“The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore and Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera play alternate versions of themselves on the final episode of the Italian adaptation of “Call My Agent,” which was released this weekend on pay-tv Sky Italia.
Shot in September 2023, during the real Venice event, the show sees Impacciatore play the fest’s master of ceremonies who, wearing a red gown, disembarks with her agent from a motorboat on the Lido at the Excelsior Hotel dock, greeted by throngs of fans and paparazzi. She then starts acting a bit strange, speaking to Barbera in English instead of Italian and almost falling into the lagoon, as seen in the above exclusive subtitled clip.
Impacciatore, who played Valentina, the hotel manager in the Sicily-set second season of “White Lotus,” was mostly unknown outside of Italy before appearing in the hit HBO show which also gave her domestic career a nice boost.
Shot in September 2023, during the real Venice event, the show sees Impacciatore play the fest’s master of ceremonies who, wearing a red gown, disembarks with her agent from a motorboat on the Lido at the Excelsior Hotel dock, greeted by throngs of fans and paparazzi. She then starts acting a bit strange, speaking to Barbera in English instead of Italian and almost falling into the lagoon, as seen in the above exclusive subtitled clip.
Impacciatore, who played Valentina, the hotel manager in the Sicily-set second season of “White Lotus,” was mostly unknown outside of Italy before appearing in the hit HBO show which also gave her domestic career a nice boost.
- 4/10/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
"Sometimes those who let you go love you more... than those who hold you back." Netflix has revealed a quick teaser trailer for The Children's Train, an upcoming adaptation set in Italy right after World War II about kids being sent away. Based on Viola Ardone's bestselling novel "Il Treno dei Bambini" turned into a grand feature film. Set in the the city of Naples just after WWII, The Children's Train follows the life of Amerigo Speranza, a seven-year-old boy who sets off on an extraordinary journey. It explore themes such as poverty, resilience, and humanity, offering an insight exciting and profound of an Italy marked by war but full of hope. With a star-studded cast featuring Serena Rossi, Barbara Ronchi, Stefano Accorsi, and Christian Cervone, and directed by the celebrated filmmaker Cristina Comencini, the film promises a poignant & emotional journey. The story is about a group of children...
- 2/12/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Comencini’s feature credits include Venice competition titles ’Don’t Tell’ (2005) and ’When The Night’ (2011).
Netflix has added two original features and two scripted series to its Italian slate.
The slate includes the latest film from Italian director and screenwriter Cristina Comencini, whose feature credits include Venice competition titles Don’t Tell (2005) and When The Night (2011). Produced by Palomar, Il Treno Dei Bambini, is based on the book by Viola Ardone and is billed as a journey through the misery but also the generosity witnessed in postwar Italy, as seen through the eyes of a child torn between two mothers.
The feature is written by Furio Andreotti,...
Netflix has added two original features and two scripted series to its Italian slate.
The slate includes the latest film from Italian director and screenwriter Cristina Comencini, whose feature credits include Venice competition titles Don’t Tell (2005) and When The Night (2011). Produced by Palomar, Il Treno Dei Bambini, is based on the book by Viola Ardone and is billed as a journey through the misery but also the generosity witnessed in postwar Italy, as seen through the eyes of a child torn between two mothers.
The feature is written by Furio Andreotti,...
- 9/19/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Netflix’s next Italian originals will be pairs of series and feature films from the likes of Stefano Mordini, Alessandro Genovesi and Cristina Comencini.
The projects were unveiled at a See What’s Next event in Rome today, in front of several stars, directors and stars.
Tinny Andreatta, Vice President of Italian Content at Netflix, said the orders showed the streamer remains “committed to our investment in Italy and Italian stories with conviction, continuing our long-term commitment to the country and its creative community.” Netflix opened an Italian office in May last year.
Namely, pics are Cristina Comencini’s Il Treno dei Bambini and Fabbricante di Lacrime from director Alessandro Genovesi. TV shows comprise Storia della mia Famiglia and Adorazione.
Il Treno dei Bambini is based on Viola Ardone’s bestselling novel pf the same name and is billed as as an “epic and poignant film” set in post-war Italy...
The projects were unveiled at a See What’s Next event in Rome today, in front of several stars, directors and stars.
Tinny Andreatta, Vice President of Italian Content at Netflix, said the orders showed the streamer remains “committed to our investment in Italy and Italian stories with conviction, continuing our long-term commitment to the country and its creative community.” Netflix opened an Italian office in May last year.
