100+ YEARS OF THE GREAT ITALIAN MOVIEMAKERS
A look at the life and work of Commedia all'Italiana legend Ugo Tognazzi and direct links to eight of his films..
No longer the "Old Country," we visit Italy's southern region of Basilicata to see the modern region it has become.
Director Andrea De Sica carries on his grandfather's legacy while charting his own cinematic course.
Director Marco Tullio Giordana talks about the influence of American silent film actress Louise Brooks on Italian cinema and culture.
Join us as we celebrate Italian cinema icon Giulietta Masina's centennial with a walking tour of 'Nights of Cabiria' locations.
We spoke with actress Adriana Asti on the occasion of her 90th birthday! She shared her memories about working with icons like Pasolini and Visconti.
Women in Film
The Trailblazers
From the silent era to today, women of Italian origin have stepped behind the camera to tell their stories. We've partnered with Directed By Women to keep those stories alive by featuring women who gave and continue to give voice to the female experience through cinema.
Transforming Childhood Memories into a Filmmaking Career
Manuela Filomena was born in a small town in Irpinia called Ariano Irpino, located in the region of Campania. Her bringing up contributed to her choice of professions. “Like most Italian families, Sunday has always been a holiday to share with grandparents, aunts and uncles. Perhaps hearing their stories, sharing the work week, and exchanging ideas unknowingly fed my imagination and pleasure in storytelling,” she told me in a recent interview.
Stream Classic & Contemporary Italian Cinema
Impardonnables, André Téchiné
Impardonnables, André Téchiné
Impardonnables, André Téchiné
A French production, this 2011 film is set in Venice and follows a veteran novelist (André Dussollier) who relocates to the city to find inspiration for his next book. Shortly after he marries his young real estate agent, his daughter from a previous marriage goes missing. They hire Anna Maria (Adriana Asti), a retired private investigator, to find her. Anna Maria is dealing with her own problems, including a terminal illness and a son just released from jail who can’t seem to stay out of trouble.
The Third Man, Carol Reed
Impardonnables, André Téchiné
Impardonnables, André Téchiné
Considered the greatest British film of all time, this film noir is based on true stories about the black market in Vienna preceding the Cold War. American novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna to meet his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to hear that he's been fatally struck by a car. A loyal friend who senses something’s not right, Martins begins his own investigation, which leads him to Lime’s former lover, Anna Schmidt, portrayed by a stunning Alida Valli.
Laughing, Valerio Mastandrea
Laughing, Valerio Mastandrea
Laughing, Valerio Mastandrea
Valerio Mastandrea's 2018 feature film directorial debut centers on Cesare Secondari (Renato Carpentieri), a retired factory worker who with two of his comrades is preparing to protest the unsafe working conditions that led to the death of a young man. Following the tender friendship between three senior citizens, one dealing with the repercussions of suffering a stroke, they fear they’ve become useless in old age and all the progress they made for the factory workers of their generation faded when they retired.
Sunflower, Vittorio De Sica
Laughing, Valerio Mastandrea
Laughing, Valerio Mastandrea
Shot in Italy and Russia, this heart-wrenching story brings together screen legends Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren for one of the most powerful performances of their onscreen love affair. At the start of the film, Antonio must leave his new bride to fight on the Russian front. After a near-death experience, Antonio has a brief episode of amnesia and marries the young Russian woman who saved his life. Though Antonio is listed as missing in action, Giovanna sets out to find him, leading to an explosive reunion.
On Exhibit
Museo Italiano Audiovisivo and Cinema
Italy’s 120 years of cinema has been made into an interactive museum
nestled in Rome’s iconic Cinecittà Studios.