News

Films from parts of the world plagued by war and other hardships dominate the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Giornate Degli Autori that will open with Ukrainian-born director Vladlena Sandu’s autobiographical film “Memory” that revisits her traumatic childhood memories in war-torn Chechnya.

The competition of the Giornate – which is also known as Venice Days – comprises 10 world premieres, none of which are english-language titles. They hail from countries including Iran, Lebanon Kenya, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, Spain, Greece and Italy.

The selection features another filmmaker, Germany-based Russian filmmaker Nastia Korkia, re-elaborating the Chechnyan conflict in “A Short Summer,” the story of eight-year-old Katya, who goes on vacation with her grandparents just as the war in Chechnya breaks out.

“In many of the selected titles the goal is life, building lives, relationships. One tries to process grief in order to overcome it and try hard to see the world...

Venice parallel section Giornate degli Autori has unveiled the line-up for its 22nd edition.

The main competition, showcasing 10 features, will open with Ukrainian artist and filmmaker Vladlena Sandu’s Memory, a deeply personal work piecing together childhood memories of life in Chechnya’s capital of Grozny amid the violence of the First Chechen War.

The Chechen Wars also loom large in exiled Germany-based Russian director Nastia Korkia’s Short Summer about an eight -year-old girl vacationing with her grandparents as their marriage crumbles and the conflict in the North Caucasus spills into everyday Russian life.

Further contenders include Spanish director Gabriel Azorín Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes, following two men who return from the front and seek out an ancient thermal bath, the mysterious waters of which giving them the courage to say things they have never before told anyone.

Kenyan filmmaker Damien Hauser, who made waves...

Jasmine Trinca and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Like Crazy”) are set to star in Paolo Strippoli’s high-concept Italian thriller “The Spiral” (“L’estranea”), which France’s Le Pacte has boarded for international sales.

Strippoli is Italy’s hottest young horror genre helmer, having made a splash with hit Netflix original “A Classic Horror Story,” which he co-directed with Roberto De Feo, followed by “Flowing” (“Piove”). His upcoming chiller “The Holy Boy” (“La Valle dei Sorrisi”) is tipped to bow at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

Shooting is currently underway in Italy on “The Spiral” (see first-look image above), which also stars Romana Maggiora Vergano (“There’s Still Tomorrow”) and Adriano Giannini. The film is being lead-produced by Rome-based Propaganda in tandem with France’s Kazak Productions and Belgium’s Tarantula Film with support from Italy’s Rai Cinema. The planned delivery date is February 2026.

“The Spiral” centers on a mother-daughter relationship that...

Ferzan Özpetek, the director of Diamonds (Diamanti):”There are certain costume designers I was thinking of, Milena Canonero, yes. Piero Tosi who was a good friend …”

Ferzan Özpetek’s sparkling Diamonds almost entirely takes place in a Roman film and theater costume atelier in the 1970s, owned by Alberta Canova (Luisa Ranieri) and her sister Gabriella (Jasmine Trinca), who after a personal loss seems more and more out of sorts to handle all the detailed requirements requested by demanding costume designers, movie directors, and stars.

Ferzan Özpetek with Anne-Katrin Titze about his encounter with Monica Vitti: ”She turned around and came back to me and said, you are going to make a lot of beautiful films!”

The fabulous ensemble cast sheds light on the various concerns of women in the garment business and their personal relationships through humorous and sometimes almost tragic vignettes.

The...

Italy’s Rai Cinema is the first international distributor to announce the acquisition of “Day Drinker,” the film that marks Johnny Depp’s return to Hollywood following his high-profile legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard.

“It’s a great action movie featuring an almost unrecognisable Johnny Depp with long grey hair and a beard,” Rai Cinema chief Paolo Del Brocco told reporters on Wed. as he unveiled the 2025/26 lineup of the prominent Italian company that is the film arm of Italian state broadcaster Rai.

Italy’s Leone Film Group and Rai Cinema jointly acquired “Day Drinker” from Lionsgate.

The film from “500 Days of Summer” and “Snow White” director Marc Webb re-teams Depp and Penélope Cruz for a fourth time after previous collaborations on “Blow,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Murder on the Orient Express.” Madelyn Cline also stars in the film while Manu Ríos, Arón Piper,...

Netflix has agreed a landmark deal with TF1 that will allow its subscribers in France to watch the French broadcaster’s live channels and on-demand content on the streaming platform.

TF1 content such as scripted dramas, soaps and unscripted series through to live sports will be available from summer 2026 as part of the Netflix offer.

The streamer said the agreement would enable its subscribers to watch TF1 content “without ever having to leave the service”.

