03 March 2014 by Sydney Levine in SydneysBuzz
The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), Italy’s Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Inspirational and awe-inspiring are the words that come to mind first when I think about the great movie just out of Italy, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) from acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino ( Il Divo, The Consequences of Love, This Must be the Place) with a screenplay by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
I could watch this film over and over again and still be inspired by the beauty of Rome and the depth of its flaneur, the hero of this film, journalist Jep Gambardella as played by the incomparable Toni Servillo (Gomorrah, Il Divo). In fact, after interviewing Paolo Sorrentino recently at the Chateau Marmont, I feel compelled to watch it again in order to understand the ending’s reference to what might have been the subject of the original and only book Jeb ever wrote which was perhaps (according to Paolo) “about the love he had for the girl — and you can see that at the end of the movie”.
During my interview, I tried not to discuss how the film carries echoes of the classic works of Federico Fellini as Sorrentino had already gone on record stating that, “Roma and La Dolce Vita are works that you cannot pretend to ignore when you take on a film like the one I wanted to make. They are two masterpieces and the golden rule is that masterpieces should be watched but not imitated. I tried to stick to that. But it’s also true that masterpieces transform the way we feel and perceive things.”
A dazzling tour through modern day Rome through the eyes of Jep Gambardella gives us feelings for grandeur whose beauty can lead to death, to dangerous adventures leading nowhere and to a certain level of sadness. When his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
The stripper daughter of his old friend and nightclub owner represents a simpler normality as does his housekeeper. Both are touchstones to a reality he has abandoned since becoming a permanent fixture in Rome’s literary and social circles after the legendary success of his one and only novel. Armed with a roguish charm, he has seduced his way through the city’s lavish night life for decades.
As an interviewer for popular press, his curiosity about everything is satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time. He finds his yearning for simplicity is sparked when he rather cynically interviews a saintly nun and more importantly, he finds the seed for his next book in the simple, normal lives of ordinary people and in the fragility of those snobbish, superficial, gossiping “friends” with whom he has spent too much time weaving a uselessly complicated life of nothingness, living in a world which makes no sense.
There are many literary references in the film — Flaubert who wanted to write a book about nothing, Proust whose masterpiece “capitalizes on his own biography”, Celine whose opening line to his novel Journey to the End of the Night is also the film’s opening line.
This quote from Celine is a declaration of intent that I followed in turn in the film. It comes down to saying: there’s reality, but everything is invented too. Invention is necessary in cinema, just to attain the truth.
What is it about the Flaubert references?
Flaubert said he wanted to write a book about nothing. This gave him the right to write about the frivolous, gossip, nothing and it acquired a literary standing. Nothingness becomes life. It takes on a life of its own and life’s nothingness is its beauty.
Jeb is living it among awkward, weak people, even hateful people. This is life and all of it belongs to The Great Beauty. The immediacy of the beauty of Rome is obvious, but the subterranean part — like these horrible people around him, you realize they are are also so vulnerable and fragile and that gives them and him the redeeming grace of beauty. The communist writer is emblematic.
Are you an intellectual?
I don’t like to think that I am. I do read a lot. I read more than I watch movies.
What do you do in your free time?
I hibernate. I hibernate until the next project takes shape in my mind. I watch a lot of football. And I tend to my family. I have two children aged 10 and 16 who keep me very busy.
Do you find that the Italian character is theatrical?
In my hometown (Naples), the people are extraordinarily theatrical. Orson Welles himself, on seeing Neapolitan actor Eduardo de Felipo said that he was the greatest actor in the world.
Whatever you say about it, Italy has an extraordinary pool of actors of every sort. They are all very different, from many different backgrounds, but all with often under-exploited potential, all just waiting to find good characters.
Tony Servillo is also from Naples, like I am. He is an actor I can ask anything of, because he is capable of doing absolutely everything. I can now move forward with him with my eyes closed, not only as far as work goes, but also in terms of our friendship, a friendship which over time becomes more joyful, lighter yet deeper at the same time.
Tony Servillo is quoted as saying about Sorrentino:
We have something in common which we both cultivate, and that’s a taste for mystery. That has something to do with esteem, with a sense of irony and self-mockery, with certain similar sources of melancholy, and certain subjects or themes of reflection. These affinities are renewed each time we meet, as if it were the first time, without there being any need for a closer relationship between one film and the next. We meet and it’s as if we’ve never been apart. And that means there’s a deep friendship between us, and that’s what so great.
Thank you Paolo for this interview. I wish you all the luck in winning not only the Nomination but also the prize of the Academy Award.
I also want to draw the reader’s attention to the fabulous photography of cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and the music of Lele Marchitel, who juxtaposes original music with repertory music of sacred and profane, pop music reflecting the city itself and to the extraordinary pool of actors, Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi and Galatea Ranzi, Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka and Isabella Ferrari.
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called this visually spectacular film “an outlandishly entertaining hallucination”, and according to Variety’s Jay Weissberg it’s an “astonishing cinematic feast”.
This rapturous highlight of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it played in Competition was acquired for U.S. by Janus Films who will release it theatrically in N.Y. on November 15, L.A. on November 22, expanding to other cities on November 29, with a home video release from the Criterion Collection.
“We were swept away by this gorgeous, moving film at Cannes”, said Peter Becker, president of the Criterion Collection and a partner in Janus Films. “Sorrentino is one of the most exciting directors working today, and Toni Servillo gives another majestic, multilayered performance.”
The deal to distribute Sorrentino’s film in the U.S. was struck with international distributor Pathé. “Janus has over the years become a valued partner in the promotion of Pathé’s heritage in the U.S. through its releases of our library titles, and we are, of course, thrilled to once again partner up with this company for the release of this film which represents the finest of Italian cinema today and at the same time pays a respectful homage to its nation’s cinematic past”, said Muriel Sauzay, Evp, International Sales.
For more information on the film visit Here
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) also screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was recently award the European Film Academy award for its editing by Cristiano Travaglioli. Since its Cannes debut, it has sold to Australia — Palace Films , Austria — Filmladen , Benelux — Abc — Cinemien , Brazil — Mares Filmes Ltda. , Canada — Mongrel Media, Métropole Films Distribution , Czech Republic — Film Europe, Denmark — Camera Film A/S , Estonia -Must Käsi, France — Canal + , Germany — Dcm , Greece — Feelgood Entertainment, Hong Kong (China) — Edko Films Ltd , Israel — United King Films, Italy — Medusa Distribuzione, Norway — As Fidalgo Film Distribution , Portugal — Lusomundo, Russia — A-One Films , Slovak Republic — Film Europe (Sk) , Switzerland — Pathe Films Ag , United Kingdom — Curzon Film World...
The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), Italy’s Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Inspirational and awe-inspiring are the words that come to mind first when I think about the great movie just out of Italy, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) from acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino ( Il Divo, The Consequences of Love, This Must be the Place) with a screenplay by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
I could watch this film over and over again and still be inspired by the beauty of Rome and the depth of its flaneur, the hero of this film, journalist Jep Gambardella as played by the incomparable Toni Servillo (Gomorrah, Il Divo). In fact, after interviewing Paolo Sorrentino recently at the Chateau Marmont, I feel compelled to watch it again in order to understand the ending’s reference to what might have been the subject of the original and only book Jeb ever wrote which was perhaps (according to Paolo) “about the love he had for the girl — and you can see that at the end of the movie”.
During my interview, I tried not to discuss how the film carries echoes of the classic works of Federico Fellini as Sorrentino had already gone on record stating that, “Roma and La Dolce Vita are works that you cannot pretend to ignore when you take on a film like the one I wanted to make. They are two masterpieces and the golden rule is that masterpieces should be watched but not imitated. I tried to stick to that. But it’s also true that masterpieces transform the way we feel and perceive things.”
A dazzling tour through modern day Rome through the eyes of Jep Gambardella gives us feelings for grandeur whose beauty can lead to death, to dangerous adventures leading nowhere and to a certain level of sadness. When his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
The stripper daughter of his old friend and nightclub owner represents a simpler normality as does his housekeeper. Both are touchstones to a reality he has abandoned since becoming a permanent fixture in Rome’s literary and social circles after the legendary success of his one and only novel. Armed with a roguish charm, he has seduced his way through the city’s lavish night life for decades.
As an interviewer for popular press, his curiosity about everything is satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time. He finds his yearning for simplicity is sparked when he rather cynically interviews a saintly nun and more importantly, he finds the seed for his next book in the simple, normal lives of ordinary people and in the fragility of those snobbish, superficial, gossiping “friends” with whom he has spent too much time weaving a uselessly complicated life of nothingness, living in a world which makes no sense.
There are many literary references in the film — Flaubert who wanted to write a book about nothing, Proust whose masterpiece “capitalizes on his own biography”, Celine whose opening line to his novel Journey to the End of the Night is also the film’s opening line.
This quote from Celine is a declaration of intent that I followed in turn in the film. It comes down to saying: there’s reality, but everything is invented too. Invention is necessary in cinema, just to attain the truth.
What is it about the Flaubert references?
Flaubert said he wanted to write a book about nothing. This gave him the right to write about the frivolous, gossip, nothing and it acquired a literary standing. Nothingness becomes life. It takes on a life of its own and life’s nothingness is its beauty.
Jeb is living it among awkward, weak people, even hateful people. This is life and all of it belongs to The Great Beauty. The immediacy of the beauty of Rome is obvious, but the subterranean part — like these horrible people around him, you realize they are are also so vulnerable and fragile and that gives them and him the redeeming grace of beauty. The communist writer is emblematic.
Are you an intellectual?
I don’t like to think that I am. I do read a lot. I read more than I watch movies.
What do you do in your free time?
I hibernate. I hibernate until the next project takes shape in my mind. I watch a lot of football. And I tend to my family. I have two children aged 10 and 16 who keep me very busy.
Do you find that the Italian character is theatrical?
In my hometown (Naples), the people are extraordinarily theatrical. Orson Welles himself, on seeing Neapolitan actor Eduardo de Felipo said that he was the greatest actor in the world.
Whatever you say about it, Italy has an extraordinary pool of actors of every sort. They are all very different, from many different backgrounds, but all with often under-exploited potential, all just waiting to find good characters.
Tony Servillo is also from Naples, like I am. He is an actor I can ask anything of, because he is capable of doing absolutely everything. I can now move forward with him with my eyes closed, not only as far as work goes, but also in terms of our friendship, a friendship which over time becomes more joyful, lighter yet deeper at the same time.
Tony Servillo is quoted as saying about Sorrentino:
We have something in common which we both cultivate, and that’s a taste for mystery. That has something to do with esteem, with a sense of irony and self-mockery, with certain similar sources of melancholy, and certain subjects or themes of reflection. These affinities are renewed each time we meet, as if it were the first time, without there being any need for a closer relationship between one film and the next. We meet and it’s as if we’ve never been apart. And that means there’s a deep friendship between us, and that’s what so great.
Thank you Paolo for this interview. I wish you all the luck in winning not only the Nomination but also the prize of the Academy Award.
I also want to draw the reader’s attention to the fabulous photography of cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and the music of Lele Marchitel, who juxtaposes original music with repertory music of sacred and profane, pop music reflecting the city itself and to the extraordinary pool of actors, Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi and Galatea Ranzi, Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka and Isabella Ferrari.
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called this visually spectacular film “an outlandishly entertaining hallucination”, and according to Variety’s Jay Weissberg it’s an “astonishing cinematic feast”.
This rapturous highlight of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it played in Competition was acquired for U.S. by Janus Films who will release it theatrically in N.Y. on November 15, L.A. on November 22, expanding to other cities on November 29, with a home video release from the Criterion Collection.
“We were swept away by this gorgeous, moving film at Cannes”, said Peter Becker, president of the Criterion Collection and a partner in Janus Films. “Sorrentino is one of the most exciting directors working today, and Toni Servillo gives another majestic, multilayered performance.”
The deal to distribute Sorrentino’s film in the U.S. was struck with international distributor Pathé. “Janus has over the years become a valued partner in the promotion of Pathé’s heritage in the U.S. through its releases of our library titles, and we are, of course, thrilled to once again partner up with this company for the release of this film which represents the finest of Italian cinema today and at the same time pays a respectful homage to its nation’s cinematic past”, said Muriel Sauzay, Evp, International Sales.
For more information on the film visit Here
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) also screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was recently award the European Film Academy award for its editing by Cristiano Travaglioli. Since its Cannes debut, it has sold to Australia — Palace Films , Austria — Filmladen , Benelux — Abc — Cinemien , Brazil — Mares Filmes Ltda. , Canada — Mongrel Media, Métropole Films Distribution , Czech Republic — Film Europe, Denmark — Camera Film A/S , Estonia -Must Käsi, France — Canal + , Germany — Dcm , Greece — Feelgood Entertainment, Hong Kong (China) — Edko Films Ltd , Israel — United King Films, Italy — Medusa Distribuzione, Norway — As Fidalgo Film Distribution , Portugal — Lusomundo, Russia — A-One Films , Slovak Republic — Film Europe (Sk) , Switzerland — Pathe Films Ag , United Kingdom — Curzon Film World...