Namely, pics are Cristina Comencini’s Il Treno dei Bambini and Fabbricante di Lacrime from director Alessandro Genovesi. TV shows comprise Storia della mia Famiglia and Adorazione.
Il Treno dei Bambini is based on Viola Ardone’s bestselling novel pf the same name and is billed as as an “epic and poignant film” set in post-war Italy...
- 9/19/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Emmy-nominated “The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore will play the Venice Film Festival’s master of ceremonies in the upcoming second season of the Italian version of “Call My Agent,” which will also feature a cameo by Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Impacciatore, wearing a red gown, disembarked from a water taxi at the Excelsior Hotel pier on the Venice Lido on Saturday welcomed by Barbera, as cameras rolled for a key scene in the show. Actors playing photographers for the scene and also real paparazzi snapped away upon her arrival.
“’Call My Agent – Italia’ is a true love letter to cinema, its rituals and its protagonists,” Nils Hartmann, EVP of Sky Studios for Italy and Germany, said in a statement. “It is therefore a truly great emotion, and at the same time a great motive of pride for us, to be able to shoot the second season of such...
Impacciatore, wearing a red gown, disembarked from a water taxi at the Excelsior Hotel pier on the Venice Lido on Saturday welcomed by Barbera, as cameras rolled for a key scene in the show. Actors playing photographers for the scene and also real paparazzi snapped away upon her arrival.
“’Call My Agent – Italia’ is a true love letter to cinema, its rituals and its protagonists,” Nils Hartmann, EVP of Sky Studios for Italy and Germany, said in a statement. “It is therefore a truly great emotion, and at the same time a great motive of pride for us, to be able to shoot the second season of such...
- 9/11/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Serena Rossi as Maria, the bride in the Italian TV mini-series drama “The Bride” (“La Sposa”). Courtesy of MHz Choice
Italian TV gives us “The Bride” (“La Sposa”), a dramatic miniseries about a woman enduring many types of hardship for an emotionally intense quartet of hour-long episodes. It could be marginalized as a “chick flick” or soap opera without much of a sexy side but it turns out to be a fairly compelling character study of the eponymous bride, Maria (Serena Rossi), and the culture surrounding her in 1960 rural Italy.
Maria’s family was dirt poor, about to lose their humble home in a village in the southern region. Desperate to save her mother and two younger siblings from being homeless, she agrees to marry grumpy old farmer Vittorio (Maurizio Donadoni) from far to the north in exchange for his promise to clear their debts and send a monthly stipend to them.
Italian TV gives us “The Bride” (“La Sposa”), a dramatic miniseries about a woman enduring many types of hardship for an emotionally intense quartet of hour-long episodes. It could be marginalized as a “chick flick” or soap opera without much of a sexy side but it turns out to be a fairly compelling character study of the eponymous bride, Maria (Serena Rossi), and the culture surrounding her in 1960 rural Italy.
Maria’s family was dirt poor, about to lose their humble home in a village in the southern region. Desperate to save her mother and two younger siblings from being homeless, she agrees to marry grumpy old farmer Vittorio (Maurizio Donadoni) from far to the north in exchange for his promise to clear their debts and send a monthly stipend to them.
- 9/6/2023
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Stars: Luca Marinelli, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea, Alessandro Roja, Serena Rossi, Luca Di Giovanni, Claudia Gerini, Vanessa Scalera, Roberto Citran, Guglielmo Favilla | Written by The Manetti Bros., Michelangelo Le Neve | Directed by Antonio and Marco Manetti
I’ve been a fan of the Manetti Brothers – Antonio and Marco – since the first time I saw their fantastic sci-fi horror The Arrival of Wang way back in 2012. Since then the pair have directed numerous films, including Paura 3D and the action ‘Mafia musical’ Love and Bullets. The pair also produced Daniele Misischia’s fantastic zombie film The End?, which screened at Frightfest in 2017… Why mention those films? Because all of those films have – unfortunately – faded into obscurity on these shores since debuting at films festivals here in the UK. Hopefully Diabolik, the duo’s latest film based on the classic Italian comic book anti-hero of the same name will not suffer the same fate,...
