The Fantastic FourPhoto: Uncork’d Entertainment
“It’s like a miracle… One million dollars cash to us if we star in a movie,” Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, says with a no-nonsense look on his stretchable rubber face.
His three blue-costumed team members are enthusiastic upon hearing this news.
“It’s like a miracle… One million dollars cash to us if we star in a movie,” Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, says with a no-nonsense look on his stretchable rubber face.
His three blue-costumed team members are enthusiastic upon hearing this news.
- 5/22/2024
- by Shaurya Thapa
- avclub.com
Roberto Rossellini’s 1945 neorealist drama is unsparing in its depiction of the heavy price of both resistance and collaboration with the Nazi occupation
Roberto Rossellini’s 1945 film is a blazingly urgent and painful bulletin from the frontline of Italy’s historical agony: the Axis power that had belatedly turned against the Mussolini fascists only to be humiliatingly occupied by Nazi Germany on whose orders the dictator was reinstalled in the northern Salò puppet state, resplendent in contemptible impotence and pathos, with Rome at its defeated and compromised centre. It was a film that used the so-recently-devastated real streets and people of Rome on location for a project on which Rossellini started script work well before the end of the war, building on ideas by screenwriter Sergio Amidei with dialogue contribution by the young Federico Fellini.
Rome, Open City is revived as part of the BFI Southbank’s Chasing the Real season of Italian neorealism,...
Roberto Rossellini’s 1945 film is a blazingly urgent and painful bulletin from the frontline of Italy’s historical agony: the Axis power that had belatedly turned against the Mussolini fascists only to be humiliatingly occupied by Nazi Germany on whose orders the dictator was reinstalled in the northern Salò puppet state, resplendent in contemptible impotence and pathos, with Rome at its defeated and compromised centre. It was a film that used the so-recently-devastated real streets and people of Rome on location for a project on which Rossellini started script work well before the end of the war, building on ideas by screenwriter Sergio Amidei with dialogue contribution by the young Federico Fellini.
Rome, Open City is revived as part of the BFI Southbank’s Chasing the Real season of Italian neorealism,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Robert De Niro had a few choice words for former President Donald Trump on this morning’s episode of The View. The actor was censored a total of four times for his language used to describe the “vicious” Republican candidate. De Niro has never been afraid of being vocal about his dislike for the former Potus. When The View hosts began to discuss the upcoming presidential election, the actor did not hold back, comparing Trump to the likes of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. “I don’t understand why people are not taking him seriously. You read about it historically in other countries that they didn’t take people seriously — Hitler, Mussolini,” De Niro said. “Who does not think that this guy is not gonna do exactly what he says he’s gonna do? He’s done it already.” ABC As the conversation continued, he turned...
- 5/14/2024
- TV Insider
Exclusive: Pack One Bag is a new podcast documentary series that tells the story of two Italians married on the run escaping Mussolini’s “Racial Laws,” and the story of the family they left behind, fighting to survive the Nazi occupation of Rome.
It comes from documentarian David Modigliani, who was behind HBO’s Running with Beto, who is the grandson of the pair, and Stanley Tucci who lends his voice to the story and exec produces.
The ten-part series is distributed by Lemonada Media, the company that recently struck a major podcast deal with Meghan Markle, as revealed by Deadline. It premieres on June 5.
Tucci is also developing a scripted television adaptation with Modigliani.
Modigliani’s grandfather, Italian-born economist Franco Modigliani, won the Nobel Prize in 1985. But, behind the love story that made his victory possible – a fairytale escape from Fascist Italy with his soon-to-be-bride Serena and her family...
It comes from documentarian David Modigliani, who was behind HBO’s Running with Beto, who is the grandson of the pair, and Stanley Tucci who lends his voice to the story and exec produces.
The ten-part series is distributed by Lemonada Media, the company that recently struck a major podcast deal with Meghan Markle, as revealed by Deadline. It premieres on June 5.
Tucci is also developing a scripted television adaptation with Modigliani.
Modigliani’s grandfather, Italian-born economist Franco Modigliani, won the Nobel Prize in 1985. But, behind the love story that made his victory possible – a fairytale escape from Fascist Italy with his soon-to-be-bride Serena and her family...
- 5/8/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert De Niro has been consistent with his tirades against former US President Donald Trump, and this time, he did not mince his words. The veteran Hollywood actor stated that he does not want Trump to become president again.
Robert De Niro in The Irishman
Meanwhile, business mogul and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk came into Trump’s defense after De Niro’s controversial takes. Netizens, on the other hand, showed unwavering support for both Musk and Trump.
Robert De Niro Dropped Heavy Criticisms Against Donald Trump
During his interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, Killers of the Flower Moon star Robert De Niro expressed his anger at former US President Donald Trump. He said he’s tired of calling him names, and now he’s called him “genuinely a sick person.”
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Robert De Niro in The Irishman
Meanwhile, business mogul and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk came into Trump’s defense after De Niro’s controversial takes. Netizens, on the other hand, showed unwavering support for both Musk and Trump.
Robert De Niro Dropped Heavy Criticisms Against Donald Trump
During his interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, Killers of the Flower Moon star Robert De Niro expressed his anger at former US President Donald Trump. He said he’s tired of calling him names, and now he’s called him “genuinely a sick person.”
SUGGESTEDTwitter Value Now Less Than Half of Elon Musk’s $44 Billion Deal – Now Valued...
- 5/5/2024
- by Ariane Cruz
- FandomWire
Actor Robert De Niro once more criticized former President Donald Trump. The famed actor, 80, spoke on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour and publicly slammed Trump. Since Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, De Niro has been outspoken about his negative views on Trump.
In the interview, De Niro warned people about Trump’s potential return to the White House if he wins this year’s election. He referred to Trump as “a sick person,” “narcissistic,” a “monster” and a “stupid bully.” However, in the same segment, De Niro stated he was “tired of calling [Trump] names.”
De Niro then drew comparisons between Adolf Hilter, Benito Mussolini and Trump. “Historically, from what I see, even in Nazi Germany, they had it with Hitler. They don’t take him seriously. He looks like a clown. Acts like a clown. Mussolini. Same thing. These guys, I don’t know why they look like clowns.”