- 5/8/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Italian actor Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”) is set to star in “Il ritorno di Casanova,” a drama about what happens to a great lover when he gets older, to be directed by Oscar-winner Gabriele Salvatores (“Mediterraneo”).
Loosely based on Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler‘s novella “Casanova’s Homecoming,” in which the Venetian libertine is having trouble contending with the fact that he’s over 60, “Ritorno di Casanova,” which translates as “Casanova’s Return,” is co-written by Salvatores with “The Great Beauty” screenwriter Umberto Contarello and Sara Mosetti.
Taking his cue from Schnitzler’s use of parallel narratives — Schnitzler’s novella “Dream Story” was the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s non-linear “Eyes Wide Shut” — Salvatores is weaving his new take on the Casanova myth using that technique.
One story strand sees the ageing Casanova hosted by a friend in the Venetian countryside “where one of the guests is a proto-feminist named Marcolina,...
Loosely based on Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler‘s novella “Casanova’s Homecoming,” in which the Venetian libertine is having trouble contending with the fact that he’s over 60, “Ritorno di Casanova,” which translates as “Casanova’s Return,” is co-written by Salvatores with “The Great Beauty” screenwriter Umberto Contarello and Sara Mosetti.
Taking his cue from Schnitzler’s use of parallel narratives — Schnitzler’s novella “Dream Story” was the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s non-linear “Eyes Wide Shut” — Salvatores is weaving his new take on the Casanova myth using that technique.
One story strand sees the ageing Casanova hosted by a friend in the Venetian countryside “where one of the guests is a proto-feminist named Marcolina,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
HBO has released the latest trailer for “The New Pope,” a spinoff of 2016’s “The Young Pope” starring Jude Law as Pius Xiii, also known as Lenny Belardo, the first American Pope in history. Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (whose 2013 film “The Great Beauty” won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) also returns, directing all nine episodes of the new season. The limited series is written by Sorrentino with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises, and marks Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy.
Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier, and Maurizio Lombardi all reprise their “Young Pope” roles, Joining the cast is John Malkovich as Lenny’s apparent successor. Also joining the cast are Sharon Stone and Marilyn Manson.
“The New Pope” was well reviewed out of its September premiere at the Venice Film Festival, with The Guardian writing that...
Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier, and Maurizio Lombardi all reprise their “Young Pope” roles, Joining the cast is John Malkovich as Lenny’s apparent successor. Also joining the cast are Sharon Stone and Marilyn Manson.
“The New Pope” was well reviewed out of its September premiere at the Venice Film Festival, with The Guardian writing that...
- 11/3/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The title is Italian for them, as in the movers, shakers, petty crooks and parasites who hover around power like moths to a flame. (Place an apostrophe in the right place, and you get l’oro: the gold.) But Loro, director Paolo Sorrentino’s gorgeously gaudy, chalice-runneth-over satire, is really about one person: Silvio Berlusconi. The first time you see the Prime Minister is by proxy, via a lower back tattoo of his face on a young woman. When the man, played by Italian cinema’s reigning chameleon Toni Servillo,...
- 9/27/2019
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
A documentary about the McCarthy-era lawyer who eventually became Donald Trump’s mentor, a story about a corrupt billionaire prime minister, a corporate retreat that might or might not end in casual cannibalism, a dramatic thriller about the gig economy and a light-hearted Indian romance about luck and cricket — the films on deck for this weekend’s Specialty box office are terrifying, funny and have a dash of heart. Here’s a preview of what’s coming.
Where’s My Roy Cohn?
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Subject: Roy Cohn
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
When Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker first saw Matt Tyrnauer’s Where’s My Roy Cohn? he did not hesitate to acquire the rights to the documentary about the life of the lawyer who was the epicenter of McCarthyism, the executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and, many say, the rise of Donald Trump. Needless to say,...
Where’s My Roy Cohn?
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Subject: Roy Cohn
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
When Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker first saw Matt Tyrnauer’s Where’s My Roy Cohn? he did not hesitate to acquire the rights to the documentary about the life of the lawyer who was the epicenter of McCarthyism, the executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and, many say, the rise of Donald Trump. Needless to say,...
- 9/20/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Let’s face it. You’ve done a lot of things your life. Accomplishments, achievements. Hopes, dreams.
But have you ever convinced HBO and Sky to fund a day of shooting where Jude Law walks on a beach underneath a tunnel of women bumping volleyballs over his head? Paolo Sorrentino sure has. And so begins the long meme-ified journey to the release of “The New Pope.”
The awaited follow-up to “The Young Pope,” the unclassifiable limited series that first made its debut in the fall of 2016, “The New Pope” looks set to bring its pontiff-related antics to new heights. Sure, Lenny Belardo (Law) isn’t emerging from a giant mound of babies. But it does have slo-mo beach activities set to an instrumental cover of “All Along the Watchtower,” so that seems like something.
As with its predecessor, “The New Pope” will make its debut in Venice next month. Sorrentino...
But have you ever convinced HBO and Sky to fund a day of shooting where Jude Law walks on a beach underneath a tunnel of women bumping volleyballs over his head? Paolo Sorrentino sure has. And so begins the long meme-ified journey to the release of “The New Pope.”
The awaited follow-up to “The Young Pope,” the unclassifiable limited series that first made its debut in the fall of 2016, “The New Pope” looks set to bring its pontiff-related antics to new heights. Sure, Lenny Belardo (Law) isn’t emerging from a giant mound of babies. But it does have slo-mo beach activities set to an instrumental cover of “All Along the Watchtower,” so that seems like something.
As with its predecessor, “The New Pope” will make its debut in Venice next month. Sorrentino...
- 8/28/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The first teaser trailer for The New Pope packs a punch with Jude Law and John Malkovich headlining the papal drama.
The series will get its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, as revealed by Deadline earlier this month.
Law, seen in the trailer parading on the beach in his underwear to Devlin’s Watchtower, returns alongside newcomers including Malkovich, Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, Mark Ivanir and Massimo Ghini. Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier and Maurizio Lombardi also return.
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky-Canal+, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro. All eight episodes are being directed...
The series will get its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, as revealed by Deadline earlier this month.
Law, seen in the trailer parading on the beach in his underwear to Devlin’s Watchtower, returns alongside newcomers including Malkovich, Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, Mark Ivanir and Massimo Ghini. Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier and Maurizio Lombardi also return.
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky-Canal+, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro. All eight episodes are being directed...
- 8/28/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO released a teaser for “The New Pope” starring Jude Law and John Malkovich on Wednesday, showing us the return of Law’s Pius Xiii and his heavenly body and the holy entrance of Malkovich’s new character — and his more traditional ways.
“The New Pope” is directed by Paolo Sorrentino, who wrote the series with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises. The Sky, HBO and Canal+ limited series, which will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Sept. 1., marks Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy.
Watch the teaser for the nine-episode limited series above.
Also Read: John Malkovich to Star in HBO's 'Young Pope' Follow-Up Series With Jude Law
The original series, “The Young Pope,” also created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. Law was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor...
“The New Pope” is directed by Paolo Sorrentino, who wrote the series with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises. The Sky, HBO and Canal+ limited series, which will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Sept. 1., marks Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy.
Watch the teaser for the nine-episode limited series above.
Also Read: John Malkovich to Star in HBO's 'Young Pope' Follow-Up Series With Jude Law
The original series, “The Young Pope,” also created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. Law was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor...
- 8/28/2019
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
It’s a pretty safe bet that the Italian entries at Venice that will make the biggest splashes this year are both TV series premiering in the official selection: Paolo Sorrentino’s limited series “The New Pope” and Stefano Sollima’s cocaine-trafficking drama “ZeroZeroZero.”
While these are both shows by directors who also work in film, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera has no qualms in pointing out that in the film sphere the domestic pickings were slim this year.
Venice selectors received 186 Italian films, which amounts to roughly 10% of the total submissions. “And more than half were unwatchable microbudget first works,” Barbera says. “You wonder: why produce this stuff?”
However, the TV series, both commissioned by Sky Italia and screening out of competition, are on a different level. “They were both a big gamble,” Barbera says. And they cost a lot, “but you really see the results.”
Barbera says everyone...
While these are both shows by directors who also work in film, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera has no qualms in pointing out that in the film sphere the domestic pickings were slim this year.
Venice selectors received 186 Italian films, which amounts to roughly 10% of the total submissions. “And more than half were unwatchable microbudget first works,” Barbera says. “You wonder: why produce this stuff?”
However, the TV series, both commissioned by Sky Italia and screening out of competition, are on a different level. “They were both a big gamble,” Barbera says. And they cost a lot, “but you really see the results.”
Barbera says everyone...
- 8/27/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Venice Film Festival will reveal its lineup later this week and two anticipated TV series are expected to make their debut on the Lido: cocaine-trafficking crime-drama ZeroZeroZero and Paolo Sorrentino’s Jude Law-starrer The New Pope.
We hear the festival is set to screen the first two episodes of anticipated Euro-u.S. co-pro ZeroZeroZero starring Andrea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan and Gabryel Byrne.
There was some uncertainty over whether the show would bow this early given that it is unlikely to air until early next year (production was held up after an injury to Riseborough), but U.S. rights holder Amazon has given the green light for a Venice debut.
The Italian-origin show is likely to be among the festival’s biggest draws. The Cattleya epic for Sky, Canal+ and Amazon is adapted from Gomorrah scribe Roberto Saviano‘s book about international cocaine trafficking and its economic and political effects.
We hear the festival is set to screen the first two episodes of anticipated Euro-u.S. co-pro ZeroZeroZero starring Andrea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan and Gabryel Byrne.
There was some uncertainty over whether the show would bow this early given that it is unlikely to air until early next year (production was held up after an injury to Riseborough), but U.S. rights holder Amazon has given the green light for a Venice debut.
The Italian-origin show is likely to be among the festival’s biggest draws. The Cattleya epic for Sky, Canal+ and Amazon is adapted from Gomorrah scribe Roberto Saviano‘s book about international cocaine trafficking and its economic and political effects.
- 7/23/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Following his Oscar-winning The Great Beauty, Paolo Sorrentino helmed Youth and The Young Pope, then embarked on his most ambitious film yet, the two-part Loro. The Silvio Berlusconi biopic, starring Toni Servillo, arrived in Italy with the complete Act 1 and 2, but when it comes to an international tour, it’s been edited down to a single 145-minute film, which will hit the U.S. this fall via IFC Films. Ahead of the release, a new trailer has now arrived.
Jared Mobarak caught up with the film at Tiff, saying in his review, “If its long-winded, clearly tongue-in-cheek warning is to be heeded, everything onscreen is a lie. Since that disclaimer is for legal purposes so Berlusconi doesn’t sue the studio, however, it doesn’t mean we should give this man the benefit of the doubt. If anything I’d argue Sorrentino and co-writer Umberto Contarello do that already. Because...
Jared Mobarak caught up with the film at Tiff, saying in his review, “If its long-winded, clearly tongue-in-cheek warning is to be heeded, everything onscreen is a lie. Since that disclaimer is for legal purposes so Berlusconi doesn’t sue the studio, however, it doesn’t mean we should give this man the benefit of the doubt. If anything I’d argue Sorrentino and co-writer Umberto Contarello do that already. Because...
- 7/2/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Italian director Gabriele Salvatores, who won the foreign-language film Oscar for “Mediterraneo” in 1991 and more recently helmed teen superhero franchise “The Invisible Boy” is in Berlin where sales company Rai Com is showing buyers footage of his upcoming road movie “Volare.” Pic stars Claudio Santamaria and Valeria Golino and is penned by Umberto Contarello (“The Great Beauty”).
Based on a widely translated bestseller by Italy’s Fulvio Ervas — which was inspired by a true story — “Volare” is about a boozing lounge singer (Santamaria) who accidentally intersects with his teen autistic son, whom he has never met before. He has an epiphany and decides to hit the road with him in an attempt to fight his son’s autism. They are chased by the boy’s mother (Golino) and her husband, played by Diego Abatantuono, who also starred in “Mediterraneo.”
Salvatores in Berlin spoke to Variety about making his return to the road movie genre.
Based on a widely translated bestseller by Italy’s Fulvio Ervas — which was inspired by a true story — “Volare” is about a boozing lounge singer (Santamaria) who accidentally intersects with his teen autistic son, whom he has never met before. He has an epiphany and decides to hit the road with him in an attempt to fight his son’s autism. They are chased by the boy’s mother (Golino) and her husband, played by Diego Abatantuono, who also starred in “Mediterraneo.”