TF1 and Netflix have previously worked together on co-productions such as Les Combattantes, L’Agence and Tout Le Bleu Du Ciel.

The deal potentially paves the...

Italian director Nanni Moretti has cast Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca in his next film, love story Succederà Questa Notte (It Will Happen Tonight), and is set to start filming this September.

The Palme d’Or winning director has adapted a book of short stories, Legami, by Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo. Moretti previously adapted a Nevo novel for his 2021 film Three Floors. He has collaborated with Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella on the script. It marks his first feature since suffering a heart attack in April.

“We have intertwined some stories from the book to create a unique story,” said...

Recovering from his health scare back in April, Nanni Moretti is moving back into the director’s chair for Succederà questa notte (“It Will Happen Tonight”). Variety reports that production will begin sometimes this autumn with the backdrops of Spain and Italy and the good news is he managed to lasso the likes of Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca (who was part of 2001’s The Son’s Room and 2006’s The Caiman). Angela Finocchiaro, Elena Lietti, Antonio De Matteo, Andrea Lattanzi, Hippolyte Girardot, Pietro Ragusa, and Paolo Sassanelli are also cast. Despite his recent output – 2023’s A Brighter Tomorrow bombed as a competition film in Cannes (read review), Moretti will likely return to the Croisette and likely be aiming for a competition slot.…...

Palme d’Or-winning Italian auteur Nanni Moretti (“The Son’s Room”) is set to soon return behind camera on the romantic drama “Succederà questa notte” (“It Will Happen Tonight”), starring French star Louis Garrel and Italian A-lister Jasmine Trinca.

The 71-year-old idiosyncratic director, actor and screenwriter, who suffered a heart attack in April but rapidly recovered, is expected to shoot the film in Spain and Italy this fall. “It Will Happen Tonight” is loosely based on the short story collection “Hungry Heart” (Lev Raev) by Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Moretti adapted Nevo’s short story collection together with frequent co-screenwriters Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella.

Moretti previously adapted Nevo’s novel “Three Floors Up” in the 2021 film “Three Floors.”

Trinca, who was on the Cannes jury in 2023, made her feature debut in Moretti’s “The Son’s Room” in 2001. This will be their first collaboration...

Palme d’Or-winning Italian director Nanni Moretti (The Son’s Room, We Have a Pope) is teaming up with French star Louis Garrel (Little Women, The Dreamers) and Italian actress Jasmine Trinca (The Gunman) for his new film, the romantic drama Succederà questa notte (It Will Happen Tonight).

The feature, loosely based on the short story collection Hungry Heart (Lev Raev) by Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo, is set to begin shooting in Spain and Italy this fall. Moretti adapted Nevo’s novel Three Floors Up as the 2021 film Three Floors.

Trinca made her feature debut in Moretti’s The Son’s Room in 2001, but this will be their first collaboration since The Caiman in 2006. The Italian actress has been splitting her time between features, including Léa Todorov’s Maria Montessori and Ildikó Enyedi’s The Story of My Wife (2021), and TV work, appearing in acclaimed Italian series La Storia and The Art of Joy...

Michelangelo Antonioni’s La Notte, starring Monica Vitti, Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau screens in Cinecittà and Film at Lincoln Center’s Monica Vitti: La Modernista

Before the Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s 24th edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema luncheon at Leopard at des Artistes, I asked Fabrizio Gifuni, star of the Opening Night film, Francesca Comencini’s The Time It Takes (Il Tempo Che Ci Vuole with Anna Mangiocavallo) and directors Andrea Segre of The Great Ambition (Berlinguer. La Grande Ambizione with Elio Germano as Enrico Berlinguer), Sara Fgaier of Weightless (Sulla Terra Leggeri with Andrea Renzi and Sara Serraiocco), Alissa Jung of Paternal Leave, and Ferzan Özpetek of Diamonds (Diamanti with Luisa Ranieri and Jasmine Trinca) to name their favourite Monica Vitti films.

Monica Vitti: La Modernista

Michelangelo Antonioni’s masterpieces L’Avventura (4K Restoration); L’Eclisse opposite Alain Delon, La Notte with Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau,...

Paternal Leave director/screenwriter Alissa Jung with Anne-Katrin Titze on Luca Marinelli as Paolo: “Luca's performance gave me the opportunity to really dive in …”

Alissa Jung’s perceptive and compelling Paternal Leave (a highlight of Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema) stars fantastic newcomer Juli Grabenhenrich and the wonderful Luca Marinelli (of Pietro Marcello’s Martin Eden and Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty) with Arturo Gabbriellini (from Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are), Gaia Rinaldi, and Joy Falletti Cardillo. Other films not to be missed include the Opening Night selection, Francesca Comencini’s The Time It Takes (Il Tempo Che Ci Vuole) with Anna Mangiocavallo and Fabrizio Gifuni; Sara Fgaier’s Weightless (Sulla Terra Leggeri) with Andrea Renzi and Sara Serraiocco (Lamberto Sanfelice's Chlorine); Ferzan Özpetek’s Diamonds (Diamanti), a celebration of movie costume design, with Luisa Ranieri and...