I’ve been a fan of the Manetti Brothers – Antonio and Marco – since the first time I saw their fantastic sci-fi horror The Arrival of Wang way back in 2012. Since then the pair have directed numerous films, including Paura 3D and the action ‘Mafia musical’ Love and Bullets. The pair also produced Daniele Misischia’s fantastic zombie film The End?, which screened at Frightfest in 2017… Why mention those films? Because all of those films have – unfortunately – faded into obscurity on these shores since debuting at films festivals here in the UK. Hopefully Diabolik, the duo’s latest film based on the classic Italian comic book anti-hero of the same name will not suffer the same fate,...
- 10/25/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Where is the next Squid Game, Line of Duty or The Bridge coming from? These are questions we frequently pose at Deadline and, hopefully, we’ve identified some key contenders below.
From World War Two epics, to Boris Johnson biopics, to the first ever original from the Faroe Islands, here are seven dramas we think are going to make waves in 2022.
Sas: Rogue Heroes (UK)
Everything Steven Knight touches of late turns to gold, with Peaky Blinders going from strength to strength and Spencer set to sweep up at awards season, so it’s no surprise to see a great deal of hype surrounding his latest offering for BBC1, produced by Humans indie Kudos and Nebulastar. Starring Jack O’Connell, Dominic West and Sex Education‘s Connor Swindells, Rogue Heroes, which tells the story of the creation of the famed undercover unit in World War Two, has already sold to North...
From World War Two epics, to Boris Johnson biopics, to the first ever original from the Faroe Islands, here are seven dramas we think are going to make waves in 2022.
Sas: Rogue Heroes (UK)
Everything Steven Knight touches of late turns to gold, with Peaky Blinders going from strength to strength and Spencer set to sweep up at awards season, so it’s no surprise to see a great deal of hype surrounding his latest offering for BBC1, produced by Humans indie Kudos and Nebulastar. Starring Jack O’Connell, Dominic West and Sex Education‘s Connor Swindells, Rogue Heroes, which tells the story of the creation of the famed undercover unit in World War Two, has already sold to North...
- 12/23/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Italian broadcaster Rai has commissioned The Bride, a six-part 1960s-set drama series from Banijay-owned Endemol Shine Italy.
Described as a “touching tale of redemption and liberation,” by Banijay, the series centers on Maria, a young woman who marries Italo by proxy, a widespread practice in Italy at the time.
Set amidst significant social change, Maria adjusts to a controversial rural life as a stepmother with the disdain of a husband who is still traumatized by his first wife’s disappearance. Despite the adversity, her unwavering resilience and positivity see bonds begin to form, until the appearance of her ex-boyfriend threatens to change everything.
Airing next year on Rai1, the series is directed by Giacomo Campiotti and stars Serena Rossi (Ammore e Malavita, Io sono Mia, Mina Settembre) as lead.
“It is fantastic to work with Rai Fiction on a project which shines...
Described as a “touching tale of redemption and liberation,” by Banijay, the series centers on Maria, a young woman who marries Italo by proxy, a widespread practice in Italy at the time.
Set amidst significant social change, Maria adjusts to a controversial rural life as a stepmother with the disdain of a husband who is still traumatized by his first wife’s disappearance. Despite the adversity, her unwavering resilience and positivity see bonds begin to form, until the appearance of her ex-boyfriend threatens to change everything.
Airing next year on Rai1, the series is directed by Giacomo Campiotti and stars Serena Rossi (Ammore e Malavita, Io sono Mia, Mina Settembre) as lead.
“It is fantastic to work with Rai Fiction on a project which shines...
- 12/6/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival unveiled its award winners on Saturday night, and Jane Campion, Penélope Cruz and Maggie Gyllenhaal are among the award winners for the top prizes.
“Happening,” a French abortion drama from director Audrey Diwan, won the Golden Lion, and Paolo Sorrentino’s film “The Hand of God” won the second place prize, or the Silver Lion.
In the acting categories, Penélope Cruz won Best Actress for Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers,” and John Arcilla won Best Actor for “On the Job: The Missing 8.” Jane Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director for her film “The Power of the Dog.”
Among some of the other winners, Maggie Gyllenhaal won Best Screenplay for her adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel “The Lost Daughter.” Gyllenhaal praised Campion and spoke about how watching “The Piano” inspired her as a storyteller. “The Hand of God” star Filippo Scotti also won the...
“Happening,” a French abortion drama from director Audrey Diwan, won the Golden Lion, and Paolo Sorrentino’s film “The Hand of God” won the second place prize, or the Silver Lion.