Salvatores in Berlin spoke to Variety about making his return to the road movie genre.
- 2/13/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rai Com is kicking off sales in Berlin on Italian producer Ginevra Elkann’s directorial debut, “Magari” (If Only), which stars Brett Gelman (“Fleabag”), Alba Rohrwacher (“Happy as Lazzaro”), Riccardo Scamarcio (“Loro”) and France’s Céline Sallette (“Les Revenants”).
The multi-language pic is currently shooting in the seaside town of Sabaudia, outside Rome.
Produced by Wildside and Rai Cinema, “Magari” is a sentimental comedy about three kids of divorced parents who, while living in Paris with their bourgeois Russian-Orthodox mother, are suddenly packed off and sent to stay with their unconventional and broke Italian father, Carlo.
Elkann wrote the screenplay with writer Chiara Barzini, author of English-language novel “Things That Happened Before the Earthquake.”
Elkann previously directed the short “Vado a Messa,” which screened at Venice. As a producer she’s shepherded several standout festival titles, including Noaz Deshe’s Swahili-language drama “White Shadow,” which won the 2013 Venice Film Festival’s Lion of the Future.
The multi-language pic is currently shooting in the seaside town of Sabaudia, outside Rome.
Produced by Wildside and Rai Cinema, “Magari” is a sentimental comedy about three kids of divorced parents who, while living in Paris with their bourgeois Russian-Orthodox mother, are suddenly packed off and sent to stay with their unconventional and broke Italian father, Carlo.
Elkann wrote the screenplay with writer Chiara Barzini, author of English-language novel “Things That Happened Before the Earthquake.”
Elkann previously directed the short “Vado a Messa,” which screened at Venice. As a producer she’s shepherded several standout festival titles, including Noaz Deshe’s Swahili-language drama “White Shadow,” which won the 2013 Venice Film Festival’s Lion of the Future.
- 2/8/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
‘The New Pope’: HBO Gives First Look At Jude Law And John Malkovich; Unveils Cast For Limited Series
In the name of the father, son and holy Jude Law — HBO has released the first official image of The New Pope featuring two-time Academy Award nominees Law and John Malkovich serving some fierce papacy realness. The premium cabler also announced returning and new cast members for the limited series.
Joining Law and Malkovich are many of the returning cast from The Young Pope including Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier, and Maurizio Lombardi. In addition to the recently announced Mark Ivanir, the new cast joining the limited series are Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, and Massimo Ghini.
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky-Canal+, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro. All eight episodes are being directed by Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino.
The Young Pope, created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. The series aired in 150 territories.
Joining Law and Malkovich are many of the returning cast from The Young Pope including Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier, and Maurizio Lombardi. In addition to the recently announced Mark Ivanir, the new cast joining the limited series are Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, and Massimo Ghini.
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky-Canal+, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro. All eight episodes are being directed by Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino.
The Young Pope, created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. The series aired in 150 territories.
- 1/9/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Jude Law and John Malkovich join forces as two religious powerhouses in the first look at HBO’s “The New Pope.” The limited series is Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s follow-up to “The Young Pope,” which earned critical acclaim when it debuted on HBO in January 2017. Sorrentino is once again directing all eight episodes of the series and co-wrote the scripts with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises.
While HBO has debuted our first look at “The New Pope” above, the network is not giving any plot details away. Whether or not “The New Pope” is a continuation of the story in “The Young Pope” has yet to be confirmed, although the official photo suggests that’s the case as it features Jude Law looking very much like his original character Lenny Belardo/Pope Pius Xiii. John Malkovich’s casting was confirmed in July 2018, and the legendary actor is expected to...
While HBO has debuted our first look at “The New Pope” above, the network is not giving any plot details away. Whether or not “The New Pope” is a continuation of the story in “The Young Pope” has yet to be confirmed, although the official photo suggests that’s the case as it features Jude Law looking very much like his original character Lenny Belardo/Pope Pius Xiii. John Malkovich’s casting was confirmed in July 2018, and the legendary actor is expected to...
- 1/9/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
His Holiness… es?
HBO has graced us with our first look at The New Pope, a sequel series to the 2017 miniseries The Young Pope, which starred Jude Law as brash fictional pontiff Lenny, aka Pope Pius Xiii. Based on the new photo above, Law will reprise his role as Lenny in the eight-episode series, joined by new cast addition John Malkovich. HBO is mum on Malkovich’s New Pope role, but judging by his pristine vestments and skullcap — not to mention the series title — we’re betting he’s Lenny replacement in the Vatican. (The Young Pope‘s finale ended with Lenny collapsing,...
HBO has graced us with our first look at The New Pope, a sequel series to the 2017 miniseries The Young Pope, which starred Jude Law as brash fictional pontiff Lenny, aka Pope Pius Xiii. Based on the new photo above, Law will reprise his role as Lenny in the eight-episode series, joined by new cast addition John Malkovich. HBO is mum on Malkovich’s New Pope role, but judging by his pristine vestments and skullcap — not to mention the series title — we’re betting he’s Lenny replacement in the Vatican. (The Young Pope‘s finale ended with Lenny collapsing,...
- 1/9/2019
- TVLine.com
A first-look image of Paolo Sorrentino’s TV series “The New Pope” has been released showing John Malkovich and Jude Law both wearing papal vestments, which appears to confirm rumors that Malkovich will play the new pontiff. The show is currently shooting in Venice.
Sky, HBO, and Canal Plus have also announced that “Homeland” star Mark Ivanir has joined the cast of “The New Pope,” as well as veteran British actor Henry Goodman (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”); Denmark’s Ulrich Thomsen (“The Blacklist”); and Italy’s Massimo Ghini (“No Place Like Home”). Details are being kept under wraps about their roles in the limited eight-episode series, which is not, strictly speaking, a second season of “The Young Pope.”
Malkovich’s casting had been previously announced. Sharon Stone is also widely reported to be a guest star on “The New Pope,” but a representative for production company Wildside declined to comment Wednesday.
Sky, HBO, and Canal Plus have also announced that “Homeland” star Mark Ivanir has joined the cast of “The New Pope,” as well as veteran British actor Henry Goodman (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”); Denmark’s Ulrich Thomsen (“The Blacklist”); and Italy’s Massimo Ghini (“No Place Like Home”). Details are being kept under wraps about their roles in the limited eight-episode series, which is not, strictly speaking, a second season of “The Young Pope.”
Malkovich’s casting had been previously announced. Sharon Stone is also widely reported to be a guest star on “The New Pope,” but a representative for production company Wildside declined to comment Wednesday.
- 1/9/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The pope is no longer young as we get our first look at The New Pope, HBO's follow-up to its glossy papal drama The Young Pope.
The premium network unveiled the first look image from the next chapter in the life of Lenny Belardo, the first American pope played by Jude Law. Notably, we see our first glimpse of John Malkovich, who is set to play a big part in The New Pope although no details about his character have been revealed.
Created by Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Loro), The New Pope is written by Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello and ...
The premium network unveiled the first look image from the next chapter in the life of Lenny Belardo, the first American pope played by Jude Law. Notably, we see our first glimpse of John Malkovich, who is set to play a big part in The New Pope although no details about his character have been revealed.
Created by Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Loro), The New Pope is written by Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello and ...
Mark Ivanir (Homeland) is set for a recurring role opposite John Malkovich and Jude Law in The New Pope, Paolo Sorrentino’s follow-up to the critically praised The Young Pope limited series on HBO.
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro.
Producers are keeping mum on Ivanir’s role.
The Young Pope, created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. The series aired in 150 territories.
Ivanir recurred on two seasons of Showtime’s Homeland, and recurred on last season’s Transparent for Amazon and HBO’s Barry. He’ll next be seen...
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro.
Producers are keeping mum on Ivanir’s role.
The Young Pope, created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. The series aired in 150 territories.
Ivanir recurred on two seasons of Showtime’s Homeland, and recurred on last season’s Transparent for Amazon and HBO’s Barry. He’ll next be seen...
- 1/7/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
If you watch “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” you know Silvio Berlusconi. The Italian tycoon-turned-politician is mired in scandals, controversy, and populist excitement to the point of having a bizarre theme song declaring, “Thank Goodness for Silvio.” He smiles and waves, refuses to divest business interests while in office, and worked to enact laws that helped he and his friends become wealthier while also staying out of jail (mostly). It’s no surprise then that many say he set the precedent for the political chaos Donald Trump rode to the White House. They both accrued a fortune off an insane loan no regular Joe could ever hope to receive and took their narcissistic need to be loved onto their country’s biggest stage. The difference, however, is that Berlusconi seems cool.
That opinion of course is based on nothing but Paulo Sorrentino’s epic Loro. But if its long-winded,...
That opinion of course is based on nothing but Paulo Sorrentino’s epic Loro. But if its long-winded,...
- 9/8/2018
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores is set to shoot a road movie with the working title “Don’t Be Afraid If I Hug You,” which involves a father and his autistic son on the run. Pic stars Italian A-listers Claudio Santamaria (“They Call Me Jeeg”) and Valeria Golino.
Rai Com has boarded and will kick off world sales in Toronto. Salvatores’ new pic will start shooting this month.
Based on a widely translated bestseller by Italy’s Fulvio Ervas — which was inspired by a true story — “Don’t Be Afraid” is penned by Umberto Contarello (“The Great Beauty”). Santamaria will play a boozing lounge singer who accidentally intersects with his teen autistic son, whom he has never met before. He has an epiphany and decides to hit the road with him in an attempt to fight his son’s autism. They are chased by the boy’s mother (Golino) and her husband.
Rai Com has boarded and will kick off world sales in Toronto. Salvatores’ new pic will start shooting this month.
Based on a widely translated bestseller by Italy’s Fulvio Ervas — which was inspired by a true story — “Don’t Be Afraid” is penned by Umberto Contarello (“The Great Beauty”). Santamaria will play a boozing lounge singer who accidentally intersects with his teen autistic son, whom he has never met before. He has an epiphany and decides to hit the road with him in an attempt to fight his son’s autism. They are chased by the boy’s mother (Golino) and her husband.
- 9/7/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
FremantleMedia International to handle global distribution.
John Malkovich is to join Jude Law in the cast of The New Pope, director Paolo Sorrentino’s follow-up to his HBO/Sky limited series The Young Pope.
The limited series, written by Sorrentino with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises, is set to begin production in Italy in November.
HBO gave no details about the role Malkovich will play, though it did confirm that the new series, like its predecessor, will be set in the world of the modern papacy.
Malkovich’s previous TV appearances include movies Heart Of Darkness, RKO281, and Death Of A Salesman,...
John Malkovich is to join Jude Law in the cast of The New Pope, director Paolo Sorrentino’s follow-up to his HBO/Sky limited series The Young Pope.
The limited series, written by Sorrentino with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises, is set to begin production in Italy in November.
HBO gave no details about the role Malkovich will play, though it did confirm that the new series, like its predecessor, will be set in the world of the modern papacy.
Malkovich’s previous TV appearances include movies Heart Of Darkness, RKO281, and Death Of A Salesman,...
- 7/2/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Joseph Baxter Jan 9, 2019
The New Pope, HBO’s sequel series to The Young Pope, will see return Jude Law joined by co-star John Malkovich.
While HBO’s 2016 series The Young Pope was intended as a limited series prestige project from BAFTA-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, plans subsequently emerged for a follow-up series, titled The New Pope. Indeed, the follow up series will showcase a new pope, since HBO has sent white smoke signals of confirmation for Oscar-winning actor John Malkovich.
John Malkovich was revealed as the star of HBO’s The New Pope back in July. While the details of Malkovich’s character were not provided (and remain scarce as of this January 9 update), the very title of the follow-up series does little to hide the fate of said character. While the title, The New Pope, has been known for over a year, having arrived quickly after The Young Pope completed its run,...
The New Pope, HBO’s sequel series to The Young Pope, will see return Jude Law joined by co-star John Malkovich.
While HBO’s 2016 series The Young Pope was intended as a limited series prestige project from BAFTA-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, plans subsequently emerged for a follow-up series, titled The New Pope. Indeed, the follow up series will showcase a new pope, since HBO has sent white smoke signals of confirmation for Oscar-winning actor John Malkovich.
John Malkovich was revealed as the star of HBO’s The New Pope back in July. While the details of Malkovich’s character were not provided (and remain scarce as of this January 9 update), the very title of the follow-up series does little to hide the fate of said character. While the title, The New Pope, has been known for over a year, having arrived quickly after The Young Pope completed its run,...
- 7/2/2018
- Den of Geek
Jude Law has a big name co-star set to join him for the follow-up to HBO’s “Young Pope.”
John Malkovich has been cast to play opposite Law in director Paolo Sorrentino’s “The New Pope,” the premium cable network announced Monday.
No character details were given for Malkovich’s upcoming role.