Exclusive: Chiara Mastroianni (Marcello Mio), Denis Podalydès (Sorry Angel), Guslagie Malanda (Dossier 137), Jasmine Trinca (La Storia), Cleo Diára (I Only Rest In The Storm), Isabél Zuaa (The Secret Agent), and Agustina Muñoz (Ariel) are set to lead feature Jealous White Men, which Magnify is launching for the Cannes market.

Filming is set to begin later this year in Galápagos, Portugal, Brazil, and Italy on director Ivan Granovsky’s adventure-tragicomedy. The film is co-written by Granovsky and Mariana Ricardo (Grand Tour). Cinematography is by Simone D’Arcangelo (The Settlers). Additional casting is in process.

The synopsis reads: “Jealous White Men is a wild, tragicomic adventure that satirizes history through dueling narratives by Jules Verne and his wife Honorine, each recounting young Charles Darwin’s journey to the Galápagos — a voyage teeming with pirates, pink iguanas, and a riotous mix of chaos, discovery, and revolt.”

Magnify is handling global and U.S.

Maura Delpero’s Italian WW2 drama Vermiglio won best film at the 70th David Di Donatello awards, Italy’s version of the Oscars, held at Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studio on Wednesday night. Delpero also took best directing honors en route to a 7-trophy sweep.

The film, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival last year, beat out the two award frontrunners, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, a sumptuous, occasionally surreal tribute to his hometown of Naples, and Andrea Segre’s The Great Ambition, a political biopic about Italian Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer, which lead the pack going into the David awards with 15 nominations each. Parthenope went away empty-handed, but The Great Ambition took two awards: Best actor for Elio Germano, who play Berlinguer, and best editing for Jacopo Quadri.

Tecla Insolia won best actress for her starring role in Nicolangelo Gelormini’s Sicilian...

There’s a certain formula that often defines the recipients of the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious top prize, the Palme d’Or. These films, especially in the last two decades, tend to have a sense of importance about them, frequently due to their sociopolitical awareness of the world (Laurent Cantet’s The Class), or of specific societal ills.

From time to time, the Palme d’Or goes to a bold, experimental, and divisive vision from a well-liked auteur, such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. But more often it’s awarded to a film in the lineup that the majority of the members on the Cannes jury can agree is good. That felt like the case for Ken Loach’s The Wind that Shakes the Barley and I, Daniel Blake, as well as Julia Ducournau’s Titane,...

Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, the director’s sumptuous, occasionally surreal tribute to his hometown of Naples, and Andrea Segre’s The Great Ambition, a political biopic about Italian Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer, are the frontrunners for this year’s David Di Donatello awards, Italy’s version of the Oscars.

Parthenope and The Great Ambition picked up 15 nominations each, including for best film and best director. In the best film category, they will face up against Maura Delpero’s Italian WW2 drama Vermiglio and Valeria Golino and Nicolangelo Gelormini’s L’arte della gioia (The Art of Joy), which received 14 nominations each, and the Francesca Comencini-directed drama The Time It Takes, which received four nominations. Other multiple nominees include Margherita Vicario’s debut feature Gloria!, about women musicians at a Church-run establishment in early-1800s Italy, which scored nine nominations, and Francesco Costabile’s crime thriller Familia, with eight.

In the best international film category,...

The cineuropa folks always publish the latest advance on receipts for the Cnc and it gives us taste of what we’ll find in the not so distant future and we’d wager that Bertrand Mandico and Lukas Dhont will likely move into production soon for what would be a likely 2026 drop and seeing that both filmmakers are tied to Cannes having premiered there in the past we think that the chances are indeed plausible for some Croisette love. Announce this past December, Marion Cotillard, Alba Rohrwacher and Jasmine Trinca signed onto topline Mandico’s Roma elastica (revolves around an actress who is going make her last film in Rome in the 1980s) while Dhont has been receiving some early coin support to put towards his third feature film in Coward.…

[/link]...

Rocco Siffredi, the retired global porn star whose life story inspired Netflix’s recent series “Supersex,” is to star in “Blue,” an Italian drama set in the erotic social media world.