De Niro...
In the interview, De Niro warned people about Trump’s potential return to the White House if he wins this year’s election. He referred to Trump as “a sick person,” “narcissistic,” a “monster” and a “stupid bully.” However, in the same segment, De Niro stated he was “tired of calling [Trump] names.”
De Niro then drew comparisons between Adolf Hilter, Benito Mussolini and Trump. “Historically, from what I see, even in Nazi Germany, they had it with Hitler. They don’t take him seriously. He looks like a clown. Acts like a clown. Mussolini. Same thing. These guys, I don’t know why they look like clowns.”
De Niro...
- 5/5/2024
- by Ann Hoang
- Uinterview
After his years-long litany of protestations against Donald Trump, Oscar-winner Robert De Niro tried to be more measured, but even more urgent, in his criticism of the former president this week. In an interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, the actor said, “I’m tired of calling him names…He is really, genuinely a sick person.”
Asked by Ruhle if he would ever play Trump onscreen, De Niro nearly cut off the question he was so quick to answer, “Never. There’s nothing about him — there’s not one redeeming thing in him that I can see.”
To those who would hold their noses and vote for Trump despite obvious failings, the actor said, “I...
Asked by Ruhle if he would ever play Trump onscreen, De Niro nearly cut off the question he was so quick to answer, “Never. There’s nothing about him — there’s not one redeeming thing in him that I can see.”
To those who would hold their noses and vote for Trump despite obvious failings, the actor said, “I...
- 5/3/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Mike Tyson and Madonna teamed up to inspire their fans in the music video for the song “Iconic.” Tyson once reflected on this very surprising pairing, and what he really felt about the video.
What Mike Tyson thought of his cameo in Madonna’s music video for ‘Iconic’ Mike Tyson | Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
Tyson was perhaps as surprised as some fans when he found out Madonna wanted him for a music video. The song “Iconic” was meant to be a sort of inspirational track, urging its listeners to achieve their goals. Acts like Madonna and Mike Tyson are both known for their rags-to-riches story, so it’s easy to see why Tyson’s presence could fit the song’s narrative. But when Madonna first contacted Tyson, appearing on her music video was the last thing he thought would happen.
“I didn’t know what the hell I was going there for.
What Mike Tyson thought of his cameo in Madonna’s music video for ‘Iconic’ Mike Tyson | Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
Tyson was perhaps as surprised as some fans when he found out Madonna wanted him for a music video. The song “Iconic” was meant to be a sort of inspirational track, urging its listeners to achieve their goals. Acts like Madonna and Mike Tyson are both known for their rags-to-riches story, so it’s easy to see why Tyson’s presence could fit the song’s narrative. But when Madonna first contacted Tyson, appearing on her music video was the last thing he thought would happen.
“I didn’t know what the hell I was going there for.
- 4/24/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Italian state broadcaster Rai is under heavy fire amid allegations that it censored a planned anti-fascist monologue by prominent writer Antonio Scurati, author of international bestseller “M: Son of the Century,” which reconstructs fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s rise to power.
Scurati was meant to read his monologue – written to mark the country’s upcoming April 25 national holiday that celebrates Italy’s liberation from fascism – on the talk show “Chesarà,” which aired on the broadcaster’s Rai 3 channel Saturday night.
Shortly before the show’s airtime, as the writer prepared to travel to Rome, he received a note from Rai informing him that his appearance had been canceled “for editorial reasons,” according to an internal Rai document published by leftist daily La Repubblica.
In protest against the sudden muzzling, “Chesarà” host Serena Bortone read out the monologue in full on the talk show herself. Scurati’s text has also...
Scurati was meant to read his monologue – written to mark the country’s upcoming April 25 national holiday that celebrates Italy’s liberation from fascism – on the talk show “Chesarà,” which aired on the broadcaster’s Rai 3 channel Saturday night.
Shortly before the show’s airtime, as the writer prepared to travel to Rome, he received a note from Rai informing him that his appearance had been canceled “for editorial reasons,” according to an internal Rai document published by leftist daily La Repubblica.
In protest against the sudden muzzling, “Chesarà” host Serena Bortone read out the monologue in full on the talk show herself. Scurati’s text has also...
- 4/22/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Riccardo Scamarcio as Luciano and Benedetta Porcaroli as Anna, in The Shadow Of The Day. Courtesy of Memensha Films and the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival
The Shadow Of The Day is a hauntingly beautiful tale of love and sacrifice in wartime, a story of two people unfolding against the backdrop of fast-shifting events in the run up to WWII. This is an excellent film, a well-crafted, powerfully-told tale that evokes classic films with it’s strong characters and riveting performances, and a mix of romance, heartache, suspense and tension. With strong storytelling, gorgeous production values and powerful, moving, layered performances, The Shadow Of The Day is one of the highlights of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival.
Set in Italy in the 1930s in a small town, the story revolves around a middle-aged Italian man, Luciano (Riccardo Scamarcio) who manages an elegant restaurant, who notices a worried young woman...
The Shadow Of The Day is a hauntingly beautiful tale of love and sacrifice in wartime, a story of two people unfolding against the backdrop of fast-shifting events in the run up to WWII. This is an excellent film, a well-crafted, powerfully-told tale that evokes classic films with it’s strong characters and riveting performances, and a mix of romance, heartache, suspense and tension. With strong storytelling, gorgeous production values and powerful, moving, layered performances, The Shadow Of The Day is one of the highlights of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival.
Set in Italy in the 1930s in a small town, the story revolves around a middle-aged Italian man, Luciano (Riccardo Scamarcio) who manages an elegant restaurant, who notices a worried young woman...
- 4/18/2024
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Editor’s Note: The following post contains spoilers for “The New Look” Episode 9.
With the penultimate episode of “The New Look” comes the end of the road for Elsa Lombardi (Emily Mortimer), one of the most fascinating and fictionalized characters in Todd Kessler’s Apple TV+ series. After a fight with Coco (Juliette Binoche), a critical interaction with Spatz (Claes Bang), and a fatal overdose, Elsa is found dead while Coco weeps over her body.
