigrant. Calabrese actor Marcello Fonte, who is featured in the June issue of Fra Noi, gives an outstanding performance as Domenico Tempesta, a ruthless, violent …

January 20, 2020, marks the 100th birthday of Fellini. To celebrate the event, Cinecittà will present him with a gift, Felliniana – Ferretti dreams of Fellini. The exhibit is housed in Cinecittà studios within the historic “Palazzina Fellini.” The work bears the signature of Dante Ferretti, the Oscar-winning scenographer who for Fellini was one of the magical architects of his visions, an artist-craftsman capable of giving shape to his dreams, and Francesca Lo Schiavo, a close associate of Ferretti, and an internationally acclaimed scenographer and set decorator. The exhibition offers full immersion into Fellini’s imagination as well as the dreamlike …

An icon of the silent film era, Louise Brooks has a special place in the hearts of Italians thanks to a groundbreaking series of comic books and strips. Black-and-white photos from the silent film era have an aura of mystery and nostalgia, and one of that era’s favorite subjects was actress Louise Brooks. Famed for her bob hairstyle and iconic flapper costumes, her influence has reached across the decades and far beyond American shores. “Louise Brooks is my favorite actress,” Italian director Marco Tullio Giordana revealed when we spoke at the 2018 edition of Lincoln Center’s Open Roads: New Italian …

Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman” opened at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where the lead actor, Marcello Fonte took home the top acting prize. Since then, it’s won numerous awards including the Italian Oscar Best Supporting Actor. The film follows Marcello (Marcello Fonte), an animal lover who runs a neighborhood dog grooming business. He adores his pre-teen daughter and takes her on scuba diving expeditions. The two dream of going to exotic places like the Red Sea, Hawaii and the Maldives. Marcello also has a frailty about him and sometimes seems to feel inferior. He doesn’t speak up on his own behalf and …

Michela Occhipinti’s “Flesh Out,” which is in the International Narrative Competition of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, will take you into a world filled with emotion. Watching this film, you will feel disbelief, anger and sadness but if you look deeply, you’ll realize how similar the characters’ struggles are to your own. Gavage is a centuries old tradition practiced in the West African country of Mauritania in which a young woman prepares for marriage by gaining a considerable amount of weight. The weight gain is symbolic of good health and prosperity. However, in 2019, many young people are not embracing …

The story and landscape of Lucania are in the spotlight during the month of April. A rare, uncut version of Francesco Rosi’s 1979 film “Christ Stopped at Eboli” is being shown at the Film Forum in New York City’s West Village. The screenplay was adapted from the book by Carlo Levi, a doctor, writer and painter from Torino who was exiled to the southern region of Lucania (today, Basilicata) because of his political beliefs. The year was 1935 and Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party was in power. Levi was forced into exile due to the silencing of those who spoke out against fascism. …

Today’s social media platforms bring us into contact with so many interesting people. Some compel you to want to know more about them beyond the photos and interesting content they post. One of those people is Tommaso Cartia. What sets him apart from others, beyond his interesting posts, is his support for his fellow journalists. Although he is always working and posting his own intriguing projects, he always takes the time to acknowledge others and their projects, showing a genuine interest in their work. In this day and age of self-promotion and selfies, this is a unique and endearing quality. Cartia’s family is from Scoglitti, a …

  Among the diverse selections of the 75th Venice Film Festival is an adaptation of a short fiction by Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. Il Banchiere Anarchico (The Anarchist Banker) is the story of a banker who engages in a revealing conversation about why he considers himself an anarchist even though he doesn’t possess the obvious traits. Published in 1922 and set in a Lisbon café, the conversation takes place between a wealthy banker and his friend as the two have a friendly but passionate exchange about the qualities of a true anarchist. The wealthy banker stands by his claim that …

  Actress Lucia Mascino presented Francesca Comencini’s “Stories of Love that Cannot Belong to This World” at the 18th edition of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. Adapted from Comencini’s book, the film offers an intimate look at how one woman deals with the end of a relationship. Although many would not have the same seemingly desperate reaction, it’s the delusional or even hopeful motivation for which she stayed that we can all understand on some level. The film follows Claudia (Lucia Mascino) and Flavio (Thomas Trabacchi), two very different people but deeply in love nonetheless. Their …