In the acting categories, Penélope Cruz won Best Actress for Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers,” and John Arcilla won Best Actor for “On the Job: The Missing 8.” Jane Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director for her film “The Power of the Dog.”
Among some of the other winners, Maggie Gyllenhaal won Best Screenplay for her adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel “The Lost Daughter.” Gyllenhaal praised Campion and spoke about how watching “The Piano” inspired her as a storyteller. “The Hand of God” star Filippo Scotti also won the...
- 9/11/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The 78th Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday with the world premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit, who strutted down the walled-in red carpet alongside other top talent, and Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella.
Venice has been forced to place a wall-like outer barrier shielding the long catwalk entirely, in order to avoid close-knit crowds. But that did not diminish the balmy evening’s glamorous mood, pervaded with a spirit of restart.
Jury president Bong Joon Ho, after taking the stage, said, “We all believe the Corona Covid [crisis] will be over soon, yet the cinema will remain with us forever.”
The ceremony was hosted by Italian actor and singer Serena Rossi, who in her opening speech paid tribute to the crisis in Afghanistan.
“My thoughts to Afghan mothers, to those skinny arms on the barbed wire; to mothers ready with an extreme gesture to separate from their children,...
Venice has been forced to place a wall-like outer barrier shielding the long catwalk entirely, in order to avoid close-knit crowds. But that did not diminish the balmy evening’s glamorous mood, pervaded with a spirit of restart.
Jury president Bong Joon Ho, after taking the stage, said, “We all believe the Corona Covid [crisis] will be over soon, yet the cinema will remain with us forever.”
The ceremony was hosted by Italian actor and singer Serena Rossi, who in her opening speech paid tribute to the crisis in Afghanistan.
“My thoughts to Afghan mothers, to those skinny arms on the barbed wire; to mothers ready with an extreme gesture to separate from their children,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli and Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Bong Joon-ho was emotional and Jane Campion was touching but the evening belonged to Roberto Benigni.
The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We want to say to them: you are not alone,” said Rossi.
Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice’s gala theater, seemed oddly somber, a mood that wasn’t helped by images of a half-empty gallery —Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant ...
The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We want to say to them: you are not alone,” said Rossi.
Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice’s gala theater, seemed oddly somber, a mood that wasn’t helped by images of a half-empty gallery —Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant ...
Bong Joon-ho was emotional and Jane Campion was touching but the evening belonged to Roberto Benigni.
The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We want to say to them: you are not alone,” said Rossi.
Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice’s gala theater, seemed oddly somber, a mood that wasn’t helped by images of a half-empty gallery —Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant ...
The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We want to say to them: you are not alone,” said Rossi.
Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice’s gala theater, seemed oddly somber, a mood that wasn’t helped by images of a half-empty gallery —Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant ...
A film festival is about more than just the films and the festival center. It is about the location, the journey, the experience. Here on Deadline we’ll be bringing you updates on what it’s like to be on the ground at the Venice Film Festival, which continues on schedule for the second year in a row despite the pandemic disrupting other events.
Tuesday August 31. Day 0 of the festival.
Call it the calm before the storm, but the Venice Lido was a sedate place to arrive yesterday, with two days to go until the kick-off of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Most hotels, bars and restaurants seemed not to bother opening during the daytime for the smattering of festival folk arriving early. But the Biennale branding going up at the Palazzo del Cinema, and the barriers being erected on the streets adjacent, made it clear the festival was on its way.
Tuesday August 31. Day 0 of the festival.
Call it the calm before the storm, but the Venice Lido was a sedate place to arrive yesterday, with two days to go until the kick-off of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Most hotels, bars and restaurants seemed not to bother opening during the daytime for the smattering of festival folk arriving early. But the Biennale branding going up at the Palazzo del Cinema, and the barriers being erected on the streets adjacent, made it clear the festival was on its way.
- 8/31/2021
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival is gearing up to take place as a full-fledged physical event in September with a back-to-normal atmosphere and what could be a high-profile selection of films.
While the Toronto Film Festival, which runs Sept. 9-18, is sticking with a combination of digital and in-person screenings, as is Sundance 2022, Venice’s upcoming Sept. 1-11 edition is on track, barring complications, to run as a completely in-person celebration of cinema with hundreds of journalists and dozens of film delegations expected to make the trek to the Lido from all over the world.