But a quick scan of history reveals that Elsa Lombardi never existed. According to Kessler, Mortimer’s character is an amalgam of two figures in Chanel’s life, fused for narrative purposes to serve the series. One of those is the French-Polish musician Misia Sert, who met Chanel in 1917, and the other is British socialite Vera Lombardi, whose lifestyle inspired the House of Chanel.
The real-life Lombardi was Chanel’s way into British high society,...
With the penultimate episode of “The New Look” comes the end of the road for Elsa Lombardi (Emily Mortimer), one of the most fascinating and fictionalized characters in Todd Kessler’s Apple TV+ series. After a fight with Coco (Juliette Binoche), a critical interaction with Spatz (Claes Bang), and a fatal overdose, Elsa is found dead while Coco weeps over her body.
But a quick scan of history reveals that Elsa Lombardi never existed. According to Kessler, Mortimer’s character is an amalgam of two figures in Chanel’s life, fused for narrative purposes to serve the series. One of those is the French-Polish musician Misia Sert, who met Chanel in 1917, and the other is British socialite Vera Lombardi, whose lifestyle inspired the House of Chanel.
The real-life Lombardi was Chanel’s way into British high society,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Donald Trump has embraced fascist rhetoric and made bald declarations of his desire for dictatorial powers as he seeks a return to the White House in 2024. This is not politics as usual. The inflammatory language puts Trump a world apart from any presumptive, major-party nominee in modern American memory. And it’s getting worse.
In May, Trump’s account on Truth Social posted a campaign-style ad that flashed imagined scenes of the nation following a Trump victory in November. Using a German word for “empire,” unambiguously linked to Hitler, the video foreshadowed a “Unified Reich.
In May, Trump’s account on Truth Social posted a campaign-style ad that flashed imagined scenes of the nation following a Trump victory in November. Using a German word for “empire,” unambiguously linked to Hitler, the video foreshadowed a “Unified Reich.
- 3/25/2024
- by Tim Dickinson
- Rollingstone.com
When confronted about describing immigrants with terms like “vermin” and “poisoning the blood” favored by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, former president Donald Trump not only defended using Nazi rhetoric but repeated it: “I didn’t know that, but that’s what they say. Because our country is being poisoned.”
Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz that aired less than 24 hours after the former president said at a rally that some migrants to the U.S. are “not people… these are animals.”
“When you...
Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz that aired less than 24 hours after the former president said at a rally that some migrants to the U.S. are “not people… these are animals.”
“When you...
- 3/17/2024
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
There is something innate in the American character which inspires and deludes us of our place in history, past and present. Call it a devotion to American exceptionalism, cynicism, or opportunism, but even Senator Josh Hawley—the Missouri politician who spent months fermenting discontent and conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, and who on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021 raised his fist in solidarity with a crowd of insurrectionists—seemed bewildered when the mob he played to actually stormed the barricades. There is footage of him fleeing for his life while Capitol Police officers like Brian Sicknick died defending the rule of law.
And yet, a little more than three years after that travesty, many are quick to smirk, shrug, or comfort themselves with the platitude of “it could never happen here.” Societal breakdown. Widespread political violence. Strongman authoritarianism. Civil war. In such a fog of complacency, Alex Garland’s latest film,...
And yet, a little more than three years after that travesty, many are quick to smirk, shrug, or comfort themselves with the platitude of “it could never happen here.” Societal breakdown. Widespread political violence. Strongman authoritarianism. Civil war. In such a fog of complacency, Alex Garland’s latest film,...
- 3/15/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Based on true events, the second episode of The New Look focuses on several aspects of political diplomacy. The period drama is focused on how the fashion enthusiasts of the time were drawn into the unwanted political ruckus. The way Chanel has been used by the German army as a tool to attain peace with Britain has been portrayed in this episode. Christian was, however, concerned with saving his sister from the clutches of the Nazis. These events raise several questions in our minds. Will Coco be able to meet Winston Churchill to settle the political war between Great Britain and Germany? Will Christian be able to save Catherine? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Coco Pressured By Schellenberg?
When Coco went to meet Schellenberg, she told him that she had personal connections with Winston Churchill and had spent quite some time with him. Upon learning about her relations with Churchill,...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Coco Pressured By Schellenberg?
When Coco went to meet Schellenberg, she told him that she had personal connections with Winston Churchill and had spent quite some time with him. Upon learning about her relations with Churchill,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
Mark Gustafson, the stop-motion specialist who won an Oscar this year for his work on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, died Thursday. He was 63.
Del Toro announced the news Friday on social media, posting: “I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him. A pillar of stop motion animation — a true artist. A compassionate, sensitive and mordantly witty man. A Legend — and a friend that inspired and gave hope to all around him. … Today we honor and miss him.”
The Oregonian newspaper also reported his death.
Gustafson also worked on the stop-motion California Raisins characters early in his career and served as animation director on Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), another Oscar-nominated stop-motion film.
When del Toro took on the task of retelling Carlo Collodi’s 1883 fable about a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy, he tapped Gustafson as his directing partner. The duo also earned BAFTA and Annie awards,...
Del Toro announced the news Friday on social media, posting: “I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him. A pillar of stop motion animation — a true artist. A compassionate, sensitive and mordantly witty man. A Legend — and a friend that inspired and gave hope to all around him. … Today we honor and miss him.”
The Oregonian newspaper also reported his death.
Gustafson also worked on the stop-motion California Raisins characters early in his career and served as animation director on Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), another Oscar-nominated stop-motion film.
When del Toro took on the task of retelling Carlo Collodi’s 1883 fable about a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy, he tapped Gustafson as his directing partner. The duo also earned BAFTA and Annie awards,...
- 2/2/2024
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Absorbing the breakthroughs of the French New Wave and the burgeoning New Hollywood era and applying them to the artier ends of Bernardo Bertolucci’s native Italian cinema, The Conformist presents a façade of overwhelming cinematic beauty only to reveal the rotten soul beneath its surface. Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography captures Rome and Paris with an Antonioniesque eye for architectural detail, swooning camera movements, and even instances of color timing so extreme that certain shots recall the hand-tinted process of early silent film.
