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Ten shorts by the Sicilian documentary filmmaker Vittorio De Seta are now  available on The Criterion Channel. The collection was released in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the Film Foundation, an organization founded by Martin Scorcese and dedicated to preserving cinema. In addition to the films by De Seta, The Criterion Channel is releasing a number of films during the year-long celebration that have been saved and restored thanks to this initiative. Among the Italian films in the first batch of releases are Luchino Visconti’s 1954 “Senso,” Francesco Rosi’s 1962 “Salvatore Giuliano” and 1972 “The Mattei Affair” and Sergio …

Chicago writer-director Lucia Mauro’s new documentary “I Have a Name” won Best Documentary at the 2020 Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival at the Vatican in Rome. Held under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the festival celebrates compassionate humanitarian films. The jury selected “I Have a Name,” which focuses on efforts to help the homeless in Chicago, from close to 3,000 entries from around the world. This marks Mauro’s second Mirabile Dictu prize. She won for Best Short Film n 2015.  

Buying your first home can be a stressful event. The process can be a long one, and there are a lot of things that you need to do to prepare yourself. It can be helpful to take a bird’s-eye view so you can better prepare ready yourself for the journey ahead. First, you will have to figure out your needs, wants and budget. This will guide you through every other step of the process. It’s important to determine these things in the beginning, so you don’t waste time heading down dead ends. A home is so much more than looks …

Although the direct translation of stare is “to stay,” over the centuries stare has also taken on the meaning of “to be” with regard to one’s health. The verb stare is often used in other ways as well. For instance, with the addition of the preposition per, the “stare  per” combination conveys the meaning “to be about to.” Stare is an –are verb that has an irregular root in the tu and loro forms. In the table below, the regular conjugations of stare are given in green and the irregular forms in brown in order to make them easier to …

I find it interesting that everyone has a cellphone that can take pictures these days, but we haven’t solved a problem that has been around since the days of Brownie cameras. Many of us have photo albums that show us and our family members and friends at different stages of growing up and at various celebrations and events. The photos show the good times, the bad times and our lives from day to day. We love looking at and reminiscing over these photos because of they remind us of shared experiences with people we care about. Each photo is a …

Born in Naples on January 10, 1869, Giuseppe de Liguoro is credited with creating epic films that reached beyond the borders of his country. Among the iconic silent films he directed during the second decade of the 1900s are “L’Inferno” and “L’Odissea.” Both were released in 1911. “L’inferno” was roughly adapted from the first part of Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” and was Italy’s first completed feature film. The project took more than three years to make and was directed by Liguoro, Adolfo Padovan and Francesco Bertolini. The gruesome story is set in the depths of Hell as Dante is guided …

February brings with it Valentine’s Day and conversations about love. Not being one to color outside the lines, that’s exactly where this column is going to go! That isn’t a challenging premise when we’re talking about our beloved Roseland. Anytime people get together and talk turns to Roseland the stories start to flow from the heart. All Roseland stories involve our love for the great memories we have. Given how much time we spent on “The Ave,” talking about Michigan Avenue brings up 100s of stories. If you’re reminiscing about going to a movie or seeing a show on The …

Because homes are such huge purchases, regrets loom large and you want to do everything in your power to avoid them. Here are a few items to pay close attention to prior to signing on the dotted line at the closing table. A property inspection is one expense you should never skimp on. Trust me when I tell you will regret it if you do. Besides the typical home inspection there are many other possible features that may require special attention. Does the property have a pool? Is there a septic system? Are there solar panels that power the property? …

The verb sentirsi means “to feel” in Italian and therefore sentirsi is the verb Italians use to describe their deepest emotions. You will immediately notice from the -si ending that sentirsi is a reflexive verb. We English speakers do not use a reflexive verb when we put our emotions into words, since “feeling” is not considered a reflexive activity in our way of thinking. Because of this important difference, we will really have to learn how to think in Italian to express our feelings with sentirsi!   Learning how to use the verb sentirsi is really not all that tricky, though, once you …

The verb stare has an interesting history. Although the direct translation of stare is “to stay,” over the centuries, stare has also taken on the meaning of “to be” with respect to one’s general health. Stare is an –are verb that has an irregular root in the tu and loro forms. In the table below, the regular conjugations of stare are given in green and the irregular forms in brown, in order to make them easier to recognize. Stare is a verb that will truly be used every day, so each conjugation should be committed to memory. Stare – to …