Shooting is underway in Italy’s central Marche region on the film, which according to promotional materials revolves around a young female student named Luce contending with “tough choices” as she navigates the deceptive world of erotic websites and social media. The indie film is directed by first-timer Eleonora Puglia.

Italy’s PiperFilm is handling international sales and will release “Blue” in Italy.

Alongside Siffredi, the “Blue” cast also includes young Italian actresses Alexia Cozzi — who plays Luce — and Shaheen Barletta (“Prisma”). Siffredi plays Luce’s father.

“Blue” is a co-production between Italy’s Camaleo Film and Poland’s Agreswyna Banda, with support from the Marche Film Commission and Lazio Cinema International.

Siffredi, who has made roughly 1,400 hardcore films,...

Italian director Francesca Archibugi will direct sex-trafficking drama “Illusion” toplining Jasmine Trinca as an intrepid magistrate investigating a prostitution ring with links to the European parliament and Michele Riondino (“Young Montalbano”) as a psychologist.

Shooting is set to start next month in central Italy on the roughly $8 million film that will reunite Archibugi with Trinca who played the lead in the director’s feminist fascist-era saga “La Storia” that was Italy’s biggest TV event of 2023. Italy’s Fandango is co-producing “Illusion” with Rai Cinema and Belgium’s Tarantula.

Fandango sales is launching pre-sales on “Illusion” at the European Film Market.

Trinca (pictured) is an A-list Italian actor who was on the Cannes jury in 2023. In “Illusion” she will play judge Cristina Camponeschi who pursues a prostitution ring with ties to Eastern Europe and to the European Parliament. The investigation kicks off after a 16-year-old named Rosa Lazar “dressed like a Dior supermodel,...

Prolific Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek’s female-centric ensemble drama “Diamonds” is fast becoming Italy’s first standout title of 2025. The film has scored sales in some 40 territories while becoming the country’s No. 1 local box office draw so far this year.

“Diamonds,” which is set both in the present day and in the 1970s, revolves around the life and love affairs of a group of warmhearted women who work in a large Rome cinema costume company run by two sisters “who are as different as they are close,” as the synopsis puts it.

Hailed by Italian critics as a love letter to women, the art of costume design and the emotional power of cinema, “Diamonds” has been shining locally, pulling more than $15 million – and counting – at the Italian box office since its Dec. 19 theatrical release via Vision Distribution.

The film’s ensemble cast includes Luisa Ranieri, who played the emotionally...

American director, screenwriter and producer Todd Haynes has been named president of the international jury of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The Berlinale diamond jubilee (a 75th anniversary) will take place from February 13-23, 2025.

”Todd Haynes is a dazzlingly gifted writer and director with an impressive range; his body of work is at once stylistically versatile but also unmistakably his,” Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle said in a Thursday statement. “Ever since his debut feature ‘Poison’ won the Teddy Award in 1991, the Berlinale has followed and loved his filmmaking, and we are overjoyed to have him join the festival as the President of the International Jury for our 75th edition.”

The Teddy Award is the festival’s queer-film prize. “Poison” also won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Haynes’ 2002 film “Far From Heaven” was nominated for four Oscars.

His other notable work includes “Safe” (1995), “Velvet Goldmine” (1998), the...

The acclaimed Italian television drama series “La Storia” has signed agreements to expand its international distribution significantly. Based on Elsa Morante’s landmark 1974 novel, the World War II series is streamlining in North America through U.S. and Canadian distribution with MHz Choice. Dual deals in Israel with Yes and Hot networks were also reached. Earlier partnerships were made with several Nordic broadcasters. Beta Film handles global distribution for the series.

The series tells the story of Ida Ramundo, a Jewish widow living in Rome during and after World War II with her two sons. Actress Jasmine Trinca stars as Ida. An ensemble cast of renowned Italian performers bring the production to life, including Asia Argento, Elio Germano, and Valerio Mastandrea.

Director Francesca Archibugi adapted the screenplay from the novel along with writers Francesco Piccolo, Giulia Calenda, and Ilaria Macchia. Picomedia and Thalie Images produce the series in partnership with broadcasters Rai Fiction and Beta.

Exclusive: Italian drama ‘La Storia’ has been picked up for the U.S. and Israel. The series, adapted from the iconic Elsa Morante bestseller, is set in Rome during and soon after World War II. It stars Jasmine Trinca (The Gunman) in the lead role.

MHz Choice, the SVOD service that majors in bringing prestige international television to North American viewers, has acquired it for the U.S. and Canada. Elsewhere, Yes and Hot have picked it up for Israel. Beta Film is handling distribution and cut the deals. It has already sold it to Nrk in Norway, Yle in Finland, Svt in Sweden, Dr in Denmark and Ruv in Iceland.