The precision of The Conformist’s images, though, only exacerbates the detached, inhuman alienation of the film’s protagonist, Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant). He’s the last scion of a diminished aristocratic line whose exhausted wealth and status are symbolized by an expansive but dilapidated and mildewing family villa occupied by a mother (Milly) who copes with a loss of status with copious amounts of opiates (his father...
The precision of The Conformist’s images, though, only exacerbates the detached, inhuman alienation of the film’s protagonist, Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant). He’s the last scion of a diminished aristocratic line whose exhausted wealth and status are symbolized by an expansive but dilapidated and mildewing family villa occupied by a mother (Milly) who copes with a loss of status with copious amounts of opiates (his father...
- 12/11/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Hollywood, with its lengthy list of Jewish founders, flourished during an era of rampant antisemitism. In recent years, the Anti-Defamation League has said anti-Jewish sentiment has hit levels unseen since after the Great Depression, a time when Jewish studio moguls had difficulty securing bank loans as many lenders would not work with Jews. Now, in Los Angeles specifically, an Adl report (released months before the Israel-Hamas conflict) found harassment and vandalism increasing to highs.
On Nov. 8, the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance hosted a screening of footage produced by Hamas to brag about murdering Jews. During the screening, the head of the Museum of Tolerance, Rabbi Marvin Hier, reminded viewers that if not for atrocities like the one on Oct. 7, the Jewish global population should be 200 million today, but “there are only 14 million because we are the leftovers of pogroms.” The screening, organized in part by Gal Gadot, saw protestors...
On Nov. 8, the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance hosted a screening of footage produced by Hamas to brag about murdering Jews. During the screening, the head of the Museum of Tolerance, Rabbi Marvin Hier, reminded viewers that if not for atrocities like the one on Oct. 7, the Jewish global population should be 200 million today, but “there are only 14 million because we are the leftovers of pogroms.” The screening, organized in part by Gal Gadot, saw protestors...
- 11/27/2023
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Donald Trump’s campaign is defending the former president’s use of the word “vermin” to describe his opponents and detractors after receiving backlash for echoing a term used by brutal authoritarian dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
“We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections,” Trump said in a Veterans Day speech on Saturday after using the term in a social-media post earlier that same day.
“We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections,” Trump said in a Veterans Day speech on Saturday after using the term in a social-media post earlier that same day.
- 11/13/2023
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Sky Studios Italia has unveiled a restructure and new leadership team on the final day of the Mia Market in Rome.
Sonia Rovai, Senior Director of Scripted Productions, is exiting and moving to Fremantle’s Italian website Wildside, where she is taking on the General Manager role.
From today, Sky’s commissioning, in-house productions, content coordination & development, and promotion & talent management departments will all report directly to Nils Hartmann, EVP of Sky Studios Italia.
Paired with the reorganization have been four promotions, with Devils exec Erica Negri upped to lead the commissioning team, Chiara Cucci helming in-house productions, Emanuele Marchesis heading Sky Studios’ content co-ordination and development and Martina Ceramicola taking on promotion and talent management. Rounding out the Sky Studios Italia team are Ivana Kastratovic, Head of Production Management, and Loredana Di Domenico, Head of Business Affairs, who will also report directly to Hartmann.
“I am proud that our...
Sonia Rovai, Senior Director of Scripted Productions, is exiting and moving to Fremantle’s Italian website Wildside, where she is taking on the General Manager role.
From today, Sky’s commissioning, in-house productions, content coordination & development, and promotion & talent management departments will all report directly to Nils Hartmann, EVP of Sky Studios Italia.
Paired with the reorganization have been four promotions, with Devils exec Erica Negri upped to lead the commissioning team, Chiara Cucci helming in-house productions, Emanuele Marchesis heading Sky Studios’ content co-ordination and development and Martina Ceramicola taking on promotion and talent management. Rounding out the Sky Studios Italia team are Ivana Kastratovic, Head of Production Management, and Loredana Di Domenico, Head of Business Affairs, who will also report directly to Hartmann.
“I am proud that our...
- 10/13/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the most vital skills an animator can hone is a sense for how gravity will bear down on their subjects in realistic and legible ways. A character who weighs nothing appears stripped of physicality, and we regard them, consciously or otherwise, as invulnerable.
Miyazaki Hayao, over the past half-century, has conquered gravity. The Japanese artist’s drawings feel like people because they move like people; they’re believable because they’re capable of being hurt. Never is this more apparent than when two of his characters embrace, the total catharsis of human bodies colliding expressed in a tight knot of stumbling feet and clasped arms—that weight, that vulnerability, shared between them. This ability to render subjects with such convincing tactility is only one reason why Miyazaki is possibly our greatest living animator, and his latest, The Boy and the Heron—a fable about, among other things, the...
Miyazaki Hayao, over the past half-century, has conquered gravity. The Japanese artist’s drawings feel like people because they move like people; they’re believable because they’re capable of being hurt. Never is this more apparent than when two of his characters embrace, the total catharsis of human bodies colliding expressed in a tight knot of stumbling feet and clasped arms—that weight, that vulnerability, shared between them. This ability to render subjects with such convincing tactility is only one reason why Miyazaki is possibly our greatest living animator, and his latest, The Boy and the Heron—a fable about, among other things, the...
- 9/29/2023
- by Cole Kronman
- Slant Magazine
Italy’s Roberto Stabile, head of special projects, Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual-Ministry of Culture at Cinecittà, breezed through the San Sebastian Film Festival on Tuesday to tout Italy’s drive to amp up the distribution of Italian movies around the world.
In a brief presentation at the city’s Museo de San Telmo, he held forth about the plan to increase the presence of Italian audiovisual content not only in cinemas, but also on streaming platforms, online distribution and television, among others.