Also Read: HBO Greenlights 'The New Pope,' Follow-Up to 'The Young Pope'
“The New Pope” is written by Sorrentino with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises and marks Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy. The original series, “The Young Pope,” also created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. Law was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture for his performance.
The follow-up limited series hails from HBO-Sky and is produced by Lorenzo Mieli...
John Malkovich has been cast to play opposite Law in director Paolo Sorrentino’s “The New Pope,” the premium cable network announced Monday.
No character details were given for Malkovich’s upcoming role.
Also Read: HBO Greenlights 'The New Pope,' Follow-Up to 'The Young Pope'
“The New Pope” is written by Sorrentino with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises and marks Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy. The original series, “The Young Pope,” also created and directed by Sorrentino, debuted on Sky in October 2016 and on HBO in January 2017. Law was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture for his performance.
The follow-up limited series hails from HBO-Sky and is produced by Lorenzo Mieli...
- 7/2/2018
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
John Malkovich has signed on to star opposite Jude Law in “The New Pope,” the follow up to Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Young Pope,” Variety has learned.
It was previously said that the series, an original production of HBO and Italy’s Sky, will not be a second season of “The Young Pope.” Rather, HBO and Sky described it as Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy.
Law starred in “The Young Pope” as Lenny Belardo, who took the name Pius Xiii as he became the first American pope in history. Whether or not Law will reprise that role, given the uncertainty of the character’s future at the end of the first series, is unknown. It is rumored that Malkovich will play the new pontiff, though no official description of either actor’s character has been released.
Malkovich has twice been nominated for...
It was previously said that the series, an original production of HBO and Italy’s Sky, will not be a second season of “The Young Pope.” Rather, HBO and Sky described it as Sorrentino’s second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy.
Law starred in “The Young Pope” as Lenny Belardo, who took the name Pius Xiii as he became the first American pope in history. Whether or not Law will reprise that role, given the uncertainty of the character’s future at the end of the first series, is unknown. It is rumored that Malkovich will play the new pontiff, though no official description of either actor’s character has been released.
Malkovich has twice been nominated for...
- 7/2/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
John Malkovich is set to star in The New Pope, Paolo Sorrentino’s follow-up to the critically praised The Young Pope limited series, with Jude Law returning following his star turn as tormented American pontiff Lenny Belardo in the first series. Production on The New Pope, from FremantleMedia-owned Wildside (The Young Pope) and Spain’s Mediapro, is set to begin in Italy in November.
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro. The series has been in the works since last year.
Producers are keeping mum on Law & Malkovich’s roles in The New Pope. There were questions...
Written by Sorrentino with his frequent Italian co-writer Umberto Contarello, who also served as co-writer on Young Pope, and Stefano Bises, The New Pope limited series also is set in the world of modern papacy. The New Pope, an original production of HBO-Sky, is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and co-produced by Mediapro. The series has been in the works since last year.
Producers are keeping mum on Law & Malkovich’s roles in The New Pope. There were questions...
- 7/2/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– The Orchard has acquired the North American rights to Jordan Ross’s directorial debut “Thumper,” starring “Orange is the New Black’s” Pablo Schreiber. The gritty crime thriller debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and was written and directed by Ross. The movie also stars Eliza Taylor, Lena Headey, Ben Feldman, Grant Harvey and Daniel Webber. Set in a town of low-income and fractured families, “Thumper” is centered around a group of teens that are lured into working for a dangerous drug dealer. A new girl arrives into town hiding a dangerous secret that will impact everybody and change their lives forever.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Mubi Buys Philippe Garrel’s ‘Lover for a Day,’ FilmRise...
– The Orchard has acquired the North American rights to Jordan Ross’s directorial debut “Thumper,” starring “Orange is the New Black’s” Pablo Schreiber. The gritty crime thriller debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and was written and directed by Ross. The movie also stars Eliza Taylor, Lena Headey, Ben Feldman, Grant Harvey and Daniel Webber. Set in a town of low-income and fractured families, “Thumper” is centered around a group of teens that are lured into working for a dangerous drug dealer. A new girl arrives into town hiding a dangerous secret that will impact everybody and change their lives forever.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Mubi Buys Philippe Garrel’s ‘Lover for a Day,’ FilmRise...
- 6/9/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Pathé to sell Italian-language Loro outside Italy.
Focus Features has acquired Italian rights to Paolo Sorrentino’s Loro (Them) starring Toni Servillo (pictured) as Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial and larger-than-life former prime minister, Mediaset founder and former AC Milan owner.
Universal Pictures Italy will distribute the feature and Indigo Films anticipates a summer start. Pathé is co-producing Loro and will handle sales outside Italy.
Sorrentino, who served on this year’s Cannes competition jury and whose English-language HBO show The Young Pope starring Jude Law is expected to be an Emmys contender, will direct Loro from a screenplay he co-wrote with Umberto Contarello.
It is understood the project will centre on Berlusconi and his entourage. Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, and Carlotta Calori serve as producers.
Servillo starred in Sorrentino’s foreign-language Oscar winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, in which he portrayed another Italian prime minister, Giulio Andreotti.
“Given Focus’ commitment to collaborating with global filmmakers...
Focus Features has acquired Italian rights to Paolo Sorrentino’s Loro (Them) starring Toni Servillo (pictured) as Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial and larger-than-life former prime minister, Mediaset founder and former AC Milan owner.
Universal Pictures Italy will distribute the feature and Indigo Films anticipates a summer start. Pathé is co-producing Loro and will handle sales outside Italy.
Sorrentino, who served on this year’s Cannes competition jury and whose English-language HBO show The Young Pope starring Jude Law is expected to be an Emmys contender, will direct Loro from a screenplay he co-wrote with Umberto Contarello.
It is understood the project will centre on Berlusconi and his entourage. Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, and Carlotta Calori serve as producers.
Servillo starred in Sorrentino’s foreign-language Oscar winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, in which he portrayed another Italian prime minister, Giulio Andreotti.
“Given Focus’ commitment to collaborating with global filmmakers...
- 6/5/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Pathé to sell Italian-language Loro outside Italy.
Focus Features has acquired Italian rights to Paolo Sorrentino’s Loro (Them) starring Toni Servillo (pictured) as Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial and larger-than-life former prime minister, Mediaset founder and former AC Milan owner.
Universal Pictures Italy will distribute the feature and Indigo Films anticipates a summer start. Pathé is co-producing Loro and will handle sales outside Italy.
Sorrentino, who served on this year’s Cannes competition jury and whose English-language HBO show The Young Pope starring Jude Law is expected to be an Emmys contender, will direct Loro from a screenplay he co-wrote with Umberto Contarello.
It is understood the project will centre on Berlusconi and his entourage. Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, and Carlotta Calori serve as producers.
Servillo starred in Sorrentino’s foreign-language Oscar winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, in which he portrayed another Italian prime minister, Giulio Andreotti.
“Given Focus’ commitment to collaborating with global filmmakers...
Focus Features has acquired Italian rights to Paolo Sorrentino’s Loro (Them) starring Toni Servillo (pictured) as Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial and larger-than-life former prime minister, Mediaset founder and former AC Milan owner.
Universal Pictures Italy will distribute the feature and Indigo Films anticipates a summer start. Pathé is co-producing Loro and will handle sales outside Italy.
Sorrentino, who served on this year’s Cannes competition jury and whose English-language HBO show The Young Pope starring Jude Law is expected to be an Emmys contender, will direct Loro from a screenplay he co-wrote with Umberto Contarello.
It is understood the project will centre on Berlusconi and his entourage. Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, and Carlotta Calori serve as producers.
Servillo starred in Sorrentino’s foreign-language Oscar winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, in which he portrayed another Italian prime minister, Giulio Andreotti.
“Given Focus’ commitment to collaborating with global filmmakers...
- 6/5/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Rob Leane May 17, 2017
A fresh pontiff will follow in Jude Law's footsteps, as Sky and HBO announce The New Pope...
Instead of The Young Pope season 2, Sky and HBO are pressing ahead with a limited series entitled The New Pope.
See related Doctor Who: Phoebe Waller-Bridge is now the joint favourite Doctor Who: Moffat on budget issues, advice for Chibnall Doctor Who series 10: Michelle Gomez is leaving
Variety reports that the previous show's head scribe Paolo Sorrentino - and his co-writer Umberto Contarello - will return to pen this new drama, which once again takes place "in the world of the modern papacy".
Filming in Italy is scheduled for late 2018. It'll be a while before the show is on our screens, then. We assume that it will air in 2019, but that's just guesswork on our part.
"Just like The Young Pope, Sorrentino is writing the script for the new show,...
A fresh pontiff will follow in Jude Law's footsteps, as Sky and HBO announce The New Pope...
Instead of The Young Pope season 2, Sky and HBO are pressing ahead with a limited series entitled The New Pope.
See related Doctor Who: Phoebe Waller-Bridge is now the joint favourite Doctor Who: Moffat on budget issues, advice for Chibnall Doctor Who series 10: Michelle Gomez is leaving
Variety reports that the previous show's head scribe Paolo Sorrentino - and his co-writer Umberto Contarello - will return to pen this new drama, which once again takes place "in the world of the modern papacy".
Filming in Italy is scheduled for late 2018. It'll be a while before the show is on our screens, then. We assume that it will air in 2019, but that's just guesswork on our part.
"Just like The Young Pope, Sorrentino is writing the script for the new show,...
- 5/17/2017
- Den of Geek
Oscar-winner returns to the Vatican with brand new show.
Sky and HBO have announced a joint production of The New Pope, created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, the creator of The Young Pope.
The show is a new series set in the Vatican and is not a continution of The Young Pope, which starred Jude Law.
The screenplay is being written by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
The show is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside, in co-production with Mediapro and the international distributor is FremantleMedia International.
It will go into production late next year in Italy and casting for the role of the new Pope, as well as additional roles, will soon be underway.
Italian director Sorrentino, who has been nominated for the Palme d’Or five times (Youth, The Great Beauty, This Must Be The Place, Family Friend and The Consequences Of Love), is on the Competition Jury at the Cannes Film Festival...
Sky and HBO have announced a joint production of The New Pope, created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, the creator of The Young Pope.
The show is a new series set in the Vatican and is not a continution of The Young Pope, which starred Jude Law.
The screenplay is being written by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
The show is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside, in co-production with Mediapro and the international distributor is FremantleMedia International.
It will go into production late next year in Italy and casting for the role of the new Pope, as well as additional roles, will soon be underway.
Italian director Sorrentino, who has been nominated for the Palme d’Or five times (Youth, The Great Beauty, This Must Be The Place, Family Friend and The Consequences Of Love), is on the Competition Jury at the Cannes Film Festival...
- 5/16/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
A follow-up to Paolo Sorrentino’s limited series The Young Pope is in the works. A joint production between HBO and Sky, Sorrentino’s The New Pope is set to go into production late next year in Italy. Co-written by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello (The Young Pope), The New Pope marks Sorrentino's second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy, following The Young Pope, starring Jude Law, which debuted on HBO earlier this year. Casting for the title role, as…...
- 5/16/2017
- Deadline TV
If you were hoping for another season of HBO’s The Young Pope, your prayers have been answered… well, sort of.
The network has announced a new limited series, The New Pope, from Paolo Sorrentino — the creator/director behind The Young Pope, the Jude Law-starring HBO drama that aired earlier this year. But this will be an entirely new miniseries, with an entirely new cast; plot details are scarce at this point, but it seems The New Pope will follow a different fictional pontiff than Law’s Pope Pius Xiii.
RelatedThe Young Pope Review: Strangely Hypnotic, And Yet...
The network has announced a new limited series, The New Pope, from Paolo Sorrentino — the creator/director behind The Young Pope, the Jude Law-starring HBO drama that aired earlier this year. But this will be an entirely new miniseries, with an entirely new cast; plot details are scarce at this point, but it seems The New Pope will follow a different fictional pontiff than Law’s Pope Pius Xiii.
RelatedThe Young Pope Review: Strangely Hypnotic, And Yet...
- 5/16/2017
- TVLine.com
Update: Andrew Davies tribute, Beta, Studiocanal deals; The Halcyon, Mata Hari set the tone for market awash with high-end drama.
Mipcom got off to a glamourous start this year with world premiere screenings of Sony Pictures Television’s The Halcyon followed by Julius Berg’s Mata Hari starring Vahina Giocante, Rutger Hauer and Christopher Lambert on Sunday.
These two premieres, on the eve of Mipcom’s official opening, set the tone for a market that will be more awash than ever with high-end dramas.
In the backdrop, one of the talking points is which platforms these series will be distributed on as part of Mipcom’s overall theme of “New Television”.
Sony Corporation president and CEO Kazuo Hirai, who kicked off Mipcom’s conference programme on Monday, said content and delivery were two sides of the same coin when it came to getting viewers to pay for they were watching.
“Consumers are willing...