The series is set during World War II and its immediate aftermath. It turns on the story of a Jewish woman, Ida Ramundo, a widowed mother living in Rome, and her two sons. The book was first published in...

True Colours has acquired the international sales rights to “Familia,” directed by Francesco Costabile. The film will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Horizons section. Variety is debuting the film’s trailer (below).

“Familia” is a dark melodrama that weaves together elements of psychological thriller and social commentary. The film follows the harrowing journey of Luigi, a young man grappling with a toxic family legacy and his entanglement with extremist ideologies. Based on Luigi Celeste’s autobiographical book “It Won’t Be Like This Forever,” the story delves into the destructive cycles of violence and the struggle for redemption.

The cast includes Francesco Gheghi, Barbara Ronchi (“Kidnapped” by Marco Bellochio), and Francesco Di Leva (“Nostalgia” by Mario Martone). Cinematography is by Giuseppe Maio and the score is by Valerio Vigliar.

“Familia” is produced by Attilio de Razza and Nicola Picone at Rome-based Tramp Limited. The...

The world premiere of Mitzi Peirone’s horror film “Saint Clare” will open the Taormina Film Festival, this year celebrating its 70th anniversary edition. The adaptation of Don Roff’s novel stars Bella Thorne, Ryan Phillippe, Frank Whaley and Rebecca De Mornay. It’s the first of four world premieres to screen at the outdoor Teatro Antico in the Sicilian town, which looks out towards Mount Etna, an active volcano, to the West.

Lee Isaac Chung’s highly anticipated remake/sequel “Twisters,” distributed by Warner Bros. in Italy, is blowing into town for its local premiere. Starring “Normal People’s” Daisy Edgar Jones and “Hitman” star Glen Powell, the “Minari” director’s film is a reupping of Jan de Bont’s mid-90s classic, with a James Cameron-esque title promising to multiply the mayhem.

Marco Mueller, who has taken over as the festival’s artistic director (see interview), commented...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

Every summer, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invites a deluge of new members to join its ranks. Since #OscarsSoWhite back in 2015, the Academy has moved away from its elitist tendencies and toward embracing younger and more diverse artists and executives from all over the world. This year’s invited class is no exception.

If the invitees all accept Academy membership, the total members will number 10,910 and voting members 9,934. And with the addition of the 2024 members, 35 percent of Academy members identify as women, 20 percent of Academy members are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities, and 20 percent of Academy members are from countries or territories outside the U.S.

As usual, a slew of Oscar nominees and winners are gaining admittance to the club (71 Oscar nominees and 19 winners), including actors Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Sandra Hüller, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), costume designer Holly Waddington...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that it is extending invitations to 487 to join the membership ranks of the Oscar organizer. If all accept, it will bring the Academy’s total membership to 10,910, of which 9,934 would be voting members.

This year’s list across 19 branches include 2024 Oscar winners Da’Vine Joy Randolph from The Holdovers; Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington and production design team James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek; 20 Days in Mariupol director Mstyslav Chernov, War Is Over! producer Brad Booker; The Zone of Interest sound duo Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn; the Godzilla Minus One VFX team Tatsuji Nojima, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Takashi Yamazaki; American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson; and Anatomy of a Fall writing duo Justine Triet and Arthur Harari.

Jefferson and Triet are among eight names on the list who were invited to more than one branch (noted...

Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) has added a rendez-vouz with Italian actor and filmmaker Valeria Golino to its programme as well as two animated features and the first Cinema de la Plage titles.

Golino, whose credits include Rain Man and Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, will premiere the first episode of her new series The Art Of Joy followed by an in conversation event. The series, which will screen in Italian cinemas in July, stars Jasmine Trinca, Tecla Insolia and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and follows a Sicilian woman in the early 1900s who dreams of a better life.

The actor...

The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled fresh news details about its 77th edition (May 14-25), including a Rendez-vous with…Valeria Golino event.

The Italian actress and director, whose 40-year career spans more than 100 acting credits, broke into directing just over a decade ago and has been invited to Cannes Official Selection twice with films Miele (2013) and Euforia (2018).

She has recently completed The Art of Joy. The adaptation of Goliarda Sapienza’s novel L’arte della gioia, was shot as a series but there is also feature-length cut which will release in cinemas in Italy later this year. The cast features Jasmine Trinca, Tecla Insolia and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi.

The first episode of the series will be previewed, followed by a dialogue between Valeria Golino and the audience.

The festival also announced the first titles selected for its free Cinéma de la Plage screenings: Daniel Burman’s Transmitzvah, Jul’s Silex and the City,...

