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Netflix has unveiled its latest biographical masterpiece, “Beautiful Rebel,” shining a spotlight on the tumultuous yet inspiring life of Italian rock legend Gianna Nannini. Born in Siena, Nannini emerged as one of Italian music’s most distinctive and impassioned voices, tearing through the melodic landscape of the 60s and 70s with her raw vocal delivery and lyrics brimming with sincerity, realism, and creativity.

For those unfamiliar with Nannini’s legacy, the film offers a comprehensive look at her career — from her humble beginnings performing in clubs to overcoming adolescence and familial challenges, achieving tremendous success while navigating personal hardships, including alcoholism, mental health issues, and eccentricities.

Gianna Nannini: Italy’s Answer to Janis Joplin

The film presents an intimate exploration of Nannini’s life, but it also serves as an analysis of the musical narratives behind her songs. It investigates the inspiration, creation process, and influences of her music, emphasizing...

Just when The Bad Guy tried to get out, Amazon pulled him back in.

Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday unveiled a second season order for the Italian crime series, starring Luigi Lo Cascio and Claudia Pandolfi, which has been a hit with audiences and critics.

Stefano Accorsi (Italian Race) will join the cast for season 2, alongside returning cast members including Selene Caramazza, Giulia Maenza and Antonio Catania. Season 2 shot on location in Lazio, Emilia Romagna and Sicily.

Lo Cascio stars in The Bad Guy as Nino Scotellaro, an incorruptible Sicilian public prosecutor who is imprisoned on false accusations of collusion with the mafia. Once inside, he decides to pull off a Machiavellian revenge plan, embracing the “bad guy” image that has been forced upon him.

Season 2, which series producers say will be a mix of “crime and dark comedy,” will explore Scotellaro’s past as well as his likely future,...

Italian firm Indiana Production, German outfit SquareOne Productions and French company Snd (Groupe M6) have revealed details about their Italian-language mafia series L’Ora (Ink Against Bullets).

The 10-part returning mafia origin series is inspired by the real-life investigative endeavors of the Sicilian newspaper of the same name.

The series is directed by Piero Messina, best known for Netflix Original series Suburra, Ciro d’Emilio and Stefano Lorenzi. Currently in post-production, completion is scheduled for Q2, 2021. Snd and SquareOne handle international rights.

The series will chart how in October 1958, the Sicilian newspaper L’Ora denounced the mafia and its endemic organized crime in the region. Shortly after, a bomb detonated in front of the editorial offices; only two days later the daily reappeared with the headline: ‘The Mafia may threaten us, our investigation continues.’

Inspired by those events, the series takes place in Palermo of the late 1950s and early...

A 17-year-old girl whose devout mother wants her to swear off sex before marriage meets a handsome stranger in Pure Hearts (Cuori Puri), the debut feature from Italian filmmaker Roberto De Paolis. Mining tensions as varied as the rise of evangelical fervor in economically depressed modern Italy and the country's relationship to its itinerant gypsy population, this delicately handled romance never comes off as didactic, chiefly by keeping its focus firmly on its two appealing leads, played by newcomers Selene Caramazza and Simone Liberati. Festival play should be long after the film's Directors' Fortnight premiere, though its modest scale and...