Mipcom got off to a glamourous start this year with world premiere screenings of Sony Pictures Television’s The Halcyon followed by Julius Berg’s Mata Hari starring Vahina Giocante, Rutger Hauer and Christopher Lambert on Sunday.
These two premieres, on the eve of Mipcom’s official opening, set the tone for a market that will be more awash than ever with high-end dramas.
In the backdrop, one of the talking points is which platforms these series will be distributed on as part of Mipcom’s overall theme of “New Television”.
Sony Corporation president and CEO Kazuo Hirai, who kicked off Mipcom’s conference programme on Monday, said content and delivery were two sides of the same coin when it came to getting viewers to pay for they were watching.
“Consumers are willing...
- 10/17/2016
- ScreenDaily
The Halcyon, Mata Hari set the tone for market awash with high-end drama.
Mipcom got off to a glamourous start this year with world premiere screenings of Sony Pictures Television’s The Halcyon followed by Julius Berg’s Mata Hari starring Vahina Giocante, Rutger Hauer and Christopher Lambert on Sunday.
These two premieres, on the eve of Mipcom’s official opening, set the tone for a market that will be more awash than ever with high-end dramas.
In the backdrop, one of the talking points is which platforms these series will be distributed on as part of Mipcom’s overall theme of “New Television”.
Sony Corporation president and CEO Kazuo Hirai, who kicked off Mipcom’s conference programme on Monday, said content and delivery were two sides of the same coin when it came to getting viewers to pay for they were watching.
“Consumers are willing to pay for content that they want and they desire when it...
Mipcom got off to a glamourous start this year with world premiere screenings of Sony Pictures Television’s The Halcyon followed by Julius Berg’s Mata Hari starring Vahina Giocante, Rutger Hauer and Christopher Lambert on Sunday.
These two premieres, on the eve of Mipcom’s official opening, set the tone for a market that will be more awash than ever with high-end dramas.
In the backdrop, one of the talking points is which platforms these series will be distributed on as part of Mipcom’s overall theme of “New Television”.
Sony Corporation president and CEO Kazuo Hirai, who kicked off Mipcom’s conference programme on Monday, said content and delivery were two sides of the same coin when it came to getting viewers to pay for they were watching.
“Consumers are willing to pay for content that they want and they desire when it...
- 10/17/2016
- ScreenDaily
Director Paolo Sorrentino talks tackling TV and The Pope in new Jude Law series.
The Young Pope marks auteur filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s first foray into TV.
The Italian director, known for cinematic feasts including Oscar-winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, will this weekend unveil the first two episodes of the anticipated, big-budget HBO-Sky-Canal Plus series on the Lido, where Venice head Alberto Barbera has reserved it the prestigious first Saturday night slot.
Jude Law stars in The Young Pope as the newly elected and unconventional Pope Pius Xiii (aka Lenny Belardo), a young man struggling under the weight of his new responsibilities and the history of becoming the first American pontiff.
The robust supporting cast includes Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara and Cécile De France. Sorrentino co-wrote the ten-episode series with a trio of decorated screenwriters: Umberto Contarello (The Great Beauty), Tony Grisoni (Southcliffe) and Stefano Rulli (Suburra). Italian outfit Wildside is main...
The Young Pope marks auteur filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s first foray into TV.
The Italian director, known for cinematic feasts including Oscar-winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, will this weekend unveil the first two episodes of the anticipated, big-budget HBO-Sky-Canal Plus series on the Lido, where Venice head Alberto Barbera has reserved it the prestigious first Saturday night slot.
Jude Law stars in The Young Pope as the newly elected and unconventional Pope Pius Xiii (aka Lenny Belardo), a young man struggling under the weight of his new responsibilities and the history of becoming the first American pontiff.
The robust supporting cast includes Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara and Cécile De France. Sorrentino co-wrote the ten-episode series with a trio of decorated screenwriters: Umberto Contarello (The Great Beauty), Tony Grisoni (Southcliffe) and Stefano Rulli (Suburra). Italian outfit Wildside is main...
- 9/2/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Director Paolo Sorrentino talks tackling TV and The Pope in new Jude Law series.
The Young Pope marks auteur filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s first foray into TV.
The Italian director, known for cinematic feasts including Oscar-winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, will this weekend unveil the first two episodes of the anticipated, big-budget HBO-Sky-Canal Plus series on the Lido, where Venice head Alberto Barbera has reserved it the prestigious first Saturday night slot.
Jude Law stars in The Young Pope as the newly elected and unconventional Pope Pius Xiii (aka Lenny Belardo), a young man struggling under the weight of his new responsibilities and the history of becoming the first American pontiff.
The robust supporting cast includes Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara and Cécile De France. Sorrentino co-wrote the eight-episode series with a trio of decorated screenwriters: Umberto Contarello (The Great Beauty), Tony Grisoni (Southcliffe) and Stefano Rulli (Suburra). Italian outfit Wildside is main...
The Young Pope marks auteur filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s first foray into TV.
The Italian director, known for cinematic feasts including Oscar-winner The Great Beauty and Il Divo, will this weekend unveil the first two episodes of the anticipated, big-budget HBO-Sky-Canal Plus series on the Lido, where Venice head Alberto Barbera has reserved it the prestigious first Saturday night slot.
Jude Law stars in The Young Pope as the newly elected and unconventional Pope Pius Xiii (aka Lenny Belardo), a young man struggling under the weight of his new responsibilities and the history of becoming the first American pontiff.
The robust supporting cast includes Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara and Cécile De France. Sorrentino co-wrote the eight-episode series with a trio of decorated screenwriters: Umberto Contarello (The Great Beauty), Tony Grisoni (Southcliffe) and Stefano Rulli (Suburra). Italian outfit Wildside is main...
- 9/2/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Oscar winner Diane Keaton has signed on to star opposite Jude Law in the eight-part upcoming series "The Young Pope" for HBO and Sky.
Law will play Pius Xiii who is a fictional American pope who becomes the most conservative leader the Catholic Church has ever seen.
Stubbornly resistant to the Vatican courtiers yet full of compassion toward the weak and poor, he faces the prospect of losing those closest to him - even his God.
Keaton will play Sister Mary, a nun from the U.S. now living in Vatican City. The project marks the first-ever TV series from Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino who will co-write all the episodes with Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli.
Source: The Live Feed...
Law will play Pius Xiii who is a fictional American pope who becomes the most conservative leader the Catholic Church has ever seen.
Stubbornly resistant to the Vatican courtiers yet full of compassion toward the weak and poor, he faces the prospect of losing those closest to him - even his God.
Keaton will play Sister Mary, a nun from the U.S. now living in Vatican City. The project marks the first-ever TV series from Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino who will co-write all the episodes with Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli.
Source: The Live Feed...
- 7/28/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Young Pope
Jude Law is set to star in Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's TV series "The Young Pope" at HBO, Sky and Canal Plus. The story deals with an imaginary conservative American pontiff who is the first Italian-American pope in history and has been recruited by a Vatican fed up with liberals. Trouble is, they're not ready for how hard-line he is.
Production on the eight-episode series is set to begin this summer with filming to take place predominantly in Italy with additional locations in the United States, Africa and Puerto Rico. Sorrentino will helm all eight episodes and penned the scripts with the help of Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli. [Source: Variety]
The Belko Experiment
John Gallagher ("The Newsroom") is set to star in Greg McLean's thriller "The Belko Experiment" at MGM Studios. James Gunn will produce and penned the script with filming to begin shortly in Bogota,...
Jude Law is set to star in Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's TV series "The Young Pope" at HBO, Sky and Canal Plus. The story deals with an imaginary conservative American pontiff who is the first Italian-American pope in history and has been recruited by a Vatican fed up with liberals. Trouble is, they're not ready for how hard-line he is.
Production on the eight-episode series is set to begin this summer with filming to take place predominantly in Italy with additional locations in the United States, Africa and Puerto Rico. Sorrentino will helm all eight episodes and penned the scripts with the help of Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli. [Source: Variety]
The Belko Experiment
John Gallagher ("The Newsroom") is set to star in Greg McLean's thriller "The Belko Experiment" at MGM Studios. James Gunn will produce and penned the script with filming to begin shortly in Bogota,...
- 5/19/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
It’s official: Jude Law will become the latest A-lister to head to the small screen, with news that he’s signed on to topline Paolo Sorrentino’s first-ever television series The Young Pope. Confirmation of Law’s involvement coincides with HBO picking up the show for broadcast in the U.S.
Law will portray a fictional American pope named Lenny Belardo who, upon being selected as the next leader of the Catholic Church, reveals himself to be the most conservative one in the history of the faith. Even the Vatican’s most prominent figures are not prepared for many of the hard-line policies Belardo sets out to implement. The series will take place in both the U.S. and the Vatican. Its timing is intriguing, given that the real-life Pope Francis is widely considered to be one of the most modern and liberal leaders the Church has had in many years.
Law will portray a fictional American pope named Lenny Belardo who, upon being selected as the next leader of the Catholic Church, reveals himself to be the most conservative one in the history of the faith. Even the Vatican’s most prominent figures are not prepared for many of the hard-line policies Belardo sets out to implement. The series will take place in both the U.S. and the Vatican. Its timing is intriguing, given that the real-life Pope Francis is widely considered to be one of the most modern and liberal leaders the Church has had in many years.
- 5/18/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Italian media went pazzo over the weekend with rumors that Jude Law was being lined up as a fictional Italo-American pontiff in Paolo Sorrentino’s upcoming mini The Young Pope. A source confirms the British actor is in negotiations for the titular part, but says it’s early days. The Young Pope is an eight-episode series to be written by the Oscar-winning Great Beauty helmer along with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli for Sky Italia. Italy’s Wildside is producing. The…...
- 3/9/2015
- Deadline TV
Me and You doesn’t feel like a typical Bernardo Bertolucci film. While some of the themes of his non-epic character dramas is there, what isn’t there are the beautiful vistas, bright colours, and enchantingly foreign (for us North Americans) locales. Frankly, Me and You feels more like something from Wes Anderson. It’s a movie about an introspective loner type who tries to create his own oasis away from the insanity of everyday life in a grimy basement, surrounded by dust, dirt and discarded artefacts of his mother’s home. Thinking more about it, there may only be three things that separate this from an Anderson film: it’s in Italian, it’s got some darker tones, and it lacks the elaborate mise-en-scène that Anderson’s basement hideaway surely would have had.
Bertolucci, of course, is a little more grounded than Anderson. His “hero,” Lorenzo (Jacopo Olmo Antinori...
Bertolucci, of course, is a little more grounded than Anderson. His “hero,” Lorenzo (Jacopo Olmo Antinori...
- 6/27/2014
- by Adam A. Donaldson
- We Got This Covered
Three acclaimed foreign-born filmmakers are headed to the small screen for several ambitious TV series.
"The Deep" and "Contraband" filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur, currently shooting the high-profile "Everest," will direct and produce the ten-part crime drama series "Trapped" for Rvk Studios.
Sigurjon Kjartansson and Clive Bradley are penning the series about the investigation of an unidentified corpse found at the bottom of a fjord after an International ferry arrives in a small town. When a blizzard strikes, the only road in and out become impassable.
Next up, Oscar-winning "The Great Beauty" director Paolo Sorrentino is set to write and direct his first TV series "The Young Pope" for Sky Italia and Wildside. Sorrentino will helm all eight episodes and co-write them with Stefano Rulli and Umberto Contarello.
The story revolves around the figure of a fictional pontiff: the first Italian-American pope in history. The story is set in modern times and unfolds between the Vatican City,...
"The Deep" and "Contraband" filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur, currently shooting the high-profile "Everest," will direct and produce the ten-part crime drama series "Trapped" for Rvk Studios.
Sigurjon Kjartansson and Clive Bradley are penning the series about the investigation of an unidentified corpse found at the bottom of a fjord after an International ferry arrives in a small town. When a blizzard strikes, the only road in and out become impassable.
Next up, Oscar-winning "The Great Beauty" director Paolo Sorrentino is set to write and direct his first TV series "The Young Pope" for Sky Italia and Wildside. Sorrentino will helm all eight episodes and co-write them with Stefano Rulli and Umberto Contarello.
The story revolves around the figure of a fictional pontiff: the first Italian-American pope in history. The story is set in modern times and unfolds between the Vatican City,...
- 4/9/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Oscar-winning director of The Great Beauty signs deal with Sky Italia and Wildside.
Sky Italia and Italian production compnay Wildside have secured a deal with Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, who will write and direct his first TV series - The Young Pope (working title).
The 8 x 50-minute series will be written by Sorrentino in collaboration withStefano Rulli and Umberto Contarello.
The series will be entirely directed by Sorrentino and promises an international cast.
The Young Pope revolves around the figure of a fictional pontiff: the first Italian-American pope in history. The story is set in modern times and unfolds between the Vatican City, Italy, Us and Africa.
Produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani’s Wildside, The Young Pope will be a Us co-production and will feature John Lyons as executive producer.
“Sorrentino is the first world-class Italian filmmaker who did not only decide to write and shoot a TV series for the world market, but to...
Sky Italia and Italian production compnay Wildside have secured a deal with Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, who will write and direct his first TV series - The Young Pope (working title).
The 8 x 50-minute series will be written by Sorrentino in collaboration withStefano Rulli and Umberto Contarello.
The series will be entirely directed by Sorrentino and promises an international cast.
The Young Pope revolves around the figure of a fictional pontiff: the first Italian-American pope in history. The story is set in modern times and unfolds between the Vatican City, Italy, Us and Africa.
Produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani’s Wildside, The Young Pope will be a Us co-production and will feature John Lyons as executive producer.
“Sorrentino is the first world-class Italian filmmaker who did not only decide to write and shoot a TV series for the world market, but to...
- 4/9/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
In Paolo Sorrentino’s lavishly received Italian crime potboiler Il Divo, the stage is set with a world building montage that places us in a blood-bathed Rome ruled by politically backed hit men, and finally settles in, dollies up, and asks it’s leading man, Toni Servillo giving his best dead-eyed Giulio Andreotti impression, to stare straight into the camera and speak directly on how others seem to perceive him. Bizarrely, The Great Beauty begins almost the exact same way, but this version of Rome is not one of physical violence and political intimidation, but one solely focused on aristocratic appearances and the reciprocation of surface relationships.
Servillo, this time living in the skin of a facetiously jaded, secretly sulking part-time journalist and eternal socialite named Jep Gambardella, is found standing in the midst of his own lavish 65th birthday party, once again staring into the camera, memories of what...
Servillo, this time living in the skin of a facetiously jaded, secretly sulking part-time journalist and eternal socialite named Jep Gambardella, is found standing in the midst of his own lavish 65th birthday party, once again staring into the camera, memories of what...
- 3/25/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
We love to go on and on when the Academy gets it wrong, especially in the notoriously flawed Documentary and Foreign Language categories. And so we should give them a pat on the back when they get it right. Yes, “Blue is the Warmest Color” deserved more attention but my vote still would have gone to Paolo Sorrentino’s masterful “The Great Beauty,” released today on Blu-ray and DVD from The Criterion Collection. It’s one of the best films of the last several years; a mesmerizing ode to the diversionary quality of excess. Don’t miss it.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Sorrentino opens his film with three long, complementary sequences: A man drops dead while on a tour group visit through a site of former Roman excess; dozens of beautiful, rich people dance the night away at a rooftop party; the city wakes up as a convent comes to life and locals walk their dogs.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Sorrentino opens his film with three long, complementary sequences: A man drops dead while on a tour group visit through a site of former Roman excess; dozens of beautiful, rich people dance the night away at a rooftop party; the city wakes up as a convent comes to life and locals walk their dogs.
- 3/25/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), Italy’s Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Inspirational and awe-inspiring are the words that come to mind first when I think about the great movie just out of Italy, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) from acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino ( Il Divo, The Consequences of Love, This Must be the Place) with a screenplay by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
I could watch this film over and over again and still be inspired by the beauty of Rome and the depth of its flaneur, the hero of this film, journalist Jep Gambardella as played by the incomparable Toni Servillo (Gomorrah, Il Divo). In fact, after interviewing Paolo Sorrentino recently at the Chateau Marmont, I feel compelled to watch it again in order to understand the ending’s reference to what might have been the subject of the original and only book Jeb ever wrote which was perhaps (according to Paolo) “about the love he had for the girl -- and you can see that at the end of the movie”.
During my interview, I tried not to discuss how the film carries echoes of the classic works of Federico Fellini as Sorrentino had already gone on record stating that, “Roma and La Dolce Vita are works that you cannot pretend to ignore when you take on a film like the one I wanted to make. They are two masterpieces and the golden rule is that masterpieces should be watched but not imitated. I tried to stick to that. But it’s also true that masterpieces transform the way we feel and perceive things.”
A dazzling tour through modern day Rome through the eyes of Jep Gambardella gives us feelings for grandeur whose beauty can lead to death, to dangerous adventures leading nowhere and to a certain level of sadness. When his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
The stripper daughter of his old friend and nightclub owner represents a simpler normality as does his housekeeper. Both are touchstones to a reality he has abandoned since becoming a permanent fixture in Rome’s literary and social circles after the legendary success of his one and only novel. Armed with a roguish charm, he has seduced his way through the city's lavish night life for decades.
As an interviewer for popular press, his curiosity about everything is satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time. He finds his yearning for simplicity is sparked when he rather cynically interviews a saintly nun and more importantly, he finds the seed for his next book in the simple, normal lives of ordinary people and in the fragility of those snobbish, superficial, gossiping “friends” with whom he has spent too much time weaving a uselessly complicated life of nothingness, living in a world which makes no sense.
There are many literary references in the film – Flaubert who wanted to write a book about nothing, Proust whose masterpiece “capitalizes on his own biography”, Celine whose opening line to his novel Journey to the End of the Night is also the film’s opening line.
This quote from Celine is a declaration of intent that I followed in turn in the film. It comes down to saying: there’s reality, but everything is invented too. Invention is necessary in cinema, just to attain the truth.
What is it about the Flaubert references?
Flaubert said he wanted to write a book about nothing. This gave him the right to write about the frivolous, gossip, nothing and it acquired a literary standing. Nothingness becomes life. It takes on a life of its own and life’s nothingness is its beauty.
Jeb is living it among awkward, weak people, even hateful people. This is life and all of it belongs to The Great Beauty. The immediacy of the beauty of Rome is obvious, but the subterranean part – like these horrible people around him, you realize they are are also so vulnerable and fragile and that gives them and him the redeeming grace of beauty. The communist writer is emblematic.
Are you an intellectual?
I don’t like to think that I am. I do read a lot. I read more than I watch movies.
What do you do in your free time?
I hibernate. I hibernate until the next project takes shape in my mind. I watch a lot of football. And I tend to my family. I have two children aged 10 and 16 who keep me very busy.
Do you find that the Italian character is theatrical?
In my hometown (Naples), the people are extraordinarily theatrical. Orson Welles himself, on seeing Neapolitan actor Eduardo de Felipo said that he was the greatest actor in the world.
Whatever you say about it, Italy has an extraordinary pool of actors of every sort. They are all very different, from many different backgrounds, but all with often under-exploited potential, all just waiting to find good characters.
Tony Servillo is also from Naples, like I am. He is an actor I can ask anything of, because he is capable of doing absolutely everything. I can now move forward with him with my eyes closed, not only as far as work goes, but also in terms of our friendship, a friendship which over time becomes more joyful, lighter yet deeper at the same time.
Tony Servillo is quoted as saying about Sorrentino:
We have something in common which we both cultivate, and that’s a taste for mystery. That has something to do with esteem, with a sense of irony and self-mockery, with certain similar sources of melancholy, and certain subjects or themes of reflection. These affinities are renewed each time we meet, as if it were the first time, without there being any need for a closer relationship between one film and the next. We meet and it’s as if we’ve never been apart. And that means there’s a deep friendship between us, and that’s what so great.
Thank you Paolo for this interview. I wish you all the luck in winning not only the Nomination but also the prize of the Academy Award.
I also want to draw the reader’s attention to the fabulous photography of cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and the music of Lele Marchitel, who juxtaposes original music with repertory music of sacred and profane, pop music reflecting the city itself and to the extraordinary pool of actors, Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi and Galatea Ranzi, Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka and Isabella Ferrari.
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called this visually spectacular film “an outlandishly entertaining hallucination”, and according to Variety’s Jay Weissberg it’s an “astonishing cinematic feast”.
This rapturous highlight of this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it played in Competition was acquired for U.S. by Janus Films who will release it theatrically in N.Y. on November 15, L.A. on November 22, expanding to other cities on November 29, with a home video release from the Criterion Collection.
“We were swept away by this gorgeous, moving film at Cannes”, said Peter Becker, president of the Criterion Collection and a partner in Janus Films. “Sorrentino is one of the most exciting directors working today, and Toni Servillo gives another majestic, multilayered performance.”
The deal to distribute Sorrentino’s film in the U.S. was struck with international distributor Pathé. “Janus has over the years become a valued partner in the promotion of Pathé’s heritage in the U.S. through its releases of our library titles, and we are, of course, thrilled to once again partner up with this company for the release of this film which represents the finest of Italian cinema today and at the same time pays a respectful homage to its nation’s cinematic past”, said Muriel Sauzay, Evp, International Sales.
For more information on the film visit Here
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) also screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was recently award the European Film Academy award for its editing by Cristiano Travaglioli. Since its Cannes debut, it has sold to Australia - Palace Films , Austria - Filmladen , Benelux - Abc - Cinemien , Brazil - Mares Filmes Ltda. , Canada - Mongrel Media, Métropole Films Distribution , Czech Republic - Film Europe, Denmark - Camera Film A/S , Estonia -Must Käsi, France - Canal + , Germany - Dcm , Greece - Feelgood Entertainment, Hong Kong (China) - Edko Films Ltd , Israel - United King Films, Italy - Medusa Distribuzione, Norway - As Fidalgo Film Distribution , Portugal - Lusomundo, Russia - A-One Films , Slovak Republic - Film Europe (Sk) , Switzerland - Pathe Films Ag , United Kingdom - Curzon Film World...
Inspirational and awe-inspiring are the words that come to mind first when I think about the great movie just out of Italy, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) from acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino ( Il Divo, The Consequences of Love, This Must be the Place) with a screenplay by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
I could watch this film over and over again and still be inspired by the beauty of Rome and the depth of its flaneur, the hero of this film, journalist Jep Gambardella as played by the incomparable Toni Servillo (Gomorrah, Il Divo). In fact, after interviewing Paolo Sorrentino recently at the Chateau Marmont, I feel compelled to watch it again in order to understand the ending’s reference to what might have been the subject of the original and only book Jeb ever wrote which was perhaps (according to Paolo) “about the love he had for the girl -- and you can see that at the end of the movie”.
During my interview, I tried not to discuss how the film carries echoes of the classic works of Federico Fellini as Sorrentino had already gone on record stating that, “Roma and La Dolce Vita are works that you cannot pretend to ignore when you take on a film like the one I wanted to make. They are two masterpieces and the golden rule is that masterpieces should be watched but not imitated. I tried to stick to that. But it’s also true that masterpieces transform the way we feel and perceive things.”
A dazzling tour through modern day Rome through the eyes of Jep Gambardella gives us feelings for grandeur whose beauty can lead to death, to dangerous adventures leading nowhere and to a certain level of sadness. When his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
The stripper daughter of his old friend and nightclub owner represents a simpler normality as does his housekeeper. Both are touchstones to a reality he has abandoned since becoming a permanent fixture in Rome’s literary and social circles after the legendary success of his one and only novel. Armed with a roguish charm, he has seduced his way through the city's lavish night life for decades.
As an interviewer for popular press, his curiosity about everything is satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time. He finds his yearning for simplicity is sparked when he rather cynically interviews a saintly nun and more importantly, he finds the seed for his next book in the simple, normal lives of ordinary people and in the fragility of those snobbish, superficial, gossiping “friends” with whom he has spent too much time weaving a uselessly complicated life of nothingness, living in a world which makes no sense.
There are many literary references in the film – Flaubert who wanted to write a book about nothing, Proust whose masterpiece “capitalizes on his own biography”, Celine whose opening line to his novel Journey to the End of the Night is also the film’s opening line.
This quote from Celine is a declaration of intent that I followed in turn in the film. It comes down to saying: there’s reality, but everything is invented too. Invention is necessary in cinema, just to attain the truth.
What is it about the Flaubert references?
Flaubert said he wanted to write a book about nothing. This gave him the right to write about the frivolous, gossip, nothing and it acquired a literary standing. Nothingness becomes life. It takes on a life of its own and life’s nothingness is its beauty.
Jeb is living it among awkward, weak people, even hateful people. This is life and all of it belongs to The Great Beauty. The immediacy of the beauty of Rome is obvious, but the subterranean part – like these horrible people around him, you realize they are are also so vulnerable and fragile and that gives them and him the redeeming grace of beauty. The communist writer is emblematic.
Are you an intellectual?
I don’t like to think that I am. I do read a lot. I read more than I watch movies.
What do you do in your free time?
I hibernate. I hibernate until the next project takes shape in my mind. I watch a lot of football. And I tend to my family. I have two children aged 10 and 16 who keep me very busy.
Do you find that the Italian character is theatrical?
In my hometown (Naples), the people are extraordinarily theatrical. Orson Welles himself, on seeing Neapolitan actor Eduardo de Felipo said that he was the greatest actor in the world.