That’s the scenario the fest’s parent org, the Venice Biennale, is looking to pull off for its upcoming Architecture Biennale which has the timely theme of “How Will We Live Together?” and opens in Venice on May 22.
Delegations representing more than 100 Architecture Biennale projects are expected to soon arrive in Venice from 46 countries, along with more than 400 international journalists.
While the Toronto Film Festival, which runs Sept. 9-18, is sticking with a combination of digital and in-person screenings, as is Sundance 2022, Venice’s upcoming Sept. 1-11 edition is on track, barring complications, to run as a completely in-person celebration of cinema with hundreds of journalists and dozens of film delegations expected to make the trek to the Lido from all over the world.
That’s the scenario the fest’s parent org, the Venice Biennale, is looking to pull off for its upcoming Architecture Biennale which has the timely theme of “How Will We Live Together?” and opens in Venice on May 22.
Delegations representing more than 100 Architecture Biennale projects are expected to soon arrive in Venice from 46 countries, along with more than 400 international journalists.
- 5/14/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Nent Orders Icelandic Crime Drama
Nordic streamer Nordic Entertainment Group has ordered psychological crime drama Sisterhood. The six-episode series stars Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir (The Midnight Sky), Jóhanna Friðrika Sæmundsdóttir (Happily Never After) and Eddan Award winners Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir (Trapped) and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War). The drama will premiere on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2022. The series will ask who was really responsible for a young girl’s disappearance in Iceland 25 years ago. Ambitious police detective Vera (Geirharðsdóttir), dissatisfied with the original investigation, investigates an unlikely trio of successful and respectable women. Tony Todd Thriller Gets Domestic Deal Exclusive: Sp Releasing has acquired domestic rights to Andy Stapp’s directorial debut Destination Marfa starring Candy Man actor Tony Todd and Stelio Savante. The film follows four lifelong friends who decide to veer off the road and venture into a small West Texas town known as Marfa, where they...
Nordic streamer Nordic Entertainment Group has ordered psychological crime drama Sisterhood. The six-episode series stars Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir (The Midnight Sky), Jóhanna Friðrika Sæmundsdóttir (Happily Never After) and Eddan Award winners Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir (Trapped) and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War). The drama will premiere on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2022. The series will ask who was really responsible for a young girl’s disappearance in Iceland 25 years ago. Ambitious police detective Vera (Geirharðsdóttir), dissatisfied with the original investigation, investigates an unlikely trio of successful and respectable women. Tony Todd Thriller Gets Domestic Deal Exclusive: Sp Releasing has acquired domestic rights to Andy Stapp’s directorial debut Destination Marfa starring Candy Man actor Tony Todd and Stelio Savante. The film follows four lifelong friends who decide to veer off the road and venture into a small West Texas town known as Marfa, where they...
- 4/29/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman and Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Lasciami andare by Stefano Mordini will be Venice’s closing film; the special events include the series 30 Coins, directed by Álex de la Iglesia. Eight fiction films and 11 non-fiction titles, plus three special screenings, comprise the jam-packed Out of Competition programme of the 77th Venice Film Festival (2-12 September), as announced by artistic director Alberto Barbera this morning during a live-streamed press conference (see the news on the Venice 77 and Orizzonti competitions). Among the works of fiction on this list, besides the previously announced opening film (The Ties by Daniele Luchetti – see the news), is also the movie that will have the honour of closing this year’s Mostra: it will be another Italian title, Lasciami andare by Stefano Mordini, a psychological thriller filmed during the period of high water levels in Venice, starring Valeria Golino, Stefano Accorsi, Maya Sansa and Serena Rossi. In the same section is...
The authors of Love and Bullets are adapting the adventures of the character created by the Giussani sisters for the big screen, with Luca Marinelli leading the cast. Filming began on 30 September for Diabolik, the new film by the Manetti Bros. who are bringing the adventures of the famous Italian comic book hero to the big screen, a fascinating, steely-eyed thief in black tights, created in the 60s by Angela and Luciana Giussani. “The King of Terror” (already adapted for the cinema by Mario Bava back in 1968) will borrow the face of Luca Marinelli and the beautiful Eva Kant that of Miriam Leone, while Valerio Mastandrea will slip into the shoes of Inspector Ginko. The cast also includes a handful of the Manettis’ favoured actors, such as Alessandro Roia (Song’e Napule), Claudia Gerini (Love and Bullets) and Serena Rossi. Written by Michelangelo La...
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