Backing Italy’s drive is its newish €1.2 million ($1.27 million) fund, established some years ago by the Italian Ministry of Culture with Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Agency, to boost theatrical distribution of Italian feature films around the world, and which will double to more than €2 million in order to also cover streaming and television.
The goal of the Italian film distribution fund is to push local...
In a brief presentation at the city’s Museo de San Telmo, he held forth about the plan to increase the presence of Italian audiovisual content not only in cinemas, but also on streaming platforms, online distribution and television, among others.
Backing Italy’s drive is its newish €1.2 million ($1.27 million) fund, established some years ago by the Italian Ministry of Culture with Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Agency, to boost theatrical distribution of Italian feature films around the world, and which will double to more than €2 million in order to also cover streaming and television.
The goal of the Italian film distribution fund is to push local...
- 9/28/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Comandante.Beyond the Venice Film Festival's habitual paucity of female filmmakers, the most striking aspect of this year’s lineup was its astounding number of biopics. Granted, the genre has always been a staple of the fest, which under artistic director Alberto Barbera has effectively metastasized into a launchpad for Hollywood’s awards race. But the inclusion of so many in its eightieth edition was nonetheless remarkable. The official competition alone was home to six—among them big studio projects like Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, Michael Mann’s Ferrari—to say nothing of all those slotted in the parallel sidebars, from Quentin Dupieux’s fittingly surrealist Daaaaaali! to Neo Sora’s Ryuichi Sakamoto—Opus. Beyond the industry’s flirtations with the genre for its bona fide commercial potential, what accounts for our ongoing fascination with biopics is perhaps their promises of identification and revelation: in charting the lives of extraordinary figures,...
- 9/5/2023
- MUBI
Inaugurating this year’s Venice Film Festival, Edoardo De Angelis’ Italian war drama “Comandante” certainly makes for an improbable fall-season kickoff – filling a prime, opening-night slot often reserved for glitzy global titles on the U.S. awards hunt in lieu of sturdy local productions with limited crossover appeal. But then we do find ourselves at an equally improbable moment, as the ongoing strikes promise a fall corridor rife with uncertainty, lit by lower star-wattage and met with another round of on-the-fly problem solving from harried festival organizers.
Given this once-again shaky terrain — goodbye original opener “Challengers,” from Luca Guadagnino — the fact that Venice lost just one major title might be the most surprising outcome of all, although this opening spotlight’s harsher and more intense glare does “Comandante” few favors. Welding the star-power of the country’s leading man Pierfrancesco Favino (“The Traitor”) to the familiar comforts of real-life WW2 heroism,...
Given this once-again shaky terrain — goodbye original opener “Challengers,” from Luca Guadagnino — the fact that Venice lost just one major title might be the most surprising outcome of all, although this opening spotlight’s harsher and more intense glare does “Comandante” few favors. Welding the star-power of the country’s leading man Pierfrancesco Favino (“The Traitor”) to the familiar comforts of real-life WW2 heroism,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
Italian film producer Andrea Iervolino, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated Tell It Like a Woman and Michael Mann’s upcoming Ferrari biopic, is laying plans for a new film studio complex in Tuscany.
Iervolino says the $55 million (€50 million) backlot, Tuscany Film Studios, will be located outside Florence and could begin operation as early as fall 2024.
“My idea is simple,” Iervolino told THR Roma. “To create an avant-garde film hub in a place that is, in itself, one of the most beautiful in the world, where stars would gladly come to shoot … I was in Rome the other day, dining with James Franco. I told him about the project, which is already in the operational phase, and he said, ‘I would come to shoot there tomorrow!”
Italy is enjoying a bit of a production boom at the moment, thanks to the country’s generous 40 percent tax incentive for international shoots and...
Iervolino says the $55 million (€50 million) backlot, Tuscany Film Studios, will be located outside Florence and could begin operation as early as fall 2024.
“My idea is simple,” Iervolino told THR Roma. “To create an avant-garde film hub in a place that is, in itself, one of the most beautiful in the world, where stars would gladly come to shoot … I was in Rome the other day, dining with James Franco. I told him about the project, which is already in the operational phase, and he said, ‘I would come to shoot there tomorrow!”
Italy is enjoying a bit of a production boom at the moment, thanks to the country’s generous 40 percent tax incentive for international shoots and...
- 8/6/2023
- by Giovanni Bogani
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Beautiful Summer (La Bella Estate) lives up to its title: The screen is alive with the sensual glow of balmy days and nights — and, specifically, with the youthful giddiness that the warmest season rouses. In the uneven period drama, a country girl starts to make her way in the big city and is drawn into a bohemian circle, intrigued by the impetuous painters who turn out to be cads and especially by a free-spirited, sad-eyed model. The romance at the movie’s core doesn’t deliver the intended emotional impact, but there’s a tender, potent resonance to other aspects of the story.
“Freely inspired” by the 1940 novel of the same name by Cesare Pavese, the third feature from writer-director Laura Luchetti (Twin Flower) sometimes slides into cliché or loses momentum, but it also offers some sharp coming-of-age observations and a delectable physicality, and it’s anchored by the...
“Freely inspired” by the 1940 novel of the same name by Cesare Pavese, the third feature from writer-director Laura Luchetti (Twin Flower) sometimes slides into cliché or loses momentum, but it also offers some sharp coming-of-age observations and a delectable physicality, and it’s anchored by the...
- 8/4/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brutalismus 3000 are the hottest new electronic act in continental Europe, a pair of Bavarians lighting up Berlin with some of the most brutal, unpalatable, utterly beautiful rave music since the Nineties, all while calling the contemporary techno scene boring and “unstylish,” writing lyrics about horror films and 9/11, hanging out with fashion’s dark lord Rick Owens, playing to thousands, doing serious numbers on TikTok, and (apparently) drinking blood. Bringing an almost disrespectfully irreverent ethos to a techno scene that has long needed it, Victoria Vassiliki Daldas and Theo Zeitner are ridiculously cool,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Sam Davies
- Rollingstone.com
“The Chi” dropped its first trailer for Season 6 Tuesday, teasing how the Showtime series will put Emmett and Keisha’s blissful union to the test while spotlighting Douda’s shifting loyalties in the fallout of Q’s murder, Kiesha’s burgeoning career aspirations, the high schoolers’ graduation and more.