Whatever you say about it, Italy has an extraordinary pool of actors of every sort. They are all very different, from many different backgrounds, but all with often under-exploited potential, all just waiting to find good characters.
Tony Servillo is also from Naples, like I am. He is an actor I can ask anything of, because he is capable of doing absolutely everything. I can now move forward with him with my eyes closed, not only as far as work goes, but also in terms of our friendship, a friendship which over time becomes more joyful, lighter yet deeper at the same time.
Tony Servillo is quoted as saying about Sorrentino:
We have something in common which we both cultivate, and that’s a taste for mystery. That has something to do with esteem, with a sense of irony and self-mockery, with certain similar sources of melancholy, and certain subjects or themes of reflection. These affinities are renewed each time we meet, as if it were the first time, without there being any need for a closer relationship between one film and the next. We meet and it’s as if we’ve never been apart. And that means there’s a deep friendship between us, and that’s what so great.
Thank you Paolo for this interview. I wish you all the luck in winning not only the Nomination but also the prize of the Academy Award.
I also want to draw the reader’s attention to the fabulous photography of cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and the music of Lele Marchitel, who juxtaposes original music with repertory music of sacred and profane, pop music reflecting the city itself and to the extraordinary pool of actors, Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi and Galatea Ranzi, Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka and Isabella Ferrari.
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called this visually spectacular film “an outlandishly entertaining hallucination”, and according to Variety’s Jay Weissberg it’s an “astonishing cinematic feast”.
This rapturous highlight of this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it played in Competition was acquired for U.S. by Janus Films who will release it theatrically in N.Y. on November 15, L.A. on November 22, expanding to other cities on November 29, with a home video release from the Criterion Collection.
“We were swept away by this gorgeous, moving film at Cannes”, said Peter Becker, president of the Criterion Collection and a partner in Janus Films. “Sorrentino is one of the most exciting directors working today, and Toni Servillo gives another majestic, multilayered performance.”
The deal to distribute Sorrentino’s film in the U.S. was struck with international distributor Pathé. “Janus has over the years become a valued partner in the promotion of Pathé’s heritage in the U.S. through its releases of our library titles, and we are, of course, thrilled to once again partner up with this company for the release of this film which represents the finest of Italian cinema today and at the same time pays a respectful homage to its nation’s cinematic past”, said Muriel Sauzay, Evp, International Sales.
For more information on the film visit Here
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) also screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was recently award the European Film Academy award for its editing by Cristiano Travaglioli. Since its Cannes debut, it has sold to Australia - Palace Films , Austria - Filmladen , Benelux - Abc - Cinemien , Brazil - Mares Filmes Ltda. , Canada - Mongrel Media, Métropole Films Distribution , Czech Republic - Film Europe, Denmark - Camera Film A/S , Estonia -Must Käsi, France - Canal + , Germany - Dcm , Greece - Feelgood Entertainment, Hong Kong (China) - Edko Films Ltd , Israel - United King Films, Italy - Medusa Distribuzione, Norway - As Fidalgo Film Distribution , Portugal - Lusomundo, Russia - A-One Films , Slovak Republic - Film Europe (Sk) , Switzerland - Pathe Films Ag , United Kingdom - Curzon Film World...
- 3/3/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grande Bellezza” (The Great Beauty) (2013)
Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty has two small yet important facets in common with Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. Both films begin with a profound quote that provides a key to the viewer for a full understanding of the film that follows. Both films use the music of “Dies Irae” (Requiem for my Friend, which includes Lacrimosa 2) by Zbigniew Preisner (the talented composer of Kieslowski’s Dekalog and The Three Colors trilogy) and Henryk Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony.
Just as Mallick used an interesting quote from the Book of Job, the opening quote for The Great Beauty is from Sorrentino’s favorite author Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s Journey to the End of the Night.
The quote is “To travel is very useful, it makes the imagination work, the rest is just delusion and pain. Our journey is entirely imaginary,...
Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty has two small yet important facets in common with Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. Both films begin with a profound quote that provides a key to the viewer for a full understanding of the film that follows. Both films use the music of “Dies Irae” (Requiem for my Friend, which includes Lacrimosa 2) by Zbigniew Preisner (the talented composer of Kieslowski’s Dekalog and The Three Colors trilogy) and Henryk Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony.
Just as Mallick used an interesting quote from the Book of Job, the opening quote for The Great Beauty is from Sorrentino’s favorite author Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s Journey to the End of the Night.
The quote is “To travel is very useful, it makes the imagination work, the rest is just delusion and pain. Our journey is entirely imaginary,...
- 2/24/2014
- by Jugu Abraham
- DearCinema.com
Emerging Pictures recently announced “Cinema Made In Italy,” a major new initiative between Istituto Luce- Cinecittà, the Italian Trade Commission and Emerging Pictures that will pro-vide distribution and marketing support to five major Italian films with the goal of broadening the audience for Italian cinema in the United States. Emerging will oversee the initiative and distribute Gianni Amelio’s L’Intrepido, Marco Bellocchio’s Dormant Beauty, Bernardo Bertolucci’s Me And You and Valeria Golino’s Honey in 2014.
These four recent Italian works will receive marketing and distribution support from a fund created by Istituto Luce- Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission. The first film in the series was Paolo Sorrentino’s masterful Academy Award nominated The Great Beauty. Since it was released by Janus Films with support from the Cinema Made In Italy program, it has become one of the most acclaimed foreign language films of the year. It also won the Golden Globe, European Film Award and is nominated for the BAFTA and Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film.
All five films will receive a nationwide release. Theaters will be announced shortly. Each of the films will have a full marketing and publicity campaign overseen by Emerging Pictures and supported by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission.
Ira Deutchman, Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, said, “Italian cine- ma has always captured the imagination of American audiences since the hey-day of Fellini, Pasolini, Visconti, De Sica and Rossellini. Our goal is to create a marketing and distribution initiative that will allow new Italian films to regularly enter the marketplace with a presence and to help create an ongoing new audience. We’re thrilled to be working with Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission to create this truly groundbreaking program.”
“Luce Cinecitta' is proud to test this new way to promote Italian cinema abroad,” said Istituto Luce-Cinecitta’ Chief Executive Officer Roberto Cicut- to. “Thanks to the funds provided by the Ministry of Economic Development and The Italian Trade Commission (Agenzia Ice) in addition to those provid- ed by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with Emerging Pictures, we will be able to give the largest theatrical distribution to recent Italian titles direct- ed by very prestigious auteurs. Italian cinema is well known worldwide for its glorious past and for such great contemporary directors as Bertolucci, Bellocchio, Moretti, Sorrentino, Garrone, Amelio and others. This new platform will give our movies the chance to be seen in a wide array of theaters throughout the U.S., and not just in specialized art houses in a few big cities. The recent outstanding success of Sorrentino's ‘Great Beauty,’ a Janus release, with our support, shows there is great potential here for Italian cinema. We look for- ward to increasing the availability of Italian films to our American friends.”
Dr. Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Commission, said, "We have been working in the past two years with all the institutions mentioned by Roberto with two main goals: to get the Italian movie industry as the most important made-in-Italy tool for the commercial promotion of our country in the U.S., to try to reach the widest possible audience for viewing Italian movies. The support of different public institutions was central to building a project that was from the outset commercial: the movie industry is quintessentially important to promoting wine, food, fashion, design, technology, tourism and Italian style, together with the expression of our cultural values, trends and innovations. Italian cinema provides a single, comprehensive tool for achieving that meaningful goal. With ‘The Great Beauty,’ our first film, Cinema Made in Italy makes its debut in 25 cities, in more than 100 theaters in 15 states. This far-reaching exposure is exactly what we were searching for in our partnership with Emerging Pictures, and we are very happy that this first film in our Italian movie series is already appearing throughout the United States.”
About Emerging Pictures
Emerging Pictures, managed by Barry Rebo and Ira Deutchman, is the pre- mier all-digital Specialty Film and Alternative Content network of theaters in the United States. The company delivers independent films, cultural pro- grams and special events to a network of approximately 400 North American venues encompassing traditional art houses, museums and performing arts centers as well as commercial multiplexes including Allen Theatres, Angelika/ Reading Theatres, Big Cinemas, Bow Tie Cinemas, Marcus Theatres, Carmike Cinemas, Digiplex Destination Cinemas, Harkins Theatres, Laemmle Theaters, Muvico Theaters, Regency Theatres and others. The company also distributes live and captured live performances worldwide of the Bolshoi Ballet and some of the world’s foremost opera houses, including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, under its Ballet in Cinema and Opera in Cinema brands.
About Istituto Luce-Cinecitta
Istituto Luce - Cinecittà (www.cinecittaluce.it) is the state-owned company whose main shareholder is the Italian Ministry for Culture. Istituto Luce - Cinecittà’s institutional work includes promoting Italian cinema both at home and abroad by means of projects dedicated to the great directors of the past and their classic films, as well contemporary ones. During the main In- ternational Film Festivals Istituto Luce - Cinecittà prepares multifunctional spaces that help to the promotion of our cinematography and it is the refer- ence place for all Italian and foreign operators Istituto Luce - Cinecittà holds one of the most important film and photographic archive both of its own pro- ductions, and private collections and acquisitions from a variety of sources. Istituto Luce - Cinecittà also distributes films made by Italian and European directors and guarantees they are given an adequate release on the national market. The team for the promotion of contemporary cinema continues to col- laborate with all of the major film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Shanghai, Tokyo, Locarno, New York , London, etc, by orga- nizing the national selections, the presence of Italian films and artists in the various festivals, and providing an expository and promotional space within all the major International film markets. We are also involved with the orga- nization of numerous events which take place in countries with strong com- mercial potential such as : The Italian cinema festival in Tokyo, Open Roads – New Italian cinema in New York, Cinema Italian Style in Los Angeles, The Festival of Italian cinema of Barcelona and The Mittelcinemafest. Istituto
Luce - Cinecittà also owns a film library, Cineteca, which contains around 3000 titles of the most significant Italian film productions, subtitled in foreign languages, which serve in promoting Italian culture at major national and in- ternational Institutes around the world. Istituto Luce - Cinecittà is also re- sponsible for editing a daily news magazine on-line: CinecittàNews (news.cinecitta.com) which delivers the latest breaking news on the principal activities involving Italian cinema as well as its developing legislative and in- stitutional aspects.
About The Italian Trade Commission The Ice-Italian Trade Promotion Agency is the government organization which promotes the internationalization of the Italian companies, in line with the strategies of the Ministry for Economic Development. Ice provides in- formation, support and advice to Italian and foreign companies. In addition to its Rome headquarters, Ice operates worldwide from a large network of Trade Promotion Offices linked to Italian embassies and consulates and work- ing closely with local authorities and businesses. Ice provides a wide range of services overseas helping Italian and foreign businesses to connect with each other
About The Films
Dormant Beauty (Bella Addormentata)
Release Date: Tbc Director: Marco Bellocchio Producer: Riccardo Tozzi, Fabio Conversi, Marco Chimenz, Giovanni Sta- bilini
Screenplay: Marco Bellocchio, Veronica Raimo, Stefano Rulli Cast: Toni Servillo, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Rohrwacher Festivals: Venice 2012, Toronto 2012
Three stories, taking place over the course of a few days, involving a con- science-stricken politician, an obsessive mother and two young protestors on different sides, are skillfully interwoven in this gripping, beautifully realized film. Set against the background of the emotional and controversial real-life 2008 euthanasia case of Eluana Englaro, Dormant Beauty is a subtle and complex depiction of recent Italian history.
The Great Beauty
(released by Janus Films) - In Release Director: Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo) Producer: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello Cast: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferrili, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi with Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka, and with Isabella Ferrari Festivals: Cannes (Competition) 2013, Toronto 2013, AFI 2013, Italy’s Official Entry to the 2014 Academy Awards Awards: 4 European Film Award nominations (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and winner for Best Editing), Best Foreign Film nominee for British In- dependent Film Awards
Journalist Jep Gambardella (the dazzling Toni Servillo, Il Divo and Go- Morrah) has charmed and seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades. Since the legendary success of his one and only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city's literary and social circles, but when his sixty-fifth birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Honey (Miele)
Release Date: March 7, 2014 Director: Valeria Golino Producer: Viola Prestieri, Riccardo Scamarcio, Anne-Dominique Toussaint, Raphael Berdugo Screenplay: Valeria Golino, Valia Santella, Francesca Marciano, from the novel by Angela Del Fabbro with the same title Cast: Jasmine Trinca, Carlo Cecchi, Libero De Rienzo, Vinicio Marchioni, Iaia Forte, Roberto De Francesco, Barbara Ronchi, Claudio Guain, Teresa Acerbis, Valeria Bilello, Massimiliano Iacolucci Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard) 2013, Toronto 2013 Prizes: Winner Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes 2013 Nominated for European Discovery at the European Film Awards 2013
Actress Valeria Golino makes her directing debut with Honey. Irene lives alone on the coastline outside Rome. To her father and her married lover, she’s a student. In reality, she often travels to Mexico where she can legally buy a powerful barbiturate. Working under the name of Miele ("Honey"), her clandestine job is to help terminally-ill people to die with dignity by giving them the drug. One day she supplies a new “client” with a fatal dose, only to find out he’s perfectly healthy but tired of life. Irene is determined not to be responsible for his suicide. From this point on, Irene and Grimaldi are unwill- ingly locked in an intense and moving relationship which will change Irene’s life forever.
