Film

Based on the true story of the 1917 Marian apparitions reported by three children at the Cova da Iria in Portugal, Marco Pontecorvo’s 2020 drama. “Fátima” offers a contemporary take using new technology. “The cinemascope format can give back to the audience a much stronger emotion and can help people enjoy the stunning cinematography by Vincenzo Carpineta,” Pontecorvo says. The director got involved with the project after producers saw his 2009 feature film, “Pa-ra-da,” that addresses the issue of homeless children in post-Ceausescu Romania. Impressed by his direction of the children, they suggested he direct “Fatima.” He felt the story …

  It’s unusual for first-time filmmakers to be recognized by a high-profile international film festival but such is the case with Cecilia Pignocchi and Arthur Couvat. Their debut work, “Grottaroli,” is in the official lineup of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival’s Shorts Program. Set along the Adriatic Coast, the 14-minute film follows a group of veteran fishermen as they reflect on their vanishing way of life. Describing the fifth character as the sea, Pignocchi and her co-director offer total immersion into a culture that few outside the area knew existed. I spoke with Pignocchi about the making of the short …

Italy recently said goodbye to one of its most beloved filmmakers. Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno passed away on Feb 7, 2021, at the age of 97. Rotunno was one of the most prominent cinematographers of all time. Throughout the decades, he collaborated on cinematic masterpieces with the likes of Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, Luchino Visconti and Terry Gilliam. The first film he worked was in 1943 as a camera assistant on “L’uomo dalla Croce” (The Man With a Cross) by Roberto Rossellini. In 1956, he made his debut as a cinematographer alongside director Carmine Gallone on “Tosca” followed by “Le notti …

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura will complete its exploration of the work of actor Luca Marinelli with a virtual screening of “Lo chiamavano Jeeg” (They Call Me Jeeg). The film follows Enzo, a misanthropic small-time crook who uses superpowers gained after falling into the Tiber River to chase down a crazy gangster called “The Gypsy.” The film will be available for viewing from 1 p.m. April 23 to 1 p.m. April 25. To register, click here.    

The Lenten season is the perfect time to catch up on biblical epics and we have a comprehensive list to help get you started. Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1964 “Il Vangolo Secondo Matteo” (The Gospel According to St. Matthew) is considered by the Vatican to be among the best film adaptations of the Gospels. Pasolini shot the film in the regions of Basilicata and Calabria, casting his mother as Mary and many locals as extras. Spanish actor Enrique Irazoqui was cast in the role of Jesus. He was just 18-years-old when he landed the part. He had been in Rome at the …

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.  

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 …

The organizers of film festivals all over the globe have given new meaning to the phrase “the show must go on” by making their line-ups available in virtual theaters. By doing so, festival goers can stream films in the comfort and safety of their own homes. A number of Italian films have been included in these virtual platforms, including Pietro Marcello’s acclaimed “Martin Eden” and Gianfranco Rosi’s new documentary, “Notturno,” which is Italy’s Oscar submission. The latest virtual offering of contemporary Italian cinema is a joint effort by the Seattle International Film Festival and Luce Cinecittà, which will make the …

Chicago writer-director Lucia Mauro will premiere her new film, “I Have a Name,” online at 7 p.m. on Dec. 9. The one-hour documentary is co-produced by In My Brother’s Shoes Inc., the nonprofit film organization founded by Mauro and producer Joe Orlandino, and Jacqueline C. Hayes, founder and president emerita of the Chicago HELP Initiative (CHI). The film gives voice to individuals experiencing homelessness and explores the programs CHI offers on their behalf. “I Have a Name” puts a face on homelessness by focusing on the efforts of CHI and its partners to provide access to meals, health services, shelter, …