“I’m forever grateful to Chicago. It made me who I am,” Kevin (Alex R. Hibbert) says in the trailer, which shows him and his friends enjoying their senior prom.
“The city is all we got. We’re going to stumble sometimes, but we’ve got to help each other get back up again,” Emmett (Jacob Latimore) adds.
But on the flip side, a new character Darnell (Rolando Boyce) indicates that “The Chi” won’t be all fun and laughs: “And we all need to be mindful of the company we keep,” he says.
While there’s new beginnings and new friendships,...
“I’m forever grateful to Chicago. It made me who I am,” Kevin (Alex R. Hibbert) says in the trailer, which shows him and his friends enjoying their senior prom.
“The city is all we got. We’re going to stumble sometimes, but we’ve got to help each other get back up again,” Emmett (Jacob Latimore) adds.
But on the flip side, a new character Darnell (Rolando Boyce) indicates that “The Chi” won’t be all fun and laughs: “And we all need to be mindful of the company we keep,” he says.
While there’s new beginnings and new friendships,...
- 7/18/2023
- by Raquel "Rocky" Harris
- The Wrap
“Success is the most convincing talker in the world,” Napoleon Bonaparte once said. And a really successful trailer can sell you on a movie even in the midst of an extremely crowded awards season. Witness the first trailer for “Napoleon,” Ridley Scott’s long-gestating epic about the French emperor, who conquered most of Europe in the early 19th century. Watch it below.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the general turned dictator, the film promises an epic scale like we haven’t seen from Scott in some time. Perhaps not since “Kingdom of Heaven,” or even his last pairing with Phoenix, 2000’s “Gladiator.” There are massive armies arrayed in battle, jeering crowds set to witness Marie Antoinette’s execution during the Reign of Terror, and even the pyramids being used for target practice — yes, something that Bonaparte, a Corsican who rose from nothing to be the most all-powerful figure in Europe in centuries,...
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the general turned dictator, the film promises an epic scale like we haven’t seen from Scott in some time. Perhaps not since “Kingdom of Heaven,” or even his last pairing with Phoenix, 2000’s “Gladiator.” There are massive armies arrayed in battle, jeering crowds set to witness Marie Antoinette’s execution during the Reign of Terror, and even the pyramids being used for target practice — yes, something that Bonaparte, a Corsican who rose from nothing to be the most all-powerful figure in Europe in centuries,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Unlike in the U.K., Spain and Sweden — where kings and queens are still formally heads of state — Italy’s royal family, the House of Savoy, no longer rules.
The last heir to the Italian throne, Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy and his family were forced into exile in 1946, when the prince was 9. That year, the Italian people voted in a referendum about whether the monarchy should continue. They chose to create a republic and punished the royals for failing to save their country from Mussolini’s fascist regime. The Savoys were allowed to return in 2003 after 57 years of exile.
In 1978, Vittorio Emanuele – the king who never was – got into trouble while he and his wife and kids were living on the island of Cavallo, on the south coast of Corsica, France. As reconstructed from eyewitness interviews in a new Netflix documentary, on a hot August night he became enraged when...
The last heir to the Italian throne, Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy and his family were forced into exile in 1946, when the prince was 9. That year, the Italian people voted in a referendum about whether the monarchy should continue. They chose to create a republic and punished the royals for failing to save their country from Mussolini’s fascist regime. The Savoys were allowed to return in 2003 after 57 years of exile.
In 1978, Vittorio Emanuele – the king who never was – got into trouble while he and his wife and kids were living on the island of Cavallo, on the south coast of Corsica, France. As reconstructed from eyewitness interviews in a new Netflix documentary, on a hot August night he became enraged when...
- 7/7/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto, June 29 (Ians) Human brains are hardwired to believe lies and conspiracy theories that have been brought about by politicians, dictators and social disruptors, according to a new book that analyses the power of language on people’s brains.
The book “Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories”, by Marcel Danesi Professor of Semiotics and Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto, Canada, analyses the speeches of dictators including Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, as well as prominent hate groups.
His research finds there is one thing they all have in common: they all use dehumanising metaphors to instil and propagate hatred of others.
“The intent of such speech is to attack those who do not belong to the mainstream, such as racial minorities, or people of different sexual orientations,” Danesi said, citing example of words like ‘pests’, ‘reptiles’ and ‘parasites’ used by the Nazi regime to compare outsiders and minorities to animals.
The book “Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories”, by Marcel Danesi Professor of Semiotics and Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto, Canada, analyses the speeches of dictators including Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, as well as prominent hate groups.
His research finds there is one thing they all have in common: they all use dehumanising metaphors to instil and propagate hatred of others.
“The intent of such speech is to attack those who do not belong to the mainstream, such as racial minorities, or people of different sexual orientations,” Danesi said, citing example of words like ‘pests’, ‘reptiles’ and ‘parasites’ used by the Nazi regime to compare outsiders and minorities to animals.
- 6/29/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Nicola Maccanico with Anne-Katrin Titze on current Cinecittà productions: “Joe Wright, Roland Emmerich and Luca Guadagnino.” Photo: Sally Fischer
I met with Nicola Maccanico to discuss the significant expansion of Cinecittà Studios under his leadership on the morning of the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema luncheon at The Leopard at des Artistes, attended by The Hummingbird (Il Colibrì) director Francesca Archibugi, Tommaso Ragno, Margherita Mazzucco (star of Susanna Nicchiarelli's Chiara and Saverio Costanzo’s My Brilliant Friend), directors Michele Vannucci (Delta), Niccolo Falsetti (Margins), Monica Dugo, and Fireworks (Stranizza d’Amuri)) director Giuseppe Fiorello with his stars Gabriele Pizzurro and Samuele Segreto.
Nicola Maccanico on Luca Guadagnino: “Bones and All! His last movie, I think is a masterpiece.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Inside Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Nicola joined me for a conversation on the robust state of Italian cinema and the current international productions going on at Cinecittà,...