L’Intrepido
Release Date - To Be Confirmed Director: Gianni Amelio Producer: Carlo Degli Esposti Screenplay: Gianni Amelio, Davide Lantieri Cast: Antonio Albanese, Sandra Ceccarelli, Livia Rossi, Gabriele Rendina, Alfonso Santagata
Festivals: Venice 2013, Toronto 2013
Set in modern day Milan, this is a Chaplinesque odyssey through the world of work – every type of work, but primarily unskilled manual labor – seen through the eyes of a kind, middle-aged man who takes on every conceivable temporary job in order to be useful and have self respect. This really is a por- trait of the highs and lows of modern life. At its heart is a sympathetic man (Antonio Albanese) who, despite loneliness and personal family problems, es- pecially around his gifted but troubled musician son, remains defiantly opti- mistic even when terrible things happen to him and the people he meets.
Me And You (Io E Te)
Release Date: To Be Confirmed
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci Screenplay: Bernardo Bertolucci, Niccolo Ammaniti, Umberto Contarello Producer: Mario Gianani Cast: Tea Falco, Jacopo Olmo Antinori Festivals: Cannes, Toronto
Lorenzo, a solitary 14-year-old with difficulties relating to his daily life and the world around him, chooses to spend a week hidden in the basement of his house. But Lorenzo’s fragile and rebellious stepsister, Olivia, appears at her brother’s place of refuge and disturbs the quiet.
These four recent Italian works will receive marketing and distribution support from a fund created by Istituto Luce- Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission. The first film in the series was Paolo Sorrentino’s masterful Academy Award nominated The Great Beauty. Since it was released by Janus Films with support from the Cinema Made In Italy program, it has become one of the most acclaimed foreign language films of the year. It also won the Golden Globe, European Film Award and is nominated for the BAFTA and Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film.
All five films will receive a nationwide release. Theaters will be announced shortly. Each of the films will have a full marketing and publicity campaign overseen by Emerging Pictures and supported by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission.
Ira Deutchman, Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, said, “Italian cine- ma has always captured the imagination of American audiences since the hey-day of Fellini, Pasolini, Visconti, De Sica and Rossellini. Our goal is to create a marketing and distribution initiative that will allow new Italian films to regularly enter the marketplace with a presence and to help create an ongoing new audience. We’re thrilled to be working with Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission to create this truly groundbreaking program.”
“Luce Cinecitta' is proud to test this new way to promote Italian cinema abroad,” said Istituto Luce-Cinecitta’ Chief Executive Officer Roberto Cicut- to. “Thanks to the funds provided by the Ministry of Economic Development and The Italian Trade Commission (Agenzia Ice) in addition to those provid- ed by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with Emerging Pictures, we will be able to give the largest theatrical distribution to recent Italian titles direct- ed by very prestigious auteurs. Italian cinema is well known worldwide for its glorious past and for such great contemporary directors as Bertolucci, Bellocchio, Moretti, Sorrentino, Garrone, Amelio and others. This new platform will give our movies the chance to be seen in a wide array of theaters throughout the U.S., and not just in specialized art houses in a few big cities. The recent outstanding success of Sorrentino's ‘Great Beauty,’ a Janus release, with our support, shows there is great potential here for Italian cinema. We look for- ward to increasing the availability of Italian films to our American friends.”
Dr. Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Commission, said, "We have been working in the past two years with all the institutions mentioned by Roberto with two main goals: to get the Italian movie industry as the most important made-in-Italy tool for the commercial promotion of our country in the U.S., to try to reach the widest possible audience for viewing Italian movies. The support of different public institutions was central to building a project that was from the outset commercial: the movie industry is quintessentially important to promoting wine, food, fashion, design, technology, tourism and Italian style, together with the expression of our cultural values, trends and innovations. Italian cinema provides a single, comprehensive tool for achieving that meaningful goal. With ‘The Great Beauty,’ our first film, Cinema Made in Italy makes its debut in 25 cities, in more than 100 theaters in 15 states. This far-reaching exposure is exactly what we were searching for in our partnership with Emerging Pictures, and we are very happy that this first film in our Italian movie series is already appearing throughout the United States.”
About Emerging Pictures
Emerging Pictures, managed by Barry Rebo and Ira Deutchman, is the pre- mier all-digital Specialty Film and Alternative Content network of theaters in the United States. The company delivers independent films, cultural pro- grams and special events to a network of approximately 400 North American venues encompassing traditional art houses, museums and performing arts centers as well as commercial multiplexes including Allen Theatres, Angelika/ Reading Theatres, Big Cinemas, Bow Tie Cinemas, Marcus Theatres, Carmike Cinemas, Digiplex Destination Cinemas, Harkins Theatres, Laemmle Theaters, Muvico Theaters, Regency Theatres and others. The company also distributes live and captured live performances worldwide of the Bolshoi Ballet and some of the world’s foremost opera houses, including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, under its Ballet in Cinema and Opera in Cinema brands.
About Istituto Luce-Cinecitta
Istituto Luce - Cinecittà (www.cinecittaluce.it) is the state-owned company whose main shareholder is the Italian Ministry for Culture. Istituto Luce - Cinecittà’s institutional work includes promoting Italian cinema both at home and abroad by means of projects dedicated to the great directors of the past and their classic films, as well contemporary ones. During the main In- ternational Film Festivals Istituto Luce - Cinecittà prepares multifunctional spaces that help to the promotion of our cinematography and it is the refer- ence place for all Italian and foreign operators Istituto Luce - Cinecittà holds one of the most important film and photographic archive both of its own pro- ductions, and private collections and acquisitions from a variety of sources. Istituto Luce - Cinecittà also distributes films made by Italian and European directors and guarantees they are given an adequate release on the national market. The team for the promotion of contemporary cinema continues to col- laborate with all of the major film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Shanghai, Tokyo, Locarno, New York , London, etc, by orga- nizing the national selections, the presence of Italian films and artists in the various festivals, and providing an expository and promotional space within all the major International film markets. We are also involved with the orga- nization of numerous events which take place in countries with strong com- mercial potential such as : The Italian cinema festival in Tokyo, Open Roads – New Italian cinema in New York, Cinema Italian Style in Los Angeles, The Festival of Italian cinema of Barcelona and The Mittelcinemafest. Istituto
Luce - Cinecittà also owns a film library, Cineteca, which contains around 3000 titles of the most significant Italian film productions, subtitled in foreign languages, which serve in promoting Italian culture at major national and in- ternational Institutes around the world. Istituto Luce - Cinecittà is also re- sponsible for editing a daily news magazine on-line: CinecittàNews (news.cinecitta.com) which delivers the latest breaking news on the principal activities involving Italian cinema as well as its developing legislative and in- stitutional aspects.
About The Italian Trade Commission The Ice-Italian Trade Promotion Agency is the government organization which promotes the internationalization of the Italian companies, in line with the strategies of the Ministry for Economic Development. Ice provides in- formation, support and advice to Italian and foreign companies. In addition to its Rome headquarters, Ice operates worldwide from a large network of Trade Promotion Offices linked to Italian embassies and consulates and work- ing closely with local authorities and businesses. Ice provides a wide range of services overseas helping Italian and foreign businesses to connect with each other
About The Films
Dormant Beauty (Bella Addormentata)
Release Date: Tbc Director: Marco Bellocchio Producer: Riccardo Tozzi, Fabio Conversi, Marco Chimenz, Giovanni Sta- bilini
Screenplay: Marco Bellocchio, Veronica Raimo, Stefano Rulli Cast: Toni Servillo, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Rohrwacher Festivals: Venice 2012, Toronto 2012
Three stories, taking place over the course of a few days, involving a con- science-stricken politician, an obsessive mother and two young protestors on different sides, are skillfully interwoven in this gripping, beautifully realized film. Set against the background of the emotional and controversial real-life 2008 euthanasia case of Eluana Englaro, Dormant Beauty is a subtle and complex depiction of recent Italian history.
The Great Beauty
(released by Janus Films) - In Release Director: Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo) Producer: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello Cast: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferrili, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi with Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka, and with Isabella Ferrari Festivals: Cannes (Competition) 2013, Toronto 2013, AFI 2013, Italy’s Official Entry to the 2014 Academy Awards Awards: 4 European Film Award nominations (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and winner for Best Editing), Best Foreign Film nominee for British In- dependent Film Awards
Journalist Jep Gambardella (the dazzling Toni Servillo, Il Divo and Go- Morrah) has charmed and seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades. Since the legendary success of his one and only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city's literary and social circles, but when his sixty-fifth birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Honey (Miele)
Release Date: March 7, 2014 Director: Valeria Golino Producer: Viola Prestieri, Riccardo Scamarcio, Anne-Dominique Toussaint, Raphael Berdugo Screenplay: Valeria Golino, Valia Santella, Francesca Marciano, from the novel by Angela Del Fabbro with the same title Cast: Jasmine Trinca, Carlo Cecchi, Libero De Rienzo, Vinicio Marchioni, Iaia Forte, Roberto De Francesco, Barbara Ronchi, Claudio Guain, Teresa Acerbis, Valeria Bilello, Massimiliano Iacolucci Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard) 2013, Toronto 2013 Prizes: Winner Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes 2013 Nominated for European Discovery at the European Film Awards 2013
Actress Valeria Golino makes her directing debut with Honey. Irene lives alone on the coastline outside Rome. To her father and her married lover, she’s a student. In reality, she often travels to Mexico where she can legally buy a powerful barbiturate. Working under the name of Miele ("Honey"), her clandestine job is to help terminally-ill people to die with dignity by giving them the drug. One day she supplies a new “client” with a fatal dose, only to find out he’s perfectly healthy but tired of life. Irene is determined not to be responsible for his suicide. From this point on, Irene and Grimaldi are unwill- ingly locked in an intense and moving relationship which will change Irene’s life forever.
L’Intrepido
Release Date - To Be Confirmed Director: Gianni Amelio Producer: Carlo Degli Esposti Screenplay: Gianni Amelio, Davide Lantieri Cast: Antonio Albanese, Sandra Ceccarelli, Livia Rossi, Gabriele Rendina, Alfonso Santagata
Festivals: Venice 2013, Toronto 2013
Set in modern day Milan, this is a Chaplinesque odyssey through the world of work – every type of work, but primarily unskilled manual labor – seen through the eyes of a kind, middle-aged man who takes on every conceivable temporary job in order to be useful and have self respect. This really is a por- trait of the highs and lows of modern life. At its heart is a sympathetic man (Antonio Albanese) who, despite loneliness and personal family problems, es- pecially around his gifted but troubled musician son, remains defiantly opti- mistic even when terrible things happen to him and the people he meets.
Me And You (Io E Te)
Release Date: To Be Confirmed
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci Screenplay: Bernardo Bertolucci, Niccolo Ammaniti, Umberto Contarello Producer: Mario Gianani Cast: Tea Falco, Jacopo Olmo Antinori Festivals: Cannes, Toronto
Lorenzo, a solitary 14-year-old with difficulties relating to his daily life and the world around him, chooses to spend a week hidden in the basement of his house. But Lorenzo’s fragile and rebellious stepsister, Olivia, appears at her brother’s place of refuge and disturbs the quiet.
- 2/10/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 25, 2014
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Aging Italian journalist Toni Servillo takes stock of his life in The Great Beauty.
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino (This Must Be the Place), the comedy-drama movie The Great Beauty is Italy’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category for the upcoming 86th Academy Awards.
For decades, journalist Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo, Gomorrah) has charmed and seduced his way through the glittering nightlife of Rome. Since the legendary success of his only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city’s literary and elite social circles. But on his sixty-fifth birthday, Jep unexpectedly finds himself taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the lavish nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome itself, in all its monumental glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Featuring sensuous cinematography,...
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Aging Italian journalist Toni Servillo takes stock of his life in The Great Beauty.
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino (This Must Be the Place), the comedy-drama movie The Great Beauty is Italy’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category for the upcoming 86th Academy Awards.
For decades, journalist Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo, Gomorrah) has charmed and seduced his way through the glittering nightlife of Rome. Since the legendary success of his only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city’s literary and elite social circles. But on his sixty-fifth birthday, Jep unexpectedly finds himself taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the lavish nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome itself, in all its monumental glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Featuring sensuous cinematography,...
- 12/30/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
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