On March 6, 2024, Netflix launched “Supersex,” the true story of how Rocco Tano, a simple guy from Ortona, Italy, became Rocco Siffredi, the most famous porn star in the world. The Italian drama series written by Francesca Manieri stars Alessandro Borghi as Rocco and has received rave reviews from critics.

Holding fresh at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, the scandalous series is a critically acclaimed hit with an equally impressive audience score. The ensemble cast includes Jasmine Trinca, Adriano Giannini, Enrico Borello and Vincenzo Nemolato. Read our full review round-up below.

See ‘The Gentlemen’ review round-up: Theo James leads cast of ‘colorful characters’ in Netflix crime drama

Meghan O’Keefe of Decider writes, “’Supersex’ manages to weave together smut and art in intoxicating measure. It could very well be the first foreign language show since ‘Squid Game’ to dominate Netflix’s other programming for weeks at a time. It’s also, thankfully, bringing back the kind of artsy,...

Rocco Siffredi’s Thoughts on Netflix’s Supersex ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

When it comes to making shows inspired or based on real-life personalities, no one can beat Netflix. From documentaries to movies and web shows, the streaming platform has brought to life the stories of people who have inspired or shocked everyone with their actions and behaviour. The latest addition to their library is Supersex, an Italian adult drama series inspired by the life of adult star Rocco Siffredi.

The Netflix series was written by Francesca Manieri. Francesca directed the show with Francesca Mazzoleni and Matteo Rovere. The official Netflix synopsis reads, “Inspired by true events, this is the story of how Rocco Siffredi escaped a humble life and emerged as the world’s greatest adult movie star.”

Ever since Supersex was released, netizens haven’t stopped talking about it. The explicit content in it has baffled everyone. However, in an interview last year,...

After two weeks of new cinema, the Berlin Film Festival comes to a close this Sunday, February 25, with its annual awards ceremony. This year’s event marks one of change, as festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian, at his post since 2018, steps down to make way for Tricia Tuttle, who will take over for next year’s outing.

This year’s Berlinale has already stirred plenty of buzz for films like Alonso Ruizpalacios’s “La Cocina,” a drama set in a New York City kitchen and starring Rooney Mara, and Tim Mielants’ opener “Small Things Like These,” starring likely Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. Both films are eligible for awards, along with “Timbuktu” director Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Black Tea,” “Goodnight Mommy” filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s “The Devil’s Bath,” “The Guilty” director Gustav Möller’s “Sons,” Olivier Assayas’ “Suspended Time,” plus Aaron Schimberg’s Sundance hit “A Different Man,” and many more.

The 74th Berlin International Film Festival announced the winners of the fest at the awards ceremony held at the Berlinale Palast on February 24.

20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.

The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.

Porn icon Rocco Siffredi claims that after making roughly 1,400 hardcore films — with titles like “The Ass Collector” and “Rocco’s Perfect Slaves” — over the past four decades, he has finally found “the peace of his senses.”

“I could crack a bad joke and say I can’t get it up anymore,” says Siffredi, 59, speaking on a video call from the Budapest office of his Rocco Siffredi Production company, which houses the Siffredi Hard Academy, touted as the world’s first “university of porn.”

“But that’s not the case. Quite the contrary,” the hardworking “Italian Stallion” hastens to add. I’ve asked Siffredi about being — or having notoriously been — a sex addict. And the many times he’s announced his retirement as a porn performer, only to make another comeback.

“I have to tell you that it was a mix of problems connected with my personal life and the dependency that this job,...

The Berlin Film Festival officially kicked off Thursday evening with an eventful opening ceremony at the Berlinale Palast theater in the German capital.

After a divisive build-up to the fest, the opening ceremony was, in contrast, a relatively conventional affair. High-profile attendees included veteran German filmmakers Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin, Phantom Thread actress Vicky Krieps, and international jury president Lupita Nyong’o alongside her fellow jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko.

The evening’s opening film was Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, who was in attendance with producer Matt Damon and co-star Emily Watson. Directed by Tim Mielants (Peaky Blinders), Small Things Like These is the first Irish film to open the Berlinale.

Related: ‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy Plays A Father In Torment In ’80s-Set Irish Trauma Tale

Before the pic opened, the crowd inside the...

Hot button topics like the Berlinale disinviting AfD politicians, the Israel-Gaza war and Vladimir Putin were on the agenda as the 2024 Berlin Film Festival got underway.

Jury president Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Black Panther) said she hoped political debate among Berlin international jury would center around film and the 20 competition titles to be viewed over the next 11 days. “When we were debating this as a jury, Oksana (Zabuzhko) said everything is political. And I think that’s true, in art. What we’re here to do is to see how artists are responding to the world we’re living in right now,” Nyong’o answered when asked how it felt to be a festival jury president in “these crazy times.”