I met with Nicola Maccanico to discuss the significant expansion of Cinecittà Studios under his leadership on the morning of the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema luncheon at The Leopard at des Artistes, attended by The Hummingbird (Il Colibrì) director Francesca Archibugi, Tommaso Ragno, Margherita Mazzucco (star of Susanna Nicchiarelli's Chiara and Saverio Costanzo’s My Brilliant Friend), directors Michele Vannucci (Delta), Niccolo Falsetti (Margins), Monica Dugo, and Fireworks (Stranizza d’Amuri)) director Giuseppe Fiorello with his stars Gabriele Pizzurro and Samuele Segreto.
Nicola Maccanico on Luca Guadagnino: “Bones and All! His last movie, I think is a masterpiece.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Inside Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Nicola joined me for a conversation on the robust state of Italian cinema and the current international productions going on at Cinecittà,...
- 6/24/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“Prince Aden,” a new drama by Italian directing duo Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio, known internationally for their immigration-themed “Seven Acts of Mercy,” is among projects selected by Locarno’s Alliance for Development initiative.
The platform, now in its 8th year, is geared towards fostering co-productions between France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Inspired by the book “Partigiani d’Oltremare,” by Italian historian Matteo Petracci, the De Serio twins’ new colonial-era film follows the vicissitudes of a 16-year-old Somali named Aden Sicré who in 1935 becomes a soldier in the Italian army that invaded Ethiopia on Mussolini’s orders. In an unexpected turn, he becomes hailed as a war hero by the Fascist regime. Then a few years later Aden and other African fighters play a pivotal role in the partisan struggle against fascism in Europe.
The Aug. 4-6 Alliance 4 Development goes beyond being a mere co-production platform since it allows for...
The platform, now in its 8th year, is geared towards fostering co-productions between France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Inspired by the book “Partigiani d’Oltremare,” by Italian historian Matteo Petracci, the De Serio twins’ new colonial-era film follows the vicissitudes of a 16-year-old Somali named Aden Sicré who in 1935 becomes a soldier in the Italian army that invaded Ethiopia on Mussolini’s orders. In an unexpected turn, he becomes hailed as a war hero by the Fascist regime. Then a few years later Aden and other African fighters play a pivotal role in the partisan struggle against fascism in Europe.
The Aug. 4-6 Alliance 4 Development goes beyond being a mere co-production platform since it allows for...
- 6/22/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
You might think Shia Labeouf portraying a 20th-century Italian saint under the direction of perpetual bad-boy expat Abel Ferrara is a pretty strange prospect. But that’s just the iceberg tip of the oddities in “Padre Pio,” which, despite the American star’s casting in the title role, often appears uninterested in its own venerated ostensible subject.
Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.
Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.
- 6/2/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
In the very early days of prestige television, a series appeared (some say it began the prestige era) that gave us a glimpse of what the future would hold. That series was "Rome," the story of the rise and fall of Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) and the romance and death of Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal). The series was gorgeous and full of rich historical detail, and the performances were spectacular.
The series, which ran from 2005-2007, came to us from John Milius, William J. MacDonald, and Bruno Heller. It nabbed talented actors like Hinds, Purefoy, Marshal, Lindsay Duncan, Polly Walker, Tobias Menzies, Kevin McKidd, and the late Ray Stevenson. It won a Director's Guild award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, and quite a number of others.
The sets were stunning and actually existed in the world, in the historic Cinecittà Studios, right in Rome, from the Forum...
The series, which ran from 2005-2007, came to us from John Milius, William J. MacDonald, and Bruno Heller. It nabbed talented actors like Hinds, Purefoy, Marshal, Lindsay Duncan, Polly Walker, Tobias Menzies, Kevin McKidd, and the late Ray Stevenson. It won a Director's Guild award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, and quite a number of others.
The sets were stunning and actually existed in the world, in the historic Cinecittà Studios, right in Rome, from the Forum...
- 5/26/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
“Did you know there’s a direct correlation between the decline of Spirograph and the rise in gang activity? Think about it,” Bart was warned during The Simpsons’ “Golden Era.” He says he will, but we know he won’t give it even a passing thought. The same could be said about the series in the 2010s. As viewership went down over the decade, the country splintered into opposing factions, without much thought. The citizens turned away from trusted media output, and after beating Gunsmoke as the longest-running, scripted primetime show in history, The Simpsons was an institution.
The decade opened with a big 20th anniversary premiere, “Once Upon a Time in Springfield,” promoted as the 450th episode of the series. It ran alongside a special, aired after a year’s buildup from Fox, called The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, directed by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size...
The decade opened with a big 20th anniversary premiere, “Once Upon a Time in Springfield,” promoted as the 450th episode of the series. It ran alongside a special, aired after a year’s buildup from Fox, called The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, directed by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size...
- 5/21/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
British director Joe Wright, who helmed Winston Churchill drama “Darkest Hour” – which earned Gary Oldman an Oscar for his portrayal as the British prime minister – has now changed historical sides.
Wright is at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios shooting high-end TV drama “M. Son of the Century” which chronicles Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. A timely tale because, as he puts it: “Populist leaders are sprouting up all over the world.”
Aesthetically, the show will be “quite outlandish” with deeply saturated colors, punctuated by a “kind of techno score,” the director said during a recent set visit. Though “It’s not told in a vérité style,” Wright pointed out that “All the facts of what happened, they’re all there.”
Luca Marinelli plays Mussolini during the period between 1919, when he founded the fascist party in Italy, and 1925 when – having gained power with the 1922 March on Rome – Mussolini made an infamous...
Wright is at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios shooting high-end TV drama “M. Son of the Century” which chronicles Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. A timely tale because, as he puts it: “Populist leaders are sprouting up all over the world.”
Aesthetically, the show will be “quite outlandish” with deeply saturated colors, punctuated by a “kind of techno score,” the director said during a recent set visit. Though “It’s not told in a vérité style,” Wright pointed out that “All the facts of what happened, they’re all there.”