Other jury members were more willing to directly address hot potatoes tossed in their direction during a heated press conference on Thursday. That included repeated queries about the Berlinale sparking controversy by first inviting,...

Jury members for the 74th Berlinale answered and avoided numerous political questions in a tense press conference ahead of the opening of the 2024 festival.

In a 40-minute conference, the seven-person jury fielded questions on the invitation then disinvitation of Germany right-wing party Alternative fur Deutschland; the ongoing crisis in Gaza; and the war in Ukraine.

Responding to a question about Gaza, German filmmaker Christian Petzold said, “I don’t want to answer this question here because it’s not really one that belongs in this press conference.

“I’m in favour of peace, in favour of discussing, talking, which I...

The build-up to the 74th Berlin Film Festival has been highly politicized, and the international jury press conference Thursday morning was no different.

Lupita Nyong’o presides over the International Competition jury, whose members include American actor and filmmaker Brady Corbet, Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui, German director Christian Petzold, Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, Italian actress Jasmine Trinca and Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.

This wasn’t like most jury press conferences, however, with members drawn into multiple — occasionally testy — discussions about their own political stances on events in Ukraine, Gaza and Germany.

Russia’s war in Ukraine was a central topic, with multiple journalists asking Serra about a 2018 interview in which he supposedly expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin. Serra was asked whether he had changed his mind on Putin since the war:

“I don’t know,” said the director. “This is a political question. Everyone is upset with Russia right now.

During a press conference on Thursday, Berlinale jury president Lupita Nyong’o responded to the festival inviting and then disinviting politicians from far-right group AfD to its opening ceremony.

“I’m a foreigner here. I don’t know the ins and outs of the political situation here,” Nyong’o said in response to a question asking if she would have attended the ceremony had the politicians still been invited. “I’m glad I don’t have to answer that question. I’m glad I don’t have to be in that position.”

Jury member Christian Petzold, the German director of “Barbara” and “Phoenix,” had a different perspective.

“I think it’s not a problem to have five persons of the AfD in the audience,” he said. “We are no cowards. If you can’t stand five persons of the AfD as part of the audience, we will lose our fight.”

He later added,...

France’s Indie Sales has picked up Come Back, the directorial debut from Flemish brothers Jan and Raf Roosens starring Veerle Baetens and her real-life daughter Billie Vlegels.

The film is in post and Indie Sales is launching it at the European Film Market later this month. Kinepolis Film Distribution is handling the Belgian release.

Vlegels plays the teenage daughter of a once-successful techno DJ couple, living with her father after her parents’ divorce. When her mother (Baetens) sets off to make an international comeback, her daughter is thrust into the nocturnal club scene world and finds herself torn between...

The Berlin International Film Festival has confirmed its full juries for the 2024 edition (February 16-24), with Italian actress Jasmine Trinca and German filmmaker Christian Petzold among those joining president Lupita Nyong’o on the main international jury.

Also on the jury are filmmakers Ann Hui (Hong Kong) and Albert Serra (Spain) alongside Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.

The international jury will select the winners of the Golden and Silver Bears from the 20 films playing in Competition.

The three-member jury for the Encounters strand comprises filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).

The Encounters jury will choose the winners of best film,...

The Berlinale Film Festival has unveiled the jury members for its main International Competition, which will be presided over by Lupita Nyong’o.

The members of the International Jury are American actor and filmmaker Brady Corbet, Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui, German director Christian Petzold, Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, Italian actress Jasmine Trinca, and Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.

Nyong’o’s presidential appointment was announced in December.

The festival also unveiled the three-member jury for its Encounters strand. Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada), and Tizza Covi (Italy) will pick the competition sidebar’s Best Film, Best Director, and Special Jury award winners.

The 2024 Berlin Film Festival runs Feb 15 – Feb 25. The festival opens with the Cillian Murphy movie Small Things Like These. The film reveals truths about Ireland’s Magdalen laundries – horrific asylums run by Roman Catholic institutions from the 1820s until 1996, ostensibly to reform “fallen young women.” It...

Berlin has unveiled the international jury for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which runs Feb. 15-25.

The 2024 jury will include U.S. director Brady Corbet (Vox Lux), Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui (Summer Snow), Berlinale regular Christian Petzold (Afire, Undine), Spanish director Albert Serra (Pacification), Italian actress Jasmine Trinca (The Son’s Room) and the Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko.

Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Black Panther) will serve as president of the International Jury.

The four-woman, three-man jury will screen the competition titles at this year’s Berlinale and select the winners of the 2024 festival, including the Golden Bear for best film. The winners of the 74th Berlinale will be announced live at a gala ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Petzold is probably the most familiar face for Berlinale audiences. The German director has had 6 films in competition in Berlin, most recently Afire, which won...

The international jury at the 74th Berlin Film Festival, led by Lupita Nyong’o, will include filmmakers Christian Petzold (Germany) and Ann Hui.

The international jury members also include actor-producer-director Brady Corbet (U.S.), filmmaker Albert Serra (Spain), actor-director Jasmine Trinca (Italy) and writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine). They will decide who will win the festival’s Golden and the Silver Bears.

The three-member jury that chooses the winners for best film, director and the special jury award at the Berlinale’s Encounters strand is made up of filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).

Director and screenwriter Ilker Çatak (Germany), sound artist and researcher Xabier Erkizia (Spain) and director, screenwriter, video artist and lecturer Jennifer Reeder (U.S.) are the international short film jury for the 2024 Berlinale Shorts competition. They will be choosing the winner of the Golden Bear for best short film, the winner of the...

Paris-based company Indie Sales has closed a raft of major deals on ‘‘Maria Montessori,” a film starring Italian actress Jasmine Trinca (“Fortunata”) as the famed Italian physician and educator who invented a teaching method that is still being used in many schools bearing her name all over the world.

The film, which marks Léa Todorov’s debut feature, has been acquired for Australia and New Zealand (Palace), the Baltics (Best Film), Benelux (Cinéart), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), Canada (Tva), Denmark, Norway & Sweden (Studio S Entertainment), Latin America (Encripta) and Taiwan (Proview Enterprise Inc).

Indie Sales had previously sold it to Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Portugal, Russia and Cis, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland. The company is expected to pursue sales at the European Film Market.

Trinca stars opposite French actor Leïla Bekhti (“The Restless”), who plays Lili d’Alengy, an emancipated French woman well-known on the Parisian cabaret scene. The two women bonded over their children.

Netflix has dropped a teaser trailer for “Supersex,” the series freely inspired by the real life of global porn star Rocco Siffredi, which will world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and drop March 6 on the streamer.

“Every power is an enigma. It can give you light, or throw you into darkness. But every existence lived to its fullest always has a price to pay,” a voiceover says in the teaser as Siffredi is bombarded by fans and paparazzi.

The show looks at how “Rocco Tano — a simple guy from Ortona [a small town in central Italy] — became Rocco Siffredi, the most famous pornstar in the world,” according to its official synopsis.

The hotly anticipated series is created and written by prominent Italian screenwriter Francesca Manieri, who is known for her feminist works.

At the center of “Supersex” – which is produced by Lorenzo Mieli’s The Apartment, a Fremantle company, and Groenlandia, which is part of...

Netflix has dropped its first key art and several new images for Supersex, the hotly anticipated biographical series on Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi.

Alessandro Borghi, star of Netflix’s mafia drama series Suburra and 2022 Cannes jury prize winner The Eight Mountains, plays Rocco in the fictionalized take on the porn actor’s life. The seven-episode series — created and written by Francesca Manieri, Lorenzo Mieli for Fremantle-owned The Apartment and Matteo Rovere for Banijay’s Groenlandia — will bow on Netflix worldwide March 6, 2024. Rovere, Francesco Carrozzini and Francesca Mazzoleni are directing.

Netflix has said the series is “freely inspired” by Siffredi’s life and career, as well as from direct testimony from Siffredi. Supersex plans to tell the soup-to-nuts story of Rocco from his childhood and family origins through his “relationship with love” that led him to pursue a career in porn.

Jasmine Trinca plays Lucia, a fictional female character who...

Netflix has set a March 6 premiere date for “Supersex,” the series freely inspired by the real life of global porn star Rocco Siffredi, who has more than 1,500 hardcore films to his name.

The series is created and written by prominent Italian screenwriter Francesca Manieri who is known to be a militant feminist. It is described in promotional materials as a profound story that runs through Siffredi’s life since childhood and looks at his family, “his relationship with love” and how “Rocco Tano — a simple guy from Ortona [a small town in central Italy] — became Rocco Siffredi, the most famous pornstar in the world.”

“Supersex” directors are Matteo Rovere (“Romulus”), Francesco Carrozzini (“The Hanging Sun”) and Francesca Mazzoleni (“Punta Sacra”).

At the center of “Supersex” – which is being produced by Lorenzo Mieli’s The Apartment, a Fremantle company, and Groenlandia, which is part of the Banijay group – are unknown aspects of the Italian porn star, who...