Luca Marinelli plays Mussolini during the period between 1919, when he founded the fascist party in Italy, and 1925 when – having gained power with the 1922 March on Rome – Mussolini made an infamous...
- 4/17/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The camera pans upwards. We see a balcony and a sliver of a window. A voice calls “Action!” Luca Marinelli emerges, dressed as Benito Mussolini. He looks down on the street below. Suddenly, he turns to the camera and speaks directly to the audience, the image of charm and seduction: “I’ve always loved dogs,” he quips.
This scene sums up the essence of M. Son of the Century, the new eight-episode limited series, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour) and produced by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli’s Fremantle-owned The Apartment Pictures, in collaboration with Pathé and Small Forward. The series may be, as Nils Hartmann, executive vp of Sky Studios Italy and Germany says, repeatedly, the “largest and most ambitious” project the Comcast-owned studio is working on, but what stands out is the show’s unique tone and rhythm. The story of the rise of...
This scene sums up the essence of M. Son of the Century, the new eight-episode limited series, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour) and produced by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli’s Fremantle-owned The Apartment Pictures, in collaboration with Pathé and Small Forward. The series may be, as Nils Hartmann, executive vp of Sky Studios Italy and Germany says, repeatedly, the “largest and most ambitious” project the Comcast-owned studio is working on, but what stands out is the show’s unique tone and rhythm. The story of the rise of...
- 4/17/2023
- by Gianmaria Tammaro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Conventional wisdom goes that when somebody says “It’s not about the money,” it’s all about the money. After exploring that concept in the first episode of “Succession” Season 4, the HBO series looked the other way in Episode 2, “Rehearsal.” Throughout the hour, the trio of Roy children gone rogue – Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) – debate whether they should join some other contentious Waystar board members in blocking dad Logan’s (Brian Cox) sale of his media empire to Swedish internet gazillionaire Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård).
They state repeatedly that it’s just a play to get more money for the family business. True as far as that goes. Yet Shiv and Ken, especially, seem to relish every opportunity it gives them to stick it to the old man. This fight is over a lot more than the money.
Also Read:
‘Succession’ Season 4 Premiere Hits...
They state repeatedly that it’s just a play to get more money for the family business. True as far as that goes. Yet Shiv and Ken, especially, seem to relish every opportunity it gives them to stick it to the old man. This fight is over a lot more than the money.
Also Read:
‘Succession’ Season 4 Premiere Hits...
- 4/3/2023
- by Bob Strauss
- The Wrap
Italy’s Cinecittà studios have returned to profit one year ahead of the schedule set in its 2022 to 2026 industrial plan, aimed at returning the facility to its former glory as a major international filming hub.
It is the first time the complex’s results have been in the black since it was taken back under state control in 2017, after being run into the ground under private ownership for more than two decades.
Parent body Cinecittà S.p.A announced a $1.9 million (1.8 million euros) net profit for 2022, and a doubling of turnover to $42.3 million (39 million euros) against 2021, mainly on the back of a raft of bookings for the facilities.
The company said the complex had been booked to above 75% capacity in 2022, against 31% in 2021, a trend that has continued into 2023.
Detailing the $42 million turnover, Cinecittà S.p.A said $37.4 million (34.5 million euros) was related to the soundstages, venues, and set designs, with...
It is the first time the complex’s results have been in the black since it was taken back under state control in 2017, after being run into the ground under private ownership for more than two decades.
Parent body Cinecittà S.p.A announced a $1.9 million (1.8 million euros) net profit for 2022, and a doubling of turnover to $42.3 million (39 million euros) against 2021, mainly on the back of a raft of bookings for the facilities.
The company said the complex had been booked to above 75% capacity in 2022, against 31% in 2021, a trend that has continued into 2023.
Detailing the $42 million turnover, Cinecittà S.p.A said $37.4 million (34.5 million euros) was related to the soundstages, venues, and set designs, with...
- 3/31/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Speaking at a panel organized by Series Mania’s Forum, executives from Sky Studios touted flexibility and autonomy as their keys to success, teasing further synergies with fellow Comcast-owned services like Peacock and SkyShowtime while emphasizing that such broadcast bids were but one option among many.
“[We take things] very case-by-case,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. “Not all projects that we develop as Sky Originals in Europe will go into the SkyShowtime cluster of territories, [but] they can. And we [welcome] this flexibility, because it allows projects to come to us with other territories attached.”
Prompted by Variety’s Manori Ravindran, and flanked onstage by colleagues Nils Hartmann, Tobias Rosen and Sonia Rovai from Sky Studios Germany and Italy, Lyvers accented Sky Studios’ wider commissioning activities, saying: “This is the team that develops, commissions, or buys series, and then [either] makes or programs them on Sky as Sky Originals.
“[We take things] very case-by-case,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. “Not all projects that we develop as Sky Originals in Europe will go into the SkyShowtime cluster of territories, [but] they can. And we [welcome] this flexibility, because it allows projects to come to us with other territories attached.”
Prompted by Variety’s Manori Ravindran, and flanked onstage by colleagues Nils Hartmann, Tobias Rosen and Sonia Rovai from Sky Studios Germany and Italy, Lyvers accented Sky Studios’ wider commissioning activities, saying: “This is the team that develops, commissions, or buys series, and then [either] makes or programs them on Sky as Sky Originals.
- 3/21/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Fairytale will have its North American premiere at Locarno in Los Angeles, running March 16 - 19, 2023.Fairytale, director Aleksandr Sokurov’s first film in seven years, arrived at its world premiere at last year’s Locarno Film Festival with little advance notice. A fanciful title and a cryptic artist’s statement was all most viewers had to go on when encountering what is, as I wrote in my festival report, arguably “the Russian master’s most left-field offering yet: a speculative fiction made with deepfake technology that imagines an encounter between Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Winston Churchill.”Composed almost entirely of lightly animated archival footage, Fairytale plays like a belated companion piece to Sokurov’s series of biographical and mythological portrait films (collectively known as the “Tetralogy of Power”) that explore the psychological nuances of tyranny. But whereas those films centered on single subjects, the director’s latest...
- 3/15/2023
